A National Survey of Teaching and Learning Research Methods: Important Concepts and Faculty and Student Perspectives

Abstract

In this study, we assessed instructor and student attitudes and knowledge toward research methods (RM). Instructors ( N = 62) answered questions about course format, topic importance, and resources. Students ( N = 166) of some of those instructors answered questions regarding attitudes toward research. Five major factors organize topics that instructors find most important. Only ratings of statistics importance varied by rank. Associate and full professors rated statistics as being more important than other instructors. There were significant relationships between attitudes toward and knowledge of RM together with the higher perceived utility of some course components. Requiring students to conduct their own research was not a significant predictor of attitudes or RM knowledge.

Potential Potholes: Predicting Challenges and Learning Outcomes in Research Methods in Psychology Courses

“…Attitudes were significantly correlated with a better perception of understanding of the terms in this course. Unsurprisingly, and aligning with previous research (Gurung & Stoa, 2020;Hartley & Hartley, 1976), attitudes toward the course, self-efficacy, and the belief that the student has the resources to succeed predicts less perceived challenges in RM. Our findings suggest that perhaps instructors should clarify the value of taking a research methods course to the average students' everyday life.…”

“…Participants then rated the difficulty of 63 research methods concepts (e.g., confound, effect size) using a scale of 1 (not at all) to 5 (a great deal). These concepts were derived from two past studies of difficult terms in RM (Gurung & Landrum, 2013;Gurung & Stoa, 2020). Specifically, Gurung and Stoa (2020) asked instructors to rate the importance of teaching 25 topics (e.g., sources of information, ethics, APA style writing, confounding variables).…”

“…These concepts were derived from two past studies of difficult terms in RM (Gurung & Landrum, 2013;Gurung & Stoa, 2020). Specifically, Gurung and Stoa (2020) asked instructors to rate the importance of teaching 25 topics (e.g., sources of information, ethics, APA style writing, confounding variables). Gurung and Landrum (2013) had students rate the difficulty of and their confidence in their own knowledge of 107 terms relating to introductory psychology RM and learning.…”

“…The American Psychological Association (2013) highlights that one of the five learning goals for undergraduate psychology majors is "scientific inquiry and critical thinking," and that "students completing foundation-levels course should learn basic skills and concepts in interpreting behavior, studying research, and applying research design principles to draw conclusions about psychological phenomena" (p. 15). RM instructors who are often seasoned researchers certainly understand this important learning goal and are often excited about teaching RM, a course they know undergraduate students can benefit from taking (Gurung & Stoa, 2020). However, student perceptions toward RM are often negative, characterized by heightened anxiety due to perceived difficulty of RM (Harlow et al, 2009), low enjoyment in conducting research (Vittengl et al, 2004), and devaluation of research and statistical skills (Ciarocco et al, 2013;Sizemore & Lewandowski, 2009).…”

“…Different institutions and instructors have different requirements regarding research design (e.g., allow only experimental or descriptive and correlational as well), data collection (e.g., having students collect data or provide data), and data analysis (e.g., statistical software, Gurung & Stoa, 2020). Because there are unique challenges and student attitudes associated with data collection and certain research designs (McKelvie & Standing, 2018;Roberts, 2016), investigating these factors can inform better teaching practices in RM for tackling undergraduate psychology students' roadblocks on the journey to achieve the "scientific injury and critical thinking" learning goal (APA, 2013).…”