Teaching Research Methods in the Social Sciences

Qualitative Research Methods in Education and Educational Technology was written for students and scholars interested in exploring the many qualitative methods developed over the last 50 years in the social sciences. The book does not stop, however, at the boundaries of the social sciences. Social scientists now consume and use research methods from many fields. The rich resources of research methods and theories from both the humanities and philosophy are also covered in this book. It explains why postpositivist quantitative research should not be "the only game in town" and provides solid theoretical foundations, beginning with the positions of Plato and Aristotle, for broadening our horizons about what warrants our attention. Using Aristotle's concept of phronesis the author shows why methods such as narrative research and storytelling, hermeneutic inquiry, literary theory, philosophical inquiry, and much more have important applications in education and educational technology. On those foundations, the author also builds a framework for doing many types of research ȓ from participatory action research to content analysis, to postmodern case studies, to empowerment research and philosophical inquiry. He accomplishes this through a combination of original text, summaries of exemplary research in education and educational technology, and suggested readings that are annotated and introduced at the end of each chapter. Many of these readings are available online and they extend the discussion of research methods or serve as exemplars of a particular type of educational technology research. There are open ended and conceptual questions for each reading, and developing your own answers to them is one way you can extend your depth of understanding about qualitative research methods in education and educational technology.

ABSTRACTResearch methods education is a challenging area for lecturers and students to engage with; students regularly demonstrate negative dispositions to research methods and lecturers struggle with issues such as curriculum marginalisation. However, employers increasingly demand graduates equipped with skills as researchers. Consequently, in university-based higher education, there has been investment to support research and good practice in this area. In contrast, limited attention has been paid to research methods education in college-based higher education. We report the outcomes of a small-scale national study designed to capture contemporary insights in research methods provision in college-based higher education. Drawing on data from two national surveys, we report student attitudes to, and experiences of, research methods and strategies employed by lecturers to teach and assess research methods. Students demonstrate positive attitudes to research methods, receptive to their research methods education and can see their applicability to ‘real life’ situations. However, the data demonstrate that the breadth of their research methods education is limited, potentially having implications for the development of skills such as critical evaluation of research outcomes, and students longer-term development as researchers. We conclude by highlighting future research directions and curriculum development to promote research methods education in college-based higher education.

Research Methods in Education is the seventh edition of a classic in educational research. It encompasses the whole range of methods currently employed in educational research at all stages. Method...

Research methods education in LIS master’s degree programs is facing several difficult questions: should a methods course be required, what content should be taught in that course, and what is the most effective mechanism for teaching that content. There is little consensus about what should be taught or how, but the American Library Association, LIS educators, and many practitioners seem to agree that research methods are vital skills for 21st century LIS practitioners. This paper reports on an experiential learning opportunity called the “unClassroom,” which afforded LIS master’s students the chance to complete a research project in one semester for an outside client (a statewide library consortium). The effectiveness of the unClassroom to teach research methods surpassed expectations and provides a model that may be of interest to other research methods educators in LIS master’s programs.

In this paper, we explore the potentials of applying art-based research methods in science education research. Art-based methods are a range of qualitative methods that draw on performative, creative, and visual elements and thus propose innovative ways to produce knowledge in research. The paper is based on a systematic review of the literature on applying art as research methods in science education research. The review shows that only a few studies within science education use art-based methods as a methodological approach. Additionally, the literature identified through a snowball approach was thematically analysed. Four themes were identified: knowledge made available through artefacts, non-verbal language, more balanced power and positions, and time to reflect. The analysis outlines the strengths embedded within applying art-based methods and the potentials that they present to science education research. The implications for research and limitations of art-based methods are discussed.

This paper describes and assesses a research curriculum for management students that uses a learning-centered course design. The curriculum was developed for a two-year master’s program in Business Administration at a mid-size university of applied sciences in Switzerland. A considerable portion of the curriculum (42 out of 90 credits) is devoted to the development of students’ research methods competencies and skills. We argue that the complexities of management practice require managerial practitioners to make wise context-driven decisions by utilizing relevant management research to inform their practice and by managing the responsible production of new knowledge in their organizations. In this paper, we briefly discuss pedagogical challenges in teaching research methods to management students. We then lay out three constructively aligned design elements of our research curriculum that address these challenges. Based on results of evaluation surveys administered to faculty and students and on our own nearly decade-long experiences as instructors in this program, we discuss students’ and instructors’ perceptions of the research curriculum design and course outcomes. Finally, we provide recommendations for educators in graduate management education based on our findings and experiences.

Research methods in education – By Louis Cohen

Entendemos nuestra tarea tutorial como una parte esencial de la responsabilidad de la docencia universitaria en la que buscamos establecer una interacción más personalizada entre el equipo docente que trabaja de un modo directo con el alumnado, lo que s

The paper examines aspects of the relationship between teaching and research in higher education in social science research methods, with particular reference to the subject area of Education. There are three main themes: reflections on how social science research methods should be (or are) taught; a review of current debates about the relationship between teaching and research, both in higher education and for school teachers; and finally, reporting how a group of educational practitioners (mainly school teachers) studying at Masters level experience learned about research methods. The paper is illustrated by qualitative data from a case study of student experiences of research methods teaching on a Masters degree in Education in a research-intensive UK university. It is suggested that studying the journey embarked upon by taught postgraduate students inexperienced in research is helpful in understanding how learning about research methods takes place, which in turn can assist future research methods teaching.

The teaching and learning of research methods forms a large component of accredited psychology degrees. This is a significant opportunity for making the overall curriculum inclusive. We present six case studies in the development of inclusive and reflective practices within research methods and projects teaching. The examples include revealing the hidden curriculum of research methods and analysis education (Case Study 1), qualitative methods assessment as an opportunity for personal development (Case Study 2), reflective practice in low-stakes regular testing (Case Study 3), decolonising the research methods curriculum (Case Study 4), inclusive research methods practice in developmental psychology (Case Study 5), and embedding employability for psychology and non-psychology careers (Case Study 6). These case studies demonstrate that research methods education is a crucial space in which important challenges, including accessibility, decolonising the curriculum, addressing awarding gaps, and employability, can be addressed.

Contents: L.A. Shepard, Preface. J.L. Green, G. Camilli, P.B. Elmore, Introduction to the Handbook: What's Complementary About Complementary Methods. A. Skukauskaite, E. Grace, On Reading and Using the Volume: Notes to Students. Part I: Foundations. E. Bredo, Philosophies of Educational Research. G.J. Kelly, Epistemology and Educational Research. K.A. Strike, The Ethics of Educational Research. Part II: Introduction to Design & Analysis. C. Bazerman, Analyzing the Multidimensionality of Texts in Education. T. Barone, Arts-Based Educational Research. R.K. Yin, Case Study Methods. K.M. Borman, C. Clarke, B. Cotner, R. Lee, Cross-Case Analysis. A.C. Porter, Curriculum Assessment. K.H. Kim, P.M. Bentler, Data Modeling: Structural Equation Modeling. F. Erickson, Definition and Analysis of Data From Videotape: Some Research Procedures and Their Rationales. A.H. Schoenfeld, Design Experiments. H-Z. Ho, S.L. O'Farrell, S. Hong, S. You, Developmental Research: Theory, Method, Design, and Statistical Analysis. D. Bloome, C. Clark, Discourse-In-Use. H. Braun, Empirical Bayes. J.P. Shaffer, Estimation. K.M. Anderson-Levitt, Ethnography. J. Nespor, Finding Patters With Field Notes. R.J. Shavelson, N.M. Webb, Generalizability Theory. J.L. Rury, Historical Research in Education. A. Henry, Historical Studies: Groups/Institutions. M.E. Brenner, Interviewing in Educational Research. L. Crocker, Introduction to Measurement Theory. S. Embretson, X. Yang, Item Response Theory. D.M. Harrison, S.W. Raudenbush, Linear Regression and Hierarchical Linear Models. G.V. Glass, Meta-Analysis: The Quantitative Synthesis of Research Findings. C.A. Chinn, The Microgenetic Method: Current Work and Extensions to Classroom Research. M.L. Smith, Multiple Methodology in Education Research. F.M. Connelly, D.J. Clandinin, Narrative Inquiry. N.C. Burbules, B.R. Warnick, Philosophical Inquiry. M. Cochran-Smith, K. Donnell, Practitioner Inquiry: Blurring the Boundaries of Research and Practice. J.R. Levin, Probability and Hypothesis Testing. W.R. Shadish, J.K. Luellen, Quasi-Experimental Design. T.D. Cook, V. Sinha, Randomized Experiments in Educational Research. M. Eisenhart, Representing Qualitative Data. B. Thompson, Research Synthesis: Effect Sizes. H. Wainer, P.F. Velleman, Statistical Graphics: A Guidepost for Scientific Discovery. M. Berends, Survey Methods in Educational Research. J. Chromy, Survey Sampling. Part III: Programs of Research. C. Genishi, T. Glupczynski, Language and Literacy Research: Multiple Methods and Perspectives. L.M. McNeil, E.M. Coppola, Official and Unofficial Stories: Getting at the Impact of Policy on Educational Practice. M.E. Goertz, Policy Analysis: Studying Policy Implementation. S. Kushner, C. Adelman, Program Evaluation: A Democratic Practice. L.A. Rex, S.C. Steadman, M.K. Graciano, Researching the Complexity of Classroom Interaction. J.A. Banks, Researching Race, Culture, and Difference: Epistemological Challenges and Possibilities. J.G. Greeno, Theoretical and Practical Advances Through Research on Learning. S. Noffke, K. Zeichner, Programs of Research in Teacher Education.

Courses in research methods play a critical role in postgraduate education. However, postgraduate students face considerable challenges in learning the subject matter. The present paper introduces iMethod, a software application designed to track students' engagement with the content of research methods courses. iMethod harvested data, analysed students' engagement, and presented the outcome to a teacher through a dashboard rendered in real-time. As a proof-of-concept, a usability study on iMethod was conducted with a sample of postgraduate students and early career academics (n=37) at a research-intensive university in New Zealand. Key findings suggest that students and academic staff found iMethod a valuable application for enhancing research methods learning. In particular, students value its content for understanding fundamental concepts while valuing its inquiry facilitation and providing helpful information on research methods. Participants said iMethod could expand knowledge, offers guidance, and the content is accessible to a diverse range of students. Lastly, participants reported that iMethod facilitated easy knowledge sharing, and the interface design was user-friendly and intuitive. The paper contributes to the growing need to promote research into the curriculum design of research methodology programmes and the quality of teaching research methods courses.

The growing volume of data generated by machines, humans, software applications, sensors and networks, together with the associated complexity of the research environment, requires immediate pedagogical innovations in academic programs on research methodology. This article draws insights from a large-scale research project examining current conceptions and practices of academics (n = 144) involved in the teaching of research methods in research-intensive universities in 17 countries. The data was obtained through an online questionnaire. The main findings reveal that a large number of academics involved in the teaching of research methods courses tend to teach the same classes for many years, in the same way, despite the changing nature of data, and complexity of the environment in which research is conducted. Furthermore, those involved in the teaching of research methods courses are predominantly volunteer academics, who tend to view the subject only as an “add-on” to their other teaching duties. It was also noted that universities mainly approach the teaching of research methods courses as a “service” to students and departments, not part of the core curriculum. To deal with the growing changes in data structures, and technology driven research environment, the study recommends institutions to reimage research methodology programs to enable students to develop appropriate competences to deal with the challenges of working with complex and large amounts of data and associated analytics.

Subject-related approaches have played an important role in the development of the didactics of mathematics as a professional field in Germany. In the 1980s, views of the nature of learning as well as of the objects and methods of research in mathematics education changed and the perspective was widened and opened toward new directions: Mathematics teaching was also considered a social reality and the process of teaching and learning was analyzed not only by psychological means but also under sociological, epistemological, and historical perspectives. This shift of view issued new challenges to subject-related considerations that were enhanced by the recent discussion about professional mathematical knowledge for teaching. The article offers a perspective on these early developments.

Focused on providing as full a picture as possible of what is considered to be 'good' research, this book explains quantitative and qualitative methods, and incorporates the viewpoints of various research paradigms into the descriptions of these methods. Donna M Mertens not only covers two standard paradigms (postpositivist and interpretive//constructivist) but also explores a relative newcomer, the emancipatory paradigm, that is inclusive of the perspectives of feminists, ethnic//racial minorities and persons with disabilities. In each chapter, Donna M Mertens carefully explains a step of the research process through the literature review, research method and analysis to reporting the research. Each chapter: opens with examples and lists of topics to consider; contains sample studies to illustrate key ideas; has sequence steps to guide one through the research process; and has a question and answer section to elicit further reflection on the material covered.