COMM307 Quantitative Methods in

Communication (Fall 2022)

TuTh 11:00am - 12:15pm, EGR 1104
Professor: Xiaoli Nan, Ph.D.
Email: nan@umd.edu
Virtual Office Hours: Wed. (1:00-2:00pm) & by Appointment
Zoom link
 1

Course Description

COMM307 introduces students to quantitative research methods in communication. It

covers the basics of quantitative research methods (as applied in communication contexts),
including conducting library research, writing literature reviews, formulating hypotheses,
designing scientific studies, collecting data from human participants, analyzing quantitative
data, and writing scientific reports. In this class, students collaborate in groups on a
semester-long research project using quantitative research methods to address a socially
significant communication problem. The goal of this class is to equip students with the
knowledge and skills necessary to understand, critique, and conduct scientific social
research, prepare them for graduate school or other research-oriented professional
careers, and cultivate critical consumers of information in everyday life.

Goals

After successfully completing this course, students are expected to:

● know the limitations of everyday ways of knowing;
● understand the logic of scientific reasoning;
● know the different methods used in communication research;
● know the building blocks of quantitative methods—literature review, variables,
hypothesis testing, sampling, research designs, data analyses, etc.;
● know the advantages and disadvantages of different quantitative research designs;
● understand and critique quantitative social research;
● be able to design a scientific study to address important communication problems;
● understand what constitutes (un)ethical research conducts;
● become critical consumers of everyday information.

Required Textbook & Readings

Davis, C.S. & Lachlan, K. A. (2017). Straight talk about

communication research methods (3rd ed.). Dubuque, IA: Kendall
Hunt. Publishing.
First three chapters of Davis & Lachlan available here.
Required supplemental readings available here.
 2

Activities, Learning Assessments, & Expectations for Students

Class Participation (20 points)

Although not mandatory, class attendance is expected of every student (as you know!).
Come to class prepared to participate in class discussion, which means you need to do the
assigned readings in advance. Please note that this is a very hands-on class where we often
brainstorm, write or edit documents, analyze data, etc., during class meetings. It is thus
essential to attend every class session so that you can participate in these activities and
work with your group members. Class participation points are given at the discretion of the
professor.

Discussion Questions (36 points, 4 pts X 9)

You are required to submit two discussion questions for each supplemental reading (list of
supplemental readings can be found below the course schedule). Questions should be
developed to address key issues raised in the assigned readings. Consider theoretical,
methodological, ethical, and/or practical issues, as well as the broader scope of the work.
The discussion questions will be evaluated based on their overall quality, measured by
thoughtfulness, relevance, and potential to stimulate discussion.
To submit the questions, go to “Discussions” on ELMS and post under the appropriate
thread. Discussion questions must be posted by Tuesday at 9pm before the week’s
Thursday class. For example, discussion questions for Thursday 09/15’s readings must be
posted by Tuesday 09/13 at 9pm.

Discussion Leader (15 points, 15 pts X 1)

Each student will have an opportunity to serve as a discussion leader. You will work
independently or with another student to lead and facilitate class discussion surrounding a
supplemental reading item—a scholarly article related to the group project (see below). As
a discussion leader, you will make a 5-minute presentation (ppt required) which should
cover 1) the main hypotheses/research questions of the article, 2) details of the study
design, and 3) the main findings. Following the 5-minute presentation, you will lead class
discussion for approximately 10 minutes. To facilitate discussion, you will highlight in your
ppt slides discussion questions posted by others (see above). You can also pose your
questions of course.
Your performance as a discussion leader will be evaluated based on how well you have
engaged the whole class in meaningful conversations about the reading. The assignment
becomes a collaborative effort when there are more than one discussion leaders. In that
 3

case, the group will be evaluated as a whole. Sign up for the discussion leader assignment
here by Th 09/08.

Group Project (100 points)

A major requirement of this course is the completion of a group project, culminating in a
full research paper in the form of a standard scientific report (i.e., scholarly article). The
group project will aim to address a socially significant communication problem (further
instructions for the group project will be given in class). The final research paper is due at
the end of the semester but section drafts of the paper are due periodically throughout the
semester. The section drafts are not graded but failure to turn in a well-prepared draft will
result in a deduction of 5 points for all group members. At the end of the semester, each
group will present their research paper in class. The group will be evaluated as whole, but
in order to get points for the presentation a student must be one of the presenters. Section
drafts and the final paper should be submitted to ELMS as Google Docs.
Drafts Due
● Introduction & literature review 10/12 before class starts
● Method 11/02 before class starts
● Results 11/23 before class starts
● Discussion 11/30 before class starts
● Final paper 12/12 9pm
Grading for the group project will be determined by three components:
● Written Report (70 points; 20-Intro & Lit Review, 20-Method, 20-Results,
10-Discussion)
● Presentation (10 points)
● Peer Evaluation (20 points)

Exams (Exam 1: 50 points; Exam 2: 100 points)

There will be two exams. Exam 1 will cover class materials taught before week 8 and
consist of short-answer questions. Exam 2 will be cumulative, covering all materials taught
throughout the semester, and will consist of both multiple-choice and short-answer
questions. For both exams, a study guide will be distributed at least one week in advance.

Extra Credit Points

There will be many opportunities to earn extra credit points in this class. I regularly offer
extra credit points for participation in in-class activities. There will be no make-ups for extra
credit opportunities offered during class meetings.
 4

Additionally, students can participate in SONA studies (earn up to 3 points) or attend

seminars recommended by the professor to get extra credit points (such opportunities,
when available, will be announced in class).

Grading Scheme

Category Points Percentage

Class Participation 20 6%
Discussion Questions 36 11%
Discussion Leader 15 5%
Group Project 100 31%
Exam 1 50 16%
Exam 2 100 31%

Total 321 100%

Final grades will be based on the percentage of points earned. The following scale
will be used:
 5

Course Schedule

Week Date Topic Readings Group Project Due

Week 1 T 08/30 Course Introduction

Th 09/01 GP: Introduction to Group Project

Week 2 T 09/06 Communication Research CH 1 & 2

Th 09/08 GP: Reading/Writing Scientific Reports

Week 3 T 09/13 Library Research & Literature Review CH 3 & 4

Th 09/15 GP: Conducting Library Research SR 1 & 2

Week 4 T 09/20 Variables & Hypotheses CH 5 & 7

Th 09/22 GP: Conducting Literature Review SR 3 & 4

Week 5 T 09/27 Sampling CH 8

Th 09/29 GP: Developing Hypotheses SR 5 & 6

Week 6 T 10/04 Validity & Reliability CH 9

Th 10/06 GP: Developing Questionnaire (Pre-Test) SR 7 & 8 Intro & Lit Review

Week 7 T 10/11 Survey Research CH 10

Th 10/13 GP: Developing Questionnaire (Post-Test) SR 9 & 10

Week 8 T 10/18 Exam 1 Review (Online)

Th 10/20 Exam 1

Week 9 T 10/25 Experimental Research CH 12

Th 10/27 GP: Developing Experimental Stimuli SR 11 & 12

Week 10 T 11/01 Quantitative Content Analysis CH 11

Th 11/03 GP: Qualtrics SR 13 & 14 Method

 6

Week 11 T 11/08 Analyzing Quantitative Data CH 13

Th 11/10 GP: SPSS SR 15 & 16

Week 12 T 11/15 Research Ethics CH 6

Th 11/17 GP: IRB SR 17 & 18 Results

Week 13 T 11/22 Invited Research Talks (Online)

Th 11/24 Thanksgiving - No Class!

Week 14 T 11/29 Critical Thinking

Th 12/01 GP: Group Project Presentations Discussion

Week 15 T 12/06 Exam 2 Review (Online)

Th 12/08 Exam 2

Week 16 M 12/12 Final Draft

Note: This is a tentative schedule, and subject to change as necessary. In the unlikely event of a prolonged
university closing, or an extended absence from the university, adjustments to the course schedule, deadlines,
and assignments will be made based on the duration of the closing and the specific dates missed.
 7

Required Supplemental Readings

Supplemental readings available here.

1. Altay, S., Hacquin, A.-S., Chevallier, C., & Mercier, H. (2021). Information delivered by a
chatbot has a positive impact on COVID-19 vaccines attitudes and intentions. Journal of
Experimental Psychology: Applied. Advance online publication.
2. Ashworth, M., Thunström, L., Cherry, T. L., Newbold, S. C., & Finnoff, D. C. (2021).
Emphasize personal health benefits to boost COVID-19 vaccination rates. Proceedings of
the National Academy of Sciences, 118(32), e2108225118.
3. Cummings, C. L., & Kong, W. Y. (2019). “Influenza” versus “Flu”: Do different medical
terms affect vaccination intention? Journal of Health Communication, 24(4), 456–460.
4. Godinho, C. A., Yardley, L., Marcu, A., Mowbray, F., Beard, E., & Michie, S. (2016).
Increasing the intent to receive a pandemic influenza vaccination: Testing the impact of
theory-based messages. Preventive Medicine, 89, 104–111.
5. Hendrix, K. S., Finnell, S. M. E., Zimet, G. D., Sturm, L. A., Lane, K. A., & Downs, S. M.
(2014). Vaccine message framing and parents’ intent to immunize their infants for MMR.
Pediatrics, 134(3), e675–e683.
6. Kelly, B. J., & Hornik, R. C. (2016). Effects of framing health messages in terms of benefits
to loved ones or others: An experimental study. Health Communication, 31(10),
1284–1290.
7. Krakow, M., Yale, R. N., Perez Torres, D., Christy, K., & Jensen, J. D. (2017). Death
narratives and cervical cancer: Impact of character death on narrative processing and
HPV vaccination. Health Psychology, 36(12), 1173–1180.
8. McGlone, M. S., Stephens, K. K., Rodriguez, S. A., & Fernandez, M. E. (2017). Persuasive
texts for prompting action: Agency assignment in HPV vaccination reminders. Vaccine,
35(34), 4295–4297.
9. Milkman, K. L., Patel, M. S., Gandhi, L., Graci, H. N., Gromet, D. M., Ho, H., Kay, J. S., Lee,
T. W., Akinola, M., & Beshears, J. (2021). A megastudy of text-based nudges encouraging
patients to get vaccinated at an upcoming doctor’s appointment. Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences, 118(20), e2101165118.
10. Motta, M., Sylvester, S., Callaghan, T., & Lunz-Trujillo, K. (2021). Encouraging COVID-19
vaccine uptake through effective health communication. Frontiers in Political Science, 3,
630133.
 8

11. Nyhan, B., Reifler, J., Richey, S., & Freed, G. L. (2014). Effective messages in vaccine
promotion: A randomized trial. Pediatrics, 133(4), e835–e842.
12. Pink, S. L., Chu, J., Druckman, J. N., Rand, D. G., & Willer, R. (2021). Elite party cues
increase vaccination intentions among Republicans. Proceedings of the National Academy
of Sciences, 118(32), e2106559118.
13. Prati, G., Pietrantoni, L., & Zani, B. (2012). Influenza vaccination: The persuasiveness of
messages among people aged 65 years and older. Health Communication, 27(5),
413–420.
14. Reinhardt, A., & Rossmann, C. (2021). Age-related framing effects: Why vaccination
against COVID-19 should be promoted differently in younger and older adults. Journal of
Experimental Psychology: Applied. 27(4), 669–678.
15. Richman, A. R., Maddy, L., Torres, E., & Goldberg, E. J. (2016). A randomized intervention
study to evaluate whether electronic messaging can increase human papillomavirus
vaccine completion and knowledge among college students. Journal of American College
Health, 64(4), 269–278.
16. Robertson, C. T., Bentele, K., Meyerson, B., Wood, A. S. A., & Salwa, J. (2021). Effects of
political versus expert messaging on vaccination intentions of Trump voters. PLoS ONE,
16(9), 1–7.
17. Sinclair, S., & Agerström, J. (2021). Do social norms influence young people’s willingness
to take the covid-19 vaccine? Health Communication. Advance online publication.
18. Yuan, S., & Chu, H. (2021). Vaccine for yourself, your community, or your country?
Examining audiences’ response to distance framing of covid-19 vaccine messages.
Patient Education and Counseling, 105(2), 284–289.

Course-Specific Policies

● Students are required to bring their laptops to each class meeting; many in-class
activities need to be completed online.
● Laptops can only be used for class-related activities during class meetings (taking notes,
complete assignments, etc.). Use of other electronic devices (cell phones, iPads) is
prohibited.
● All completed assignments must be submitted via ELMS. Email submissions will NOT be
accepted.
● Late work will NOT be accepted (except in extraordinary circumstances with
documentation) so please plan to have it submitted well before the scheduled deadline.
● No food or drink in class.
 9

● The grade of Incomplete is given only to a student whose work in a course has been
qualitatively satisfactory, but when, because of illness or other circumstances beyond
his/her control, the student has been unable to complete some small portion of
coursework. In no case will "I" be recorded for students who have not completed major
course assignments.

We will appreciate it if you can mask up!

General Policies

It is our shared responsibility to know and abide by the University of Maryland’s policies
that relate to all courses, which include topics like:

● Academic integrity
● Student and instructor conduct
● Accessibility and accommodations
● Attendance and excused absences
● Grades and appeals
● Copyright and intellectual property

Please visit www.ugst.umd.edu/courserelatedpolicies.html for the Office of Undergraduate

Studies’ full list of campus-wide policies and follow up with me if you have questions.