Research Methods Course Research Articles

A Practical Research Methods Course That Teaches How to Be a Successful Biomedical Engineering Graduate Student

Should your department offer a course on how to be a scientist and a successful graduate student? We offer this course at George Mason University as a mandatory part of the graduate curriculum, but this is not common practice for graduate biomedical engineering programs. Graduate education in biomedical engineering is evolving rapidly, with an increasing demand for fundamental research skills, interdisciplinary skills, and professional development. We believe that graduate students will be more successful in their research activities if they are explicitly taught these skills at the beginning of their graduate coursework. This paper describes the design of this course in our bioengineering department.

Durable Benefits of Learning-by-Teaching for Research Question Generation Performance: A Field Experiment

Generating good questions is central to scientific inquiry. How can we improve this skill in classrooms? This field experiment showed that teaching others enhances students’ ability to generate higher-order research questions that create new knowledge. Whereas learning-by-teaching often involves delivering face-to-face or video-recorded lectures, we tested its efficient implementation via writing a verbatim (i.e., word-for-word) teaching script, exactly as how one would orate a lecture. In a research and statistical methods course, 199 undergraduates studied statistical concepts by writing verbatim teaching scripts or study notes. One month later, students’ long-term learning was assessed on a high-stakes test, whereby they explained the concepts, applied them to design a study to test a given hypothesis, and generated create-level research questions about the concepts. Writing teaching scripts enhanced students’ research question generation and concept application more than writing study notes. The teaching advantage for these higher-order outcomes held although both techniques produced comparably high basic understanding when students explained the concepts at test. Further, students displayed greater generative processing, metacognitive monitoring, and social presence when writing teaching scripts than study notes. Learning-by-teaching can be leveraged in an efficient and inexpensive way via writing verbatim teaching scripts to improve meaningful, durable learning in classrooms.

Effectiveness of Quantitative Research Methods Course Module in Fostering Students' Academic Literacy

Effectiveness of Quantitative Research Methods Course Module in Fostering Students' Academic Literacy

Enhancing Business Research Method Course Outcomes: The Role of Integrated PBL and PjBL Models

Enhancing Business Research Method Course Outcomes: The Role of Integrated PBL and PjBL Models

Translanguaging on an English-medium undergraduate research methods course for Vietnamese psychology students learning in their second language: a practitioner enquiry

PurposeTranslanguaging is a language-related pedagogy drawing upon all resources within a learner’s linguistic repertoire, in contrast to conventional monolingual pedagogy. Most research about translanguaging concerns English-language learning in primary schools and secondary schools and overlooks psychology subject matter, higher education and countries in southeast Asia. This article reports a small-scale practitioner enquiry into translanguaging on an English-medium undergraduate research methods course for psychology students in Vietnam and into the usefulness of the Multimodalities-Entextualization Cycle as a conceptual framework for integrating translanguaging into the course.Design/methodology/approachData were collected through semi-structured interviews with students and reflective journaling by the teacher, and the data were analysed in a hybrid deductive-inductive thematic analysis.FindingsThe first theme about teaching and translanguaging consists of the following subthemes: (a) enhanced communication, (b) increased awareness of language use, (c) supported interaction in class and (d) time and workload issues. The second theme about learning and translanguaging is subdivided into the following subthemes: (a) a new approach to learning, (b) beneficial for learning, (c) developing confidence in learning in English and (d) enjoyment of translanguaging. The conceptual framework underpinning the study was useful for designing and implementing translanguaging activities for the course.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is limited to one course and a small group of students in Vietnam learning English as a second language. It addresses limited research on translanguaging in psychology courses, higher education, and southeast Asia.Practical implicationsThe study makes a valuable contribution to the teaching profession by offering practical insights into the application, benefits, and drawbacks of translanguaging for psychology and research methods subject matter.Social implicationsMoreover, the findings lay the groundwork for potential influences on education policy, aligning with broader societal impacts.Originality/valueThe study makes a valuable contribution to the literature by delving into a relatively unexplored domain.

Teaching Research Methods through a Community-Based Research Project: Connecting Theory and Practice to Make it “Real” for Students

This paper describes the experience of teaching an undergraduate research methods course through a qualitative community-based research project and the impact of that approach on student learning. Course composition and design are outlined, followed by the community-based research project’s impetus, focal research questions, and implementation protocol. Evidence of the impact on learning for the fifteen students in the course is drawn from three sources: reflection papers, student comments on formal course evaluations, and pre and post-test (survey) self-assessments of student knowledge. Collectively, the data suggest student learning was supported in several ways: by enhancing their ability to connect theory with practice, increasing appreciation of the scope and rigor of social science research procedures, viewing research as a vehicle to develop empathy, and recognizing the utility of research skills to job-readiness. Challenges and critiques related to implementing this type of project are also discussed.

Flipped classroom in higher education. Analysis of a research methods course in Educational Psychology

La necesidad de innovación educativa se fortaleció debido al confinamiento generado por la pandemia. Desde entonces algunas metodologías de enseñanza y aprendizaje existentes mejoraron, como es el caso del Aula Invertida, la cual, a diferencia de un enfoque “tradicional”, permite una participación activa por parte de las/los estudiantes y puede ser aplicada en ambientes presenciales, en línea o híbridos. El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar una experiencia de aplicación del Aula Invertida en un curso de métodos de investigación en psicología educativa. Además de la aplicación de este enfoque, esta experiencia incluye la percepción de las/los estudiantes por medio de un cuestionario cuantitativo y entrevistas a través de grupos de enfoque. Participaron 39 estudiantes de licenciatura en Psicología Educativa. Los resultados de la aplicación del aula invertida indican, por parte de las/los estudiantes, que hay mayor participación, se favorece la autorregulación, tienen una percepción positiva del aula invertida considerando tanto ventajas como desventajas de su aplicación. En cuanto a la enseñanza, se consigue la innovación educativa ya que se utilizaron metodologías activas, apoyadas con las nuevas tecnologías y se obtuvieron sugerencias para posterior uso de este enfoque en educación superior.

Simulating surveys for graduate researcher development.

Recognizing the value of experiential education in social/behavioral science research training, we designed and offered a simulation of a survey research project for doctoral students in education. Through three phases of the project, from instrument design through scale investigation and quantitative analyses, students are developed as researchers in a realistic and authentic way. In this paper, we highlight the advantages, challenges, and outcomes from applying simulation methods within graduate research methods courses, with a specific focus on survey methodology and quantitative skill development.

Taking Care of Business and Doing Overtime: Teaching Research Methods in Public Affairs Curricula

In this research, we sought to better understand important trends and developments in the teaching of quantitative and research methods courses in graduate public affairs programs. We were specifically interested in the following areas related to the teaching of quantitative and research methods: the impact of new technologies on curriculum delivery; the content of courses related to statistical analysis and research design; and the importance of numeracy, ethics, and data visualization. We surveyed quantitative and research methods instructors in graduate public affairs programs using the same survey instrument at two intervals 8 years apart and analyzed results from each period side-by-side. Findings indicate some stark differences in the content and delivery of these courses. Given the timing of the second survey—Spring 2021—findings are considered within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Archival Research in Sport Management: A Review for Research Methods Courses

The present study aimed to explain archival research and demonstrate its relevance as a distinct research method to include in sport management research methods course instruction. The current essay implicitly shows how archival research can complement other research methods and possibly improve upon their limitations. Furthermore, the study demonstrates that training in archival research can offer skills to students who might pursue employment in the sport industry. The review outlines what archival research is. Next, the various limitations and considerations to aid course instructors and subsequently researcher or practitioner comprehension are provided. Finally, the paper offers a guide for approaching physical archives and outlines expectations for archival research. Techniques necessary for analyzing information gleaned from archival research are presented and explained along with sample course assignments that are available to not only research methods classes but also potentially other coursework.

Building a More Robust Introduction to Measurement in Research Method Courses

AbstractMeasurement is integral to science. Given that it takes many years to become knowledgeable in measurement, it is valuable to consider current practices in teaching measurement to undergraduate psychology students. It is argued here that psychology research method courses could benefit from significant additions and clarifications in the topic of measurement. Three topics to consider are: discussions of different measurement viewpoints, the conditions for continuous quantities, and measurement challenges in psychology. These topics can be integrated into our courses and would translate to a more nuanced understanding of measurement and a greater ability to critically think about measurement in psychology. Suggested strategies for teaching about these topics are also discussed.

Exploring Open Education Pedagogy in Research Methods Classrooms: Diversifying Methods

The benefits of open educational practices that invite students to collaborate and interactively create knowledge are well known. Despite this, it remains underutilized for teaching in research methods classrooms. This article presents a framework for using open pedagogy in undergraduate research methods courses. Drawing upon the knowledge authors acquired from the Open Educational Practices certificate program, this article outlines the development and application of a renewable assignment for research methods, and provides a critical reflection of the students’ experiences. The assignment tasks students with creating an open educational resource that addresses a gap in the existing textbook. Students are asked to identify research methods in other disciplines or look for diverse representations of knowledge acquisition by a community to which they belong. The authors find that this renewable assignment helped students think critically about the potential limitations of the research methods covered in textbooks. Additionally, having students create content that will be used in future iterations of the class increased their level of enthusiasm and excitement for learning. Furthermore, this article discusses how the creation of a renewable assignment in an institutional setting with large minority student representation advanced various aspects of social justice. Particularly, how the assignment and students’ experiences in the creation of knowledge addressed redistributive (having free access to resources), recognitive (views from diverse socio-cultural groups), and representational (self-determination of marginalized peoples) justice. The article concludes with a discussion on the ways to build on the success of this pilot project.

Research attitudes among pre-service teachers: unexpected outcomes emerging from a natural experiment

PurposeThe study assesses pre-service teachers' attitudes, confidence in research and intentions to use research by comparing the effectiveness of practical versus theoretical training in research methods courses.Design/methodology/approachThis natural experiment examines the impact of the adaptations made to a research methods course for 848 pre-service teachers, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants were naturally divided into two cohorts, each attending either the applied version, which required the completion of a whole research study, or the theoretical version, which did not require data collection and analyses. The data were collected through three questionnaires measuring attitudes, confidence and intentions toward research.FindingsInferential statistics revealed that pre-service teachers in the theoretical course (1) had more positive attitudes toward research and less anxiety, (2) had more intentions to integrate research in their daily practice and (3) had more confidence in engaging in educational research, compared to the pre-service teachers who completed the applied version of the course.Originality/valueThis study uniquely capitalizes on course adaptations, imposed due to the pandemic, to compare attitudes toward research. This is an ideal comparison because comparing attitudes of participants from different contexts involves many confounding variables. The study’s significance is amplified as, it not only elucidates the variances in attitudes, but also underscores the intricate relationship these attitudes share with the design of research courses. The insights yielded by this study offer substantial potential for reshaping pedagogical strategies in research methods instruction, thereby serving as a cornerstone for future educational innovations.

Exploring TEFL Research Methods Courses in Iran: A Path to Research Synthesis Pedagogy

There has been inadequate investigation of research pedagogy in applied linguistics, despite the significance of research reform in the field. As such, we examined the status of Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) research pedagogy in postgraduate classes in Iran. We described and evaluated 28 research methods (RM) courses in terms of objectives, content, and assessment in Iranian universities. We employed a qualitative content analysis of RM syllabi, utilizing a mixture of inductive and deductive coding. Our results revealed that among the Iranian research instructors whose syllabi we examined, there is a common approach to delivering research methods courses. Nonetheless, there is a noticeable misalignment between the objectives they report and how these objectives are put into practice, as reflected in the course content and assessment methods. Among the analyzed syllabi, one instructor approached the course through the lens of research synthesis pedagogy. While acknowledging the benefits of the prevailing instructional approach, we argue in favor of implementing research synthesis pedagogy as an evidence-based and complementary alternative to conventional research training approaches within TEFL. This synthesis-informed research pedagogy has the potential to nurture a research mindset among postgraduate students, subsequently enhancing the quality assurance of different methodological orientations, including quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods research.

Teaching advanced statistical methods to postgraduate novices: a case example

Higher degree research students in education are largely underprepared for understanding or employing statistical data analysis methods. This is despite their need to read literature in their field which will indubitably include such research. This weakness may result in students choosing to use qualitative or interpretivist methodologies, even though education data are highly complex requiring sophisticated analysis techniques to properly evaluate the impact of nested data, multi-collinear factors, missing data, and changes over time. This paper describes a research methods course at a research-intensive university designed for students in a thesis-only degree program. The course emphasizes the logic and conceptual function of statistical methods and exposes students to hands-on tutorials in which students are required to conduct analyses with open-access data. The first half of the 12-week course focuses on core knowledge, normally taught in first-year probability and statistics courses. The second half focuses on introducing and modeling advanced statistical methods needed to handle complex problems and data. The course outline is provided along with descriptions of teaching and assessments. This exemplar functions as a potential model of how relative novices in statistical methods can be introduced to a conceptual use of statistical methods to raise the credibility of research.

Effectiveness of scientific research education programme on the attitudes of nursing students towards research methods course: a pre and post-implementation study

Background Nursing research is the key to building an evidence-based practice for nursing. It is a necessity for nursing students to be professionals and to be encouraged to conduct research. Aims This research was conducted to determine the effectiveness of a scientific research education program on the attitudes of nursing students towards research methods. Design A single group pre and post implementation study. Methods The sample was composed of the third-year nursing students (n = 196). A questionnaire, and the Scientific-Research-Methods-Course-Attitude-Scale (SRMC-AS) were used for the data collection. The intervention consisted of theoretical education, group discussions, and research project writing practices lead by the researchers. Results The difference between mean scores of the SRMC-AS baseline measurement (85.18 ± 9.09), 3rd month (91.20 ± 7.59), and 6th month (90.68 ± 11.16) was statistically significant (p < 0.05). Conclusion The scientific research education program was found effective about positively increasing the attitudes of the students towards the course.

Text and Data Mining for Pianists? Bringing Digital Humanities to a Graduate Music Research Methods Course Through Topic Modeling

ABSTRACT This article presents a case study on integrating a text and data mining (TDM) assignment into the Research Methods for Performers course for music graduate students. The objective was to introduce data research methods to performing arts students and expand their understanding of the scope and possibilities of research in music through the application of digital humanities in the study of music. The project was accomplished using ProQuest TDM Studio, a user-friendly tool for data exploration and visualization using built-in datasets. This article discusses the implementation process, learning objectives, methods and concepts, and recommendations for similar applications. Incorporating TDM activities into the Research Methods for Performers course enhanced students’ understanding of the scope of music research and exposed them to methods that expanded their research skillset.

Exploration and Practice of Ideological and Political Integration in the Course of Mineral Processing Research Methods

Exploration and Practice of Ideological and Political Integration in the Course of Mineral Processing Research Methods

“Don’t psych yourself out, you got this!”: master’s counseling students’ narratives about their counseling research methods course

ABSTRACT Researchers suggested a need to further explore training program elements that may facilitate counseling students’ researcher identity (RI). We examined the narratives of sixteen master’s counseling students regarding their counseling research methods course and found themes of anticipation, experience, and reflection. We provide implications for counselor educators to create a research methods course that acknowledges past research experiences, elicits positive feelings about research, and advocates for the RI dimension of overall counselor professional identity (CPI).

11. ENHANCING EVIDENCE-BASED MEDICINE COMPETENCE IN THIRD-YEAR STUDENTS THROUGH BASIC SCIENCE RESEARCH TRAINING: OUTCOMES AND FINDINGS

Background: In 2022, for the first time, the Faculty of Medicine, Dai Nam University applies scientific research methods to 3rd year medical students.&#x0D; Objective: To evaluate the impact of the Medical Scientific Research Methods module on medical students’ skills and knowledge.&#x0D; Methods: This pre-test post-test pilot study used a prospective descriptive exploratory method by non-probability convenience sampling of all people participating in the course “Medical science research methods,” which was compulsory for 3rd-year medical students, Faculty of Medicine, Dai Nam University, from August to December 2022. The study invited a total of 89 students from two classes to participate. At the beginning of the course, 82 students completed the survey, while 66 students responded to the second survey after completing the course.&#x0D; Result: This study demonstrated that an undergraduate research methods course had a meaningful impact on medical literature search behaviors, understanding of medical research terminology, and confidence in evidence-based medical practice among students. However, despite these positive results, the knowledge and skills of students in evidence-based medicine were limited.&#x0D; Conclusion: The scientific research methods course has significantly improved students’ EBM knowledge and skills, albeit with some limitations. However, this study highlights the need for continued training programs and practical experience in medical research to enhance further and maintain learners’ proficiency in EBM.