teaching research methods: how to make it meaningful to students
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Teaching Research Methods: How to Make it Meaningful to StudentsTRANSCRIPT
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Dahlia Remler & Gregg Van Ryzin
October 29, 2014 #SAGEtalks
Please take a moment to answer two quick questions
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Before we get started…
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Teaching Research Methods: How to Make It Meaningful to Students
Content and Presentation by
Dahlia Remler and Gregg Van Ryzin
Los Angeles | London | New Delhi
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Dahlia Remler & Gregg Van Ryzin
October 29, 2014 #SAGEtalks
Gregg G. Van Ryzin
Rutgers University, Newark
Dahlia K. Remler
Baruch College, CUNY
Nicole Elliott
Executive Marketing Manager, SAGE
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Dahlia Remler & Gregg Van Ryzin
October 29, 2014 #SAGEtalks
Research Methods Matter
Engaging Real-World
Examples
Focus on Causal
Research
Encourage Visual
Thinking
Q&A With Dahlia &
Gregg
Our Agenda
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RESEARCH METHODS MATTER
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Dahlia Remler & Gregg Van Ryzin
October 29, 2014 #SAGEtalks
Judging factual claims
(political polls)
Being a good leader or
decision-maker
(student evaluations of
teaching)
Engaging in policy debates (gun control)
Research Methods Matter
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Dahlia Remler & Gregg Van Ryzin
October 29, 2014 #SAGEtalks
Research Methods Matter
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Dahlia Remler & Gregg Van Ryzin
October 29, 2014 #SAGEtalks
● Give assignments that let students apply methods to their own area of interest:
Design a survey of a population of interest
Evaluate published studies in their field of interest to them
Research Methods Matter
Tip: Ask Students to Practice
Encourage students to practice
discussing and presenting research.
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ENGAGING REAL-WORLD EXAMPLES
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Dahlia Remler & Gregg Van Ryzin
October 29, 2014 #SAGEtalks
● Engaging examples are Timely: About important, current issues
Interesting: Surprising findings, clever methods
● Teaching with real-world examples helps illustrate The importance of research
The range of methods (and why they are used)
The creativity, and limitations, of research
Engaging, Real-World Examples
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Dahlia Remler & Gregg Van Ryzin
October 29, 2014 #SAGEtalks
Engaging, Real-World Examples
Surveys support legalizing
marijuana. Source: © STEPHEN LAM/Reuters/Corbis.
Researchers used sampling to
understand the effects of
Hurricane Katrina. Source : © iStockphoto.com/MichaelDeLeon
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Dahlia Remler & Gregg Van Ryzin
October 29, 2014 #SAGEtalks
Qualitative study of barriers to the delivery of a new malaria treatment in Kenya
Engaging, Real-World Examples
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Dahlia Remler & Gregg Van Ryzin
October 29, 2014 #SAGEtalks
National comparison of private and public schools (NAEP), illustrates the use of control variables
Engaging, Real-World Examples
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Dahlia Remler & Gregg Van Ryzin
October 29, 2014 #SAGEtalks
Tip: Have students read real studies
● Hand out several abstracts in class to discuss:
For the week on sampling Is it probability or non-probability sample?
For the week on natural and quasi experiments What kind of natural or quasi experiment is it?
Engaging, Real-World Examples
Use research reports from journals, government agencies,
foundations, international organizations, advocacy groups, etc.
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FOCUS ON CAUSAL RESEARCH
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Dahlia Remler & Gregg Van Ryzin
October 29, 2014 #SAGEtalks
Focus on Causal Research
Are private schools offering a
better education than public
schools? Source : © iStockphoto.com/MichaelDeLeon
● Distinguish descriptive from causal research:
“What is” vs “What if”
• “What if” questions are practical and compelling
Ask students for research questions whose answers can improve the world—or one small bit of it
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Dahlia Remler & Gregg Van Ryzin
October 29, 2014 #SAGEtalks
Focus on Causal Research
Tip: Use examples to practice finding
alternative explanations of correlation
Examples like family dinners and drug use show correlation
is not always causation
• Show examples where correlation is not due to causation
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Dahlia Remler & Gregg Van Ryzin
October 29, 2014 #SAGEtalks
Do family dinners reduce teen substance abuse?
Or do teens who drink & do drugs avoid family dinners?
Focus on Causal Research
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Dahlia Remler & Gregg Van Ryzin
October 29, 2014 #SAGEtalks
Focus on Causal Research
Illustrate the range of strategies for proving causation:
Control variables
Randomized experiments
Natural and quasi
experiments
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Dahlia Remler & Gregg Van Ryzin
October 29, 2014 #SAGEtalks
Ray and Janay Rice | Photo courtesy of AP Images
Focus on Causal Research
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PATH DIAGRAMS | VISUAL THINKING
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Dahlia Remler & Gregg Van Ryzin
October 29, 2014 #SAGEtalks
● Visual thinking
More intuitive than a verbal (terms) or mathematical (equations) approach
● Path models: a useful tool for
Theory
Correlation vs. causation o Common causes, reverse causation
Control variables strategy o Picking good control variables
Encourage Visual Thinking
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Dahlia Remler & Gregg Van Ryzin
October 29, 2014 #SAGEtalks
● Use Path Diagrams to visualize research:
Using ovals (variables) and arrows (relationships)
Encourage Visual Thinking
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Dahlia Remler & Gregg Van Ryzin
October 29, 2014 #SAGEtalks
Path Diagrams
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Dahlia Remler & Gregg Van Ryzin
October 29, 2014 #SAGEtalks
Path Diagrams
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Dahlia Remler & Gregg Van Ryzin
October 29, 2014 #SAGEtalks
Visual Thinking | Path Diagrams
Tip: Get students to create a logic model
For example, ask them to create a path model (logic model) of
a program or intervention of interest to them
• Encourage students to use path models to think about research
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Dahlia Remler & Gregg Van Ryzin
October 29, 2014 #SAGEtalks
Encourage Visual Thinking
Help students use path models to think about complex issues
Focus on Causal Research
Establish the importance and challenges of causal evidence
Engaging Real-World Examples
Help them understand and apply difficult concepts
Research Methods Matter
Show students how valuable methods can be to their careers
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Dahlia Remler & Gregg Van Ryzin
October 29, 2014 #SAGEtalks
We want to get some feedback
from you
Before we start our Q&A session…
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Dahlia Remler & Gregg Van Ryzin
October 29, 2014 #SAGEtalks
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Dahlia Remler & Gregg Van Ryzin
October 29, 2014 #SAGEtalks
Webinar recording available on at www.sagepub.com/sagetalks.
Teaching Research Methods: How to Make it Meaningful to Students
• Google Scholar
Gregg Van Ryzin
• Google Scholar
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Dahlia Remler [email protected] [email protected]
Be sure to join us for our next SAGE Talks webinar “Empowerment Evaluation” with Dr. David Fetterman on Thursday November 20th!