Based on the premise that when students engage in an activity instead of simply reading about it, they understand it better, this book offers 29 hands-on, active learning exercises for use in research methods courses in the social sciences. The activities were created by instructors throughout the United States and tested for effectiveness in their classrooms. They include group activities and solo activities, presented in very accessible language for students. Each exercise is directly related to a concept of research methods and aims to help students become better researchers.
Dr. Beth Pamela Skott is an Assistant Professor of Sociology and Chair of the Social Science Program at the University of Bridgeport. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Connecticut in 2003, however, she still considers herself a Blue Hen after receiving her BA from the University of Delaware in 1994. She has been teaching Research Methods since Fall 2000, using numerous textbooks and teaching techniques and this led her to develop various active learning techniques to enhance the learning process. Dr. Skott has also developed a cross-cultural teaching technique, which is in the second edition of Active Learning Through Sociology, a Pine Forge publication. This text inspired her to ask, why isn't there one of these for Research Methods? Dr. Skott lives in Norwalk, Connecticut with her husband and daughter. Masjo Ward is a graduate of the University of Bridgeport with degrees in both International Political Economy and Diplomacy and Social Science. He studied Research Methods under Dr. Skott and served as her teaching assistant for 2 semesters. In the fall of 2011 he began studying law at Georgetown University Law Center in Washington DC.
Chapter 1. Inquiry and Sampling Chapter 2. Things that Vary Chapter 3. Survey Methods Chapter 4. Qualitative Methods, Observational Methods Chapter 5. Qualitative Methods, Interview/Focus Groups Chapter 6. Quantitative Methods Chapter 7. Mixed Methods
"The key strength is the non formal nature of the dialogue, setting a tone of comfort around a subject that typically creates stress for students. Secondly, students get to test their learning in a non-threatening way using the activities." -- Darnell J. Bradley, Ed.D. "It is organized around an active, student-centered style of learning. It makes use of topics that are relevant to students' lives. It makes abstract and quantitative aspects of methods concrete and approachable." -- Jason Lee Crockett
