Teaching Research Methodology Through Active Learning

To complement traditional learning activities in a masters-level research methodology course, social work students worked on a formal research project which involved: designing the study, constructing measures, selecting a sampling strategy, collecting data, reducing and analyzing data, and finally...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of teaching in social work 2008-01, Vol.28 (1-2), p.273-288
Main Author: Lundahl, Brad W.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Active Learning
College Faculty
Courses
Data Analysis
Evidence
Graduate Students
Graduate Study
Interviews
Learner Engagement
Learning
Learning Strategies
Masters Programs
Measurement
Pragmatics
Questionnaires
Research Design
Research Methodology
Research Projects
Sampling
Social Work
Social Work Education
Student Attitudes
Student Participation
Surveys
Teaching Methods
Teaching social work
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Summary:To complement traditional learning activities in a masters-level research methodology course, social work students worked on a formal research project which involved: designing the study, constructing measures, selecting a sampling strategy, collecting data, reducing and analyzing data, and finally interpreting and communicating the results. The final product was accepted in a respected, peer-reviewed journal. In the hopes of motivating social work educators to use active learning strategies when teaching research methods and to provide some pragmatic advice on how to do so, this article presents students' perceptions of involvement and lessons learned by the instructor. Through open- and closed-ended questions, students reported that involvement was meaningful, promoted understanding of research, strengthened relations among students, and made learning more exciting. Additionally, 41% of students reported that work on the project increased their interest in pursuing doctoral level work. Students also reported that engagement was time-consuming, stressful, and occasionally frustrating. Pragmatic suggestions about how to incorporate a formal research project with teaching are given based on experiences of the students and instructor.
ISSN:0884-1233
1540-7349
DOI:10.1080/08841230802179373