Teaching students to speak fluent “research”.

Abstract

There are many challenges to teaching and learning research methods in higher education. In this paper, we address these challenges by exploring the parallels between learning a new or foreign language and learning to speak "research." We propose that teaching beginning-level research methods is in many ways analogous to teaching students how to learn a new language. We highlight the similarities between foreign and research language learning by emphasizing the ways that teachers can enhance their students' research fluency and proficiency. Our recommendations for teaching research methods include learning the vocabulary, speaking with other language learners, communicating formally in the new language, evaluating research fluency and proficiency, and creating and maintaining a "learning a new language" theme. Informed by the pedagogical practices found in the field of foreign language teaching and learning, this paper provides a new approach to engaging students in research methods courses.

High-quality research training environments and undergraduate psychology students.

“…In addition, many previous empirical findings and conceptual assertions regarding the research training of psychology students fit well within the overarching contextual elements contained within the Gelso et al model (Gelso et al, 1996), for example, faculty modeling appropriate scientific behavior and attitudes (e.g., Miller, 2015); using early and minimally threatening student involvement in research (e.g., Brinthaupt & Ananth, 2018; Ciarocco et al, 2013); positive reinforcement of scholarly activities (e.g., Van Vliet et al, 2013); an emphasis on science as a partly social experience (e.g., DiLalla, 2015; Love, Bahner, Jones, & Milsson, 2007); encouraging students to look inward for research questions and ideas (e.g., Kierniesky, 1984, 2005); teaching the connections between statistics and research design (e.g., Barron et al, 2014; Pliske, Caldwell, Calin-Jageman, & Taylor-Ritzler, 2015); demonstrating the real-life applications of research (e.g., Burkley & Burkley, 2009; VanderStoep & Shaughnessy, 1997); emphasizing the imperfections inherent in research (e.g., Chew, 2015; Holmes et al, 2015); and valuing varied research methodologies (e.g., Hoover, Strapp, Ito, Foster, & Roth, 2018; Mitchell, Friesen, Friesen, & Rose, 2007).…”

Nurturing research habits through modeling of faculty research: A method of student mentorship

“…Having examples of which to model their own research helps students become researchers themselves. Further feedback from the instructor models the process of peer review and how researchers interact as well as modeling what expert researchers look for when reviewing research (Brinthaupt & Ananth, 2018).…”

Critical thinking dispositions and skills in the undergraduate research methods classroom.

“…These research experiences aim to develop undergraduates’ ability to pose questions, conduct scholarly research, and analyze data while thinking critically (Bauer & Bennett, 2003; Ciarocco, Strohmetz, & Lewandowski, 2017; Kardash, 2000; Volkwein & Carbone, 1994). However, research experiences can also be difficult to implement (Brew & Mantai, 2017; Hensel, 2012) because scholarly research requires learning a novel form of communication (Brinthaupt & Ananth, 2018) and a broad range of skills (Ciarocco et al, 2017) across a variety of settings (Perlman & McCann, 2005).…”