Developing a reflective and empirically informed undergraduate research methods module, including a worked exemplar.

Murray, Jennifer

Abstract

Teaching research methods is challenging for both staff and students. With increasing expectations to teach a wider breadth of material, the balance and maintenance of sufficient depth becomes challenging. This chapter summarises the literature around research methods and statistics teaching to inform the design and/or redesign of an undergraduate research methods module, using a worked example of a third year (penultimate year) undergraduate psychology research methods module as an exemplar. A review of the pedagogic literature relating to research methods and statistics teaching was carried out, and key policies relating to higher and further education were consulted. Consideration was also made for the need to tackle and incorporate the smoothing of transitions across modules within higher education and across higher and further educational establishments in regard to research methods teaching. Previous iterations of an existing module and alterations based on the literature review are presented as an exemplar. Reflection on the process of redesigning the exemplar module and engaging with the literature is presented. Ultimately, the level of engagement with research methods and analyses, and deeper learning, can be achieved with careful consideration of what we should (and possibly should not) use when teaching undergraduates about research methods and analyses.

Citation

Murray, J. (2016). Developing a reflective and empirically informed undergraduate research methods module, including a worked exemplar. In C. Penman, & M. Foster (Eds.), Innovations in Learning and Teaching. Merchiston Publishing

• Acceptance Date: Dec 31, 2016
• Publication Date: 2016-11
• Deposit Date: Mar 24, 2016
• Publisher: Merchiston Publishing
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Book Title: Innovations in Learning and Teaching
• ISBN: 978-0-9576882-8-5
• Keywords: Research methods; teaching quantitative analyses; teaching qualitative analyses
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/id/eprint/9751