Teaching Political Science Research Articles

Setting the foundation for democratization

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the quality of a political science program in an Egyptian private university through assessing three particular dimensions: knowledge of political science core facts and theories; reading comprehension skills; and critical thinking (CT). Design/methodology/approach A case study research approach was used. The study relies also on a quantitative methodology. Quantitative data were collected from students in the second and fourth years of political science to assess their knowledge of core political science facts and theories, reading comprehension and CT through the online California Critical Thinking Skills Test. Findings Unlike the results of core knowledge and reading comprehension, positive results were found with regard to students’ CT. The levels of students’ CT increased from 0 percent in Year 2 to 18 percent in Year 4. Variables such as the school GPA, non-Egyptian high school degree and not meeting professors during office hours were found statistically significant to higher levels of CT. Research limitations/implications One limitation of the study was the relatively small samples’ size. However, while the samples might look small on the surface, they represent, in reality, between 49 and 59 percent of the students enrolled in Years 2 and 4. Practical implications Despite its pilot nature, this study provides some insight into the quality of private political science education in Egypt through assessing the degree it contributes to political science students’ knowledge, reading comprehension and CT and through investigating the most statistically significant variables. Originality/value Whilst several studies have investigated the quality of higher education programs, very limited literature attempted to assess the quality of political science education, in particular.

Journal of Political Science Education Editors’ Report

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Improving political science degree programmes in the twenty-first century

Purpose This paper aims to examine the actions lecturers, universities and their administrators can take in improving and making political science undergraduate degrees more relevant in the twenty-first century. This paper will reflect on specific measures undertaken by institutions globally to equip students with unique skills to enhance the value and relevance of their programmes in the context of an increased technologically driven environment. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses a qualitative approach to the review of the literature with implications for practice in examining how universities globally are applying strategies in raising students’ skill levels to enhance future workplace value. A review of select institutions obtained from the Times Higher Ranked (2019) universities was used in identifying best practices to prepare a political science student for better employability. Findings Contrary to prevailing opinions, a huge skills gap exists for filling the demand for twenty-first century political science-related careers in the public and private sector. The attainment of twenty-first century skill sets and the deployment of technology-driven teaching and learning methods are vital elements in unlocking the value of political science education and providing students with opportunities to advance their professional and career objectives. Originality/value Higher education institutions need to reconsider their strategies in the delivery of political science degrees, bearing in mind the increased use of technology and innovative teaching practices. This paper offers insight into how to tailor an exciting and relevant political science programme for the future of work.

Inverting the Classroom in Large-Enrollment Classes: A Beginner’s Guide

The inverted classroom model (ICM) has started to attract attention as a pedagogical approach in political science teaching. While there are many publications describing the application of the model in single courses and analyzing students’ performance in inverted classes, the existing literature provides little guidance for first-time users of the model. In this Political Science Instruction article, we offer a beginner’s guide for preparing and applying the ICM to assist other instructors who wish to invert their classes based on our repeated experiences with the ICM in an introductory International Relations course. Employing a constructive alignment approach, we show how a course can be broken into learning units, each with an online preparatory phase geared toward knowledge acquisition and attendance and follow-up phases focused on application and the development of higher-order cognitive learning objectives. To deal with frequent challenges and pitfalls, we recommend trying a partial inversion first, inverting a familiar course, being prepared for initial resistance from students, sticking with the concept, rethinking theinstructor’s role in the classroom, and combining tight planning but flexible execution of the attendance phase.

Review of The Socratic Method Today: Student-Centered and Transformative Teaching in Political Science

I first heard of the Socratic method on a tour of Phillips Exeter Academy, one of the elite boarding schools in the US (Martin and Browning 2015) and in the world (PrepPreview.com 2019). With huge ...

Examining the Effectiveness of Using Role-Play Simulations with Chinese Students in China

Abstract A significant body of literature testifies to the effectiveness of role-play gaming and simulations as pedagogical methods in political science. Many of these studies involve students with a Western background. In contrast, little research exists on the teaching of political science in China and none on the effectiveness of simulations for teaching Chinese students. This study seeks to investigate the efficacy of role-play simulations as a method for teaching comparative politics to Chinese students. The study examined the levels of long-term knowledge retention, enthusiasm towards political science, and self-reported learning outcomes in two groups of students. A test group, students who had completed at least one political science course, participated in a politics-based role-playing simulation; the control group, students who had completed the same political science course, did not participate in a comparable game. The test group displayed significantly better self-reported learning outcomes and significantly better knowledge retention than the control group (albeit at the 90 percent level).

Developing Simulations for the Politics and International Relations Classroom

Simulations have long been an important pedagogical tool in the fields of Politics and International Relations. Their more widespread use, however, has been prevented by a combination of perceived barriers to entry in required time and planning. This article seeks to help faculty overcome these barriers and to lessen the burdens associated with simulation-based pedagogy by presenting instructors with a clear, systematized, and research-based approach to simulation development. This article draws from research in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Instructional Design, and the learning sciences to provide Political Science and International Relations instructors with a clear model and associated step-by-step approach to designing, implementing, and evaluating educational simulations. This model—which we label DImE for Design, Implementation, Evaluation—is drawn from pedagogical best practice but with a strong consideration for practical implementation of simulations in the university classroom. In short, it seeks to provide faculty with a fundamental piece in their “teaching tool kit” for developing their own simulations.

What is the Point of a Political Science Degree?

Political science majors are down nation-wide as a proportion of all degrees and as a proportion of social science degrees. To explain to undergraduate students why they ought to major in political science, we should emphasize what they can do with the degree rather than reflecting from our own past experience or the wide range of careers one can get with such a degree. I argue for three models of political science education that focus on what students can do with the degree, including the researcher, activist, and leader models. I posit that the third, which should involve instruction in career preparation, ethics, and conflict resolution, is the most flexible and useful and should be emphasized in political science curricula.

Negotiating tensions in a community engaged and intersectionality-informed political science course

ABSTRACTThere is growing pressure on Canadian universities to demonstrate their applicability and relevance in contemporary society. Community engaged learning opportunities can respond to this pressure, and can provide important benefits for both students and community partners with whom students work. In this paper, I draw on my experiences of teaching an undergraduate and graduate community engaged political science course over the last four years, to reflect on three particular tensions I have negotiated in the course’s design and delivery, including: (a) teaching about socially engaged research and/or teaching about theories of citizen participation; (b) balancing student learning and community benefit; and (c) negotiating the rigidity of academic institutions. I explore these tensions while thinking about my concurrent commitment to an intersectional political science pedagogy [Rasmussen, Amy Cabrera. 2014. “Reflection: Toward an Intersectional Political Science Pedagogy.” Journal of Political Science Education 10: 102–116], and by drawing on Bivens, Haffenden and Hall’s [2015. “Knowledge, Higher Education, and the Institutionalization of Community-University Research Partnerships.” In Strengthening Community University Research Partnerships: Global Perspectives, edited by Budd Hall, Rajesh Tandon, and Crystal Tremblay, 5–30. Victoria: University of Victoria] proposed framework for institutionalizing community-university partnerships in post-secondary institutions, and feedback from students and partners. Ultimately, I suggest that community-engaged courses, despite the noted tensions, offer important and un-realized potential to political science curricula.

Introduction to dialogues section on socially engaged research and teaching in political science

Topics as wide-ranging as climate change, reproductive and sexual justice, Indigenous rights and decolonization, conflict and violence, and global migration – not to mention their intersections wit...

Success of reiterative instruction: Looking at faculty-librarian collaboration to improve information literacy in political science education

The purpose of this case study was to ascertain if college students’ information literacy improves through a faculty-librarian collaboration involving a session of library instruction as part of a regular political science course. The authors conducted two surveys to determine if in-person library instruction increases students’ research abilities. The authors surveyed political science faculty to discover their attitudes toward library research instruction. They also surveyed political science students to gauge their opinions on the value of library instruction and to see if there is a connection between their research proficiencies and instruction by a librarian. Through this case study, the authors found that such instruction does improve information literacy. The researchers concluded that for faculty and colleges interested in improving information literacy skills in undergraduate political science students, such library instruction is helpful towards that goal.

Subjects of professional political science education and their role in the system of civil education in Russia

Subjects of professional political science education and their role in the system of civil education in Russia

Editor’s Report for the Journal of Political Science Education

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Introduction: encouraging student reflection—approaches to teaching and assessment

In this symposium, we invite political science instructors to consider reflection as a useful pedagogic resource for achieving complex long-term educational goals. The authors of this collection have found reflection to be a suitable response to different teaching challenges, such as helping students achieve a nuanced understanding of social processes and decision-making, transfer knowledge between courses and gain self-awareness as active participants in learning. The three papers composing this symposium focus on different formats of reflection: a learning diary; reflection accompanying board games used as a teaching exercise; and short reflective assignments about connections between courses in a study programme. We present and discuss the design and implementation of reflective activities in the undergraduate political science curriculum, expose the strengths and weaknesses of using reflection and provide advice to instructors interested in using this teaching tool.

Teacher Glenn: how a political scientist educated a peace researcher

ABSTRACTThis paper argues that the nonkilling political scientist Glenn D. Paige could be seen as an extraordinary peace educator. It will be organized through three words – reading, writing and talisman. It begins with a brief discussion of the method used in understanding political scientist Glenn D. Paige’s life as a teacher. Then, the author’s ‘reading’ and ‘writing’ experiences, from taking courses with him, and writing a PhD dissertation under him, will be examined. The way in which political science education could perhaps be considered a form of peace education will be discussed. The concluding section on ‘talisman’ advances Paige’s central idea of politics in terms of making decisions, especially to choose alternatives which could mitigate the killing effects and enhance nonkilling possibilities.

Methods Discussion and Active Learning in a Volatile Age: A Reflection and Analysis

From 2012 to 2016, American news headlines were dominated at various times by the killing of black men either stopped by police or presumed to be engaging in suspicious activity, and protests that spread through the Internet social media hashtag #blacklivesmatter. In this piece, the author revisits his time in teaching at an historically black university (HBCU) during this era, as a White professor. In so doing, the piece analyzes how teaching and using strategies and tools borrowed from the teaching of political science research methods, and active learning strategies generally, can help political science instructors at all weary of taking on similarly explosive issues in their classes—especially, but not exclusively, when the backgrounds of students and faculty differ considerably. Issues are analyzed through a literature review that focuses on issues and matters including: Whether to keep current events discussion and related activity and the emotional reactions they can provoke out of the classroom, incorporating research methods into and promoting scientific thinking in undergraduate classes, and the need for critical thinking and active learning in the political science classroom.

Mini-Games for Teaching Political Science Methodology

ABSTRACTStudents often find lectures on political science methodology difficult to grasp. Based on our success of simulations and games in teaching various political science theories, we created several mini-games to help students gain exposure in engaging ways with aspects of quantitative and qualitative methodology. We use techniques in which students learn through “gimmicks” (Schacht and Stewart 1990; 1992), for which they are the data points that they are studying. We believe that drawing conclusions based on what students do and think empowers them to better understand the sometimes tricky elements of political science methods. Each of the three games described in this article required little to no preparation time. We have used these mini-games in several courses and have received positive feedback from students about their utility. Thus, we are sharing them for more general use.

Best Practices in Civic Education: Lessons from the Journal of Political Science Education

ABSTRACTThe Journal of Political Science Education (JPSE) provides over a decade of research on political science pedagogy, featuring empirical research documenting best practices in the field. This article provides an overview of JPSE-published research on the topics of civic education and engagement. It summarizes the number and scope of articles on this topic and highlights key findings from the journal’s first 12 years. This comprehensive overview of past research is designed to facilitate high quality future research. A detailed exploration of past research provides a useful “jump start” for teacher-scholars eager to advance the scholarship and pedagogy of engagement.

Highlights from the Journal of Political Science Education Editors’ Report, 2016–2017

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Gaming the Classroom: The Transformative Experience of Redesigning the Delivery of a Political Science Class

Game mechanics can motivate users beyond what is normally expected. Research has shown that this technique can be used to enhance the learning experience for students on all educational levels. The paper details the experiences of transforming traditional lecture-based courses in undergraduate political science to gamification and game-based learning, and it presents the reader with a toolkit for how to make such a conversion based on the author’s experiences. An overview of selected scholarly literature on teaching informs the reflection on this transformation. The paper concludes that gamification and game-based learning can provide benefits in political science education when leveraging formative assessment, flipped classrooms, and game-based learning. It also finds that there might be some institutional barriers to the adoption of these tools, primarily associated with the institutionalization of the bell curve as a guideline for the distribution of student grades. The paper ends with some reflections on possible future research areas DOI:10.2458/azu_itet_v5i2_hellstrom