@article{IR,
      recid = {1488083},
      author = {Stacer, Melissa},
      title = {Interactive Assignments in Social Science Research Methods  Courses},
      address = {2024-02-14},
      number = {IR},
      note = {Lightning Presentation.},
      abstract = {Most social science disciplines, including criminal  justice, sociology, psychology, and political science,  require students to take a course on research methods. In  my experience advising students and teaching research  methods, students are often not excited to take this course  – or even dread taking it (see Briggs et al., 2009;  Macheski et al., 2008). However, research methods are a  critical component of social science education. The results  of social science research are utilized in every class we  teach and help us gain a better understanding of complex  human behavior. Understanding that every research method  has strengths and weaknesses allows students to see nuances  in reported results they read in textbooks, journal  articles, and other sources. Given how important a firm  grounding in research methodology is for students in the  social sciences, it is imperative that they fully engage in  the content of their research methods class. To accomplish  this, I have students in my research methods classes act as  researchers to practice various components of research  methodologies. Having students actively involved in the  research process can help increase student interest and  understanding of research methods (Baxter & Ely, 2020;  Macheski et al., 2008; Pfeffer & Rogalin, 2012). In this  lightning presentation, I will discuss four assignments  that I regularly use that provide the opportunity   for  students to be researchers and to gain research experience.  The four assignments are: 1) a survey assignment in which  they propose a topic, an independent variable, a dependent  variable, and one other variable, and write a hypothesis,  followed by writing example survey questions to measure  those variables; 2) an interview assignment in which  students design the study, including their research topic  or statement, their population and sample size, how they  will conduct the interviews, and their estimate of  interview length, followed by an interview protocol that  consists of a short script, any notes they might need, and  an interview guide with questions; 3) a field observation  assignment in which students observe a location for 50  minutes, taking in-depth field notes, then typing those  notes and writing a short paper about the patterns they  observed; and 4) a content analysis assignment in which  students practice thematic coding by using the most recent  50 photos on their phone, grouping the photos into  categories, and writing a short paper about their  categories, with two photo examples per category. The goal  is for other faculty teaching research methods courses to  consider assignments that engage students to better  increase interest in and understanding of research methods.  I will provide handouts for the assignments I use so that  others can use them or modify them for their own classes.},
      url = {http://library.usi.edu/record/1488083},
}