Political Science Classroom Research Articles

Facilitating Knowledge Exchange, Knowledge Building, Research Competence, and Digital Literacy: Student-Led Wikipedia Group Project in an Undergraduate Class of Public Administration in Hong Kong

This article provides a detailed description and reflection on a student-led Wikipedia group project conducted in a large undergraduate class on public administration in Hong Kong. It was offered to senior undergraduate students in a research-intensive university. The project is framed within four key educational principles, namely knowledge exchange, knowledge building, research competence, and digital literacy. These principles are weaved together into an integrated learning sequence that includes essential assignment items and supporting tasks and activities. The sequence serves as a systematic and rigorous scaffolding for students. This article aims to contribute to the scholarship of political science education in three ways. First, this article outlines the sequential steps and approaches, as well as the attitudes and norms involved in integrating Wikipedia into political science classrooms. It also highlights the practical considerations and pedagogical justifications underlying the project. Moreover, this article primarily focuses on the classroom-level perspective, examining the actions of teachers and the dynamic responses of students. Lastly, this article proposes a series of key recommendations for political science educators worldwide. These recommendations aim to provide abundant learning opportunities and create a conducive learning environment when utilising Wikipedia as both a pedagogical tool and a classroom resource.

Fear and Loathing: ChatGPT in the Political Science Classroom

ABSTRACT ChatGPT has captured the attention of the academic world with its remarkable ability to write, summarize, and even pass rigorous exams. This article summarizes the primary concerns that political science faculty have about ChatGPT and similar AI software with regard to academia. We discuss results of a national survey of political scientists that we conducted in March 2023 to assess faculty attitudes toward ChatGPT and their strategies for effectively engaging with it in the classroom. We present several assignment ideas that limit the potential for cheating with ChatGPT—a primary concern of faculty—and describe ways to incorporate ChatGPT into faculty teaching. Several suggestions for syllabi that address political science students’ use of ChatGPT also are provided.

Why Does Gender Really Matter in Political Science Learning Processes?

ABSTACT The impact of the feminist movement has resonated in the field of Higher Education, giving rise to an increasingly large body of research that is sensitive to the gender perspective. Since Political Science educates future professionals, it is desirable to carry out research into the effect of gender biases on the learning process of Political Science students. For this reason, this article aims to show the findings of a study carried out at the University of the Basque Country with the purpose of contributing to the identification and understanding of gender inequalities in Political Science classrooms. The conclusions not only suggest that admitting the existence of a sex-gender system is a central factor in understanding the persistence of gender inequalities, but also reveal that a transformation in academia which involves training a feminist awareness of both professors and students could contribute to reducing gender inequalities.

Research on the Design and Optimization of Multimedia Interactive Teaching Content in Civic and Political Education in Colleges and Universities

Abstract The reform and innovation of ideological education in colleges and universities is an important mission of every college and university, and the design and optimization of the interactive teaching content of ideological education in colleges and universities through combining with multimedia can well enhance the overall quality of the work of ideological education in colleges and universities. The purpose of this paper is to propose a synchronous classroom teaching environment that uses video interaction. The data is analyzed and recorded using the FISA system. Through the experiment, it is concluded that in the comparative analysis of teacher-student verbal interaction behavior, the performance of 2 teachers (B1 and B2) in the classroom teacher-student interaction structure is compared and analyzed, in which the ratio of teacher’s verbal behavior of B1 is 54.78%, and the ratio of teacher’s verbal of B2 is 68.55%, which is concluded that the teacher of B2 empowers the students to speak more so that the students can be better involved in Civic and Political Science classroom.

Building Political Discourse Skills: Students as Teachers

In a highly polarized political environment, political discourse on divisive topics is all the more important. Heeding the many calls for higher education to teach political discourse skills, this study investigates the impact of political discourse lessons in a college-level, political science classroom. Further, it explores the effectiveness of student-peers as teachers. The study finds peers, compared to faculty, are better able to relate to students, and this strength is ideal for teaching subjects that require social connections such as the active listening and perspective taking techniques. Discussion of sensitive political topics can easily lead to discomfort and uneasiness. Our findings suggest that student learners may be more receptive to peer-leaders than to instructors when it comes to such situations. Further peer-teachers experienced increased comfort levels when involved in controversial political discussions and increased ability to engage in political dialogue.

Playing Political Science - Leveraging Game Design in the Post-Secondary Classroom

The Multiplayer Classroom describes how a course in computer game design can be based on the same structure as a computer game (Sheldon 2012). Students play this game through the entire term. Sheldon also had students take on roles based on Bartle’s taxonomy of player types (Bartle 1996), leveraging it to structure group work and accommodating different learning types. During the Winter term of 2015, I taught two courses in Political Science at the University of Calgary: Topics in Comparative Politics in the Industrialized World and Introduction to Public Administration. Having previously leveraged gamification principles in teaching extensively (Hellström 2015), operationalizing Sheldon’s design was a logical next step. This paper describes that effort, including challenges and opportunities for how Sheldon’s design can be used. The design requires a complete change in the point of departure for the course, from the implementation of Bartle’s Taxonomy, to how the curriculum is presented to the students through potentially asynchronous game events rather than through the linear structure of the classic lecture series. These techniques will be familiar to those who are acquainted with computer games or live action role-playing (larp). The paper will also include some reflections on potential for future research in terms of how game-based learning could enhance the post-secondary political science classroom.

Political Science after the Insurrection: Teaching about Democratic Backsliding in US Classrooms

In the context of a deeply polarized electorate, venturing into analysis of current events in the Political Science classroom can be fraught, especially regarding the quality of democracy. We argue that we have a responsibility to give students the tools to engage with the current moment of democratic tension, including questions of the quality and sustainability of democracy in ways that link with current events. The 2020–2021 academic year threw the urgency of this task into sharp relief. In this paper, we suggest a series of classroom interventions–in information literacy, conceptualization, and losers’ consent–which can help students leverage social science research skills to analyze current events without falling into undesirably heated partisan discussion. We argue that this suite of activities, which can be deployed throughout a semester, either as structured or on-the-fly interventions, can serve as a toolkit for instructors to engage their students’ pressing questions while maintaining an appropriately analytic lens.

Theatre and pedagogy : adapting Euripides' Trojan Women and the political science classroom

Theatre and pedagogy : adapting Euripides' Trojan Women and the political science classroom

Using methodologies in the Political Science and International Relations classrooms in Spain: Views from instructors

This paper highlights the classroom use of active methodologies in Political Science and International Relations in a Spanish setting. Using both surveys and in-depth interviews, it examines how extensively active methodologies are used in Spanish universities, what professors understand active methodologies to be, and how are they implemented in the classrooms. Most importantly, it seeks to understand the instructional transition made by professors that started off their professional careers as lecturers and, subsequently, decided they wanted to include active methodologies as a meaningful part of their courses. Results show an extensive use of active methodologies, although instructional choices are often made without prior pedagogical expertise, nor a proper evaluation of the student’s learning experience. We conclude with some suggestions on policy recommendations that would increase the quality of teaching and improve the learning outcomes in the classrooms.

Everywhere and Nowhere: Information Literacy in the Political Science Classroom

ABSTRACTRecent research suggests that many faculty members believe that their students are lacking the information literacy (IL) skills needed to be successful in their college career. Reports also suggest that there is a broader issue about the uncertain position of IL in the university curriculum. This article uses data from a worldwide survey of political science faculty to better understand how widespread this perception is, what is being done about this perceived problem, and what steps can be taken to encourage faculty to implement IL training in the classroom. We find that faculty believe that there is a problem but many are not explicitly teaching IL as part of their courses. We also find that faculty members who have received IL training are far more likely to include it in their courses. This leads us to suggest that IL training should be provided at the faculty level, which will have positive downstream effects on the IL training that students receive. We also contend that IL deserves a more prominent place in the university curriculum.

Targaryen Thought Experiments: Do Science Fiction and Fantasy Examples Aid or Obfuscate Student Learning?

AbstractSeveral recently published international relations and criminal justice writings, textbooks, and supplements focus on using science fiction and fantasy texts to teach social science theories. This article investigates how science fiction and fantasy examples affect student learning compared to documentary films. We use mixed methods to conduct two studies on the use of science fiction and fantasy in political science and criminal justice classrooms. In the first study, we divide up a large lecture class, comparing how examples from the HBO series Game of Thrones versus documentary films affect student learning about the United Nations and peacekeeping. Our second study uses a combination of interviews and surveys to assess how students apply various criminological theories to the 1997 film Gattaca versus a documentary. Our research reveals that science fiction and fantasy examples neither help nor harm student learning. However, incorporating examples from fictional worlds may alienate some students, affecting their enjoyment of class and perception of preparedness. Most importantly, we find that the use of fictional examples creates an interpretive barrier in the classroom. Thus, we recommend judicious use of science fiction and fantasy examples. When fictional examples are used, we encourage student preparation and extensive debriefing.

Incorporating Gender Politics into Introduction to US Government Curriculum

Women are underrepresented among American legislators and political science majors. One explanation is that gender imbalances propagate through space and time. In this paper, we introduce a paired experiment aimed to assess the downstream attitudinal effects of priming the issue of women’s representation. At one predominantly male university and one gender-balanced university we randomly assigned Introduction to American Politics classes to complete a reading, written reflection, and in-class group activity on either gender representation or general representation in Congress. As expected, students who were assigned to read the gender representation treatment article were more likely to discuss gender issues during the in-class activity than students who read the general representation control article. However, contrary to our theoretical expectations, the treatment was ineffective in changing lasting student attitudes on gender representation in politics. In sum, there were minimal differences in treatment effects between the two disparate experimental settings. Our results suggest that single-shot lessons on women’s representation in political science classrooms is insufficient to change perceptions, attitudes, and motivations underlying near ubiquitous political gender imbalances and and instructors should strive to mainstream gender into American politics curricula. Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/87567555.2021.1950603

Dalton and Putnam: Teaching Political Polarization to Generation Z Students

ABSTRACTPolitical polarization and generational politics are important topics in contemporary political science classrooms. This article presents an approach to teaching political polarization in an introduction to politics course. Coauthored by two Generation Z students from the course and their Boomer Generation professor, the article provides conflicting views of young people and politics as found in the work of Robert Putnam and Russell Dalton. The article presents survey data on affective and issue political polarization from the course, including discussion by the two student coauthors of the survey results interpreting their generation’s political polarization. The course approaches the introductory politics course using cognitive psychology concepts including confirmative bias, motivated reasoning, and other cognitive biases. Teaching from this micro-level perspective helps students to reflect on their own political biases. The article provides concepts and readings for political science professors to use in replicating the course.

Strategies for Success in the Online Political Science Classroom

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Chico-to-Cairo: An Analysis of International Virtual Discussions of Terrorism

In a globalized world, bringing international voices into the political science classroom takes on renewed urgency. Whether focusing on the readings included in a syllabus, the learning activities that expose students to other perspectives, or physical travel to a foreign locale, political science classes – especially Comparative Politics and International Relations courses – face the pedagogical task of conveying the different political perspectives held diverse groups and states. In this article, I build on prior calls for internationalizing the classroom and develop a videoconference discussion of terrorism between students in Chico, California and Cairo, Egypt. In addition to reviewing my collaboration with a faculty member in Egypt and the structuring of this discussion activity, I present survey data from students who attended the international videoconference and those that attended class instead. Both groups reported an increased confidence in their knowledge of terrorism however the students that took part in the videoconference displayed more nuanced understanding of terrorism as well as less stereotypical thinking about the Middle East. Based on this study I argue for the creation of a more formal networking opportunities between US-based and foreign-based instructors in order to facilitate the availability of simple, low-cost international experiences as part of a more globally inclusive classroom.

Goal Orientation in Political Science Research Instruction

In recent years, scholar-educators have examined a variety of new approaches for teaching research in political science. Many of these inquiries begin with the observation that research activities cause some students to experience trepidation and aversion. The result is often poor performance in courses which assign research. In this project, I review and assess an approach to student research which focuses upon goal-orientation as a determinant of engagement. In doing so, I introduce three strategies for reconsidering goal orientation in the political science classroom. These include client consulting, low-cost survey deployment, and exit polling. These project-based courses are designed to reorient student attitudes toward the research process thanks to the identification of an external audience. Based on a pilot study of a goal-oriented learning experience, results provide suggestive evidence for the benefits of this approach in the undergraduate research setting.

The Gender Citation Gap in Undergraduate Student Research: Evidence from the Political Science Classroom

ABSTRACTPrevious studies documented a “gender citation gap” in political science whereby women are less likely to be cited in published research and course syllabi, especially by male scholars. However, no previous study examined citation patterns among students in political science courses to determine if similar patterns are evident in their research. This article analyzes an original database of individual as well as group research assignments from an undergraduate research methods course. Our analysis indicates that male students are significantly less likely than female students to cite research published by women—whether as first authors, any of the authors, or the average percentage of authors per team. However, in a subsequent group research assignment, gender diversity had no discernible effect on group citation patterns. We discuss the implications of these findings for current pedagogical practices and the future state of the discipline.

The learning effects of United Nations simulations in political science classrooms

How do active learning environments—by means of simulations—enhance political science students’ learning outcomes regarding different levels of knowledge? This paper examines different UN simulations in political science courses to demonstrate their pedagogical value and provide empirical evidence for their effectiveness regarding three levels of knowledge (factual, procedural and soft skills). Despite comprehensive theoretical claims about the positive effects of active learning environments on learning outcomes, substantial empirical evidence is limited. Here, we focus on simulations to systematically test previous claims and demonstrate their pedagogical value. Model United Nations (MUNs) have been a popular teaching device in political science. To gain comprehensive data about the active learning effects of MUNs, we collect data and evaluate three simulations covering the whole range of simulation characteristics: a short in-class simulation of the UN Security Council, a regional MUN with different committees being simulated, and two delegations to the National Model United Nations, for which the students prepare for 1 year. Comparative results prove that simulations need to address certain characteristics in order to produce extensive learning outcomes. Only comprehensive simulations are able to achieve all envisioned learning outcomes regarding factual and procedural knowledge about the UN and soft skills.

Explicit Content: Two Experiments on Bringing Writing Instruction into the Political Science Classroom

This paper reports findings from two studies of student writing performance carried out in undergraduate political science courses to test whether low-cost interventions could lead to improvements in writing outcomes. Students enrolled in an introductory comparative politics course (N = 180) and a sophomore-level survey course (N = 101) were randomly assigned to receive short instruction sessions in specific writing skills led by a faculty member or senior graduate student. In the first experiment, half the class received explicit instruction on writing (focusing on two specific skills from a comprehensive rubric that we subsequently coded their papers against) while the other half did not. In the second experiment, all students received general writing instruction, but the treatment group also received detailed instruction in the use of a writing-skills rubric that formed the basis for evaluating students’ performance on written assignments. In both cases, the post-treatment difference between groups was small but showed an improvement in the specific skills taught, while showing no change or slightly decreased performance in related skills that were not explicitly taught. We conclude that limited interventions of the sort we were able to engage in were not sufficient to bring about a meaningful improvement in student performance, but the preliminary evidence suggests that the use of rubrics as a pedagogical tool, combined with repeated small-scale interventions, may be effective if targeted and/or repeated across a course or curriculum.

Why Do We Need Election Studies in Political Science Classrooms?

Why Do We Need Election Studies in Political Science Classrooms?