Teaching Research Methods in Psychology: (Elgar Guides to Teaching)

This enlightening book provides evidence-informed approaches, insights, and practical solutions for teaching psychological research methods effectively. Experienced and award-winning teachers explore strategies to revitalize the course, foster scientific thinking, promote student engagement, and address and use statistics and various research methodologies. Recognising the diverse contexts in higher education, leading experts have created a comprehensive guide to teaching research methods in psychology. Providing pragmatic assignments and rubrics, the book is a valuable resource for building confidence in the classroom and alleviating student confusion on this essential yet challenging course. The book details ways to modernize and redesign a psychological research methods course, such as incorporating AI and improving equity. Chapters explore how to engage students in scientific thinking across the curriculum, including combatting misinformation, alternative teaching methods, fostering collaboration and culturally responsive teaching. Teaching Research Methods in Psychology is an invaluable guide for educators teaching psychology at the college and university level. Its recommendations for best pedagogical practice are also beneficial to students, academics, and researchers across social sciences.

Table of Contents:
Contents Preface x Supplementary material xiii 1 The case for teaching research methods in psychology: An introduction 1 Regan A. R. Gurung and Stephanie M. Byers PART I Modernizing and redesigning psychological research methods 2 From content to application: Reinventing research methods for today’s psychology students 7 David B. Strohmetz,Natalie J. Ciarocco and Gary W. Lewandowski Jr. 3 Considerations for structuring (or restructuring) your research methods course 19 Andrew N. Christopher,W. Robert Batsell Jr., Autumn B. Hostetter and Eric Hill 4 Teaching psychological research methods at community colleges: Enhancing diversity in psychology through inclusive practices 36 Todd Allen Joseph and Heather Schoenherr PART II Fostering scientific thinking in psychological research methods 5 Teaching research methods in content courses 52 Celeste Pilegard and Rian E. Drexler 6 “I’ve done my research”: Teaching research methods to combat false information 65 Holly Zell 7 Choose your words wisely: Recognizing and resolving lexical ambiguity when teaching research methods 78 Victoria L. Cross 8 Learning how to read primary literature: A “Focus Article” activity for research methods in psychology 95 Nicole Alea Albada and Vanessa E. Woods 9 Engaging students in real and open science 112 Jordan R. Wagge PART III Promoting and sustaining class engagement in psychological research methods 10 Using alternative teaching methods to promote student engagement in research methods courses 131 Bryan K. Saville 11 The “Students as Partners” framework in teaching research methods 145 Sangeeta Gupta, Ethan Fireside and Alyssa Peters 12 Redirecting the focus of an online research methods course: Engaging the disengaged 159 Jisook Park and Darin Challacombe 13 Bridging the gap between research and civic engagement through a case study of a culturally responsive research methods course 172 Lauren Mathieu-Frasier and Reiko Habuto-Ileleji PART IV Teaching about statistics and research tools in psychological research methods 14 “It is impossible to run a full experiment in one term!” Using secondary datasets to create effective short-term research projects 188 Jacqueline A. Goldman 15 Measure once: Covering measurement in a research methods course 202 Rosalyn Stoa 16 Talking about numbers: Essential statistics for research methods 219 Andrew Olstad, Jacqueline Goldman and Regan A. R. Gurung 17 Facilitating research: NVivo lab manual for undergraduate students 231 Marcie Coulter-Kern and Hannah Marie

About the Author :
Edited by Regan A.R. Gurung and Stephanie M. Byers, School of Psychological Science, Oregon State University, USA

Review :
'What a novel idea! Different scholars from various areas within research methods are writing chapters in their areas of expertise. You get the best of everything: 31 authors writing about the details of teaching research methods, sharing new and time-tested approaches, listing the pitfalls to avoid, and so much more. Reading through these chapters, the online links provided lead to impressive resources. If you care about the core of psychology – research methods – this book is an absolute must!' ‘Research Methods is the most important course in the psychology major, and these chapters inspire us all to teach it well. You’ll find a rich collection of perspectives – grounded in empirical and experiential evidence – shared with candor and wisdom by the most respected teaching faculty in the academy.’ ‘Research methods are essential for psychology majors, yet few instructors are aware of pedagogically sound ways to teach the course material. Look no further: Gurung and Byers recruited 28 outstanding authors who present updated approaches promoting critical thinking, engagement, and data appreciation for today’s students.’ ‘Gurung and Byers deliver a game-changing guide to teaching research methods—scholarly yet practical. Seventeen chapters span equity to advanced statistics, tackling challenges from engagement to misinformation. Their structured approach—modernizing, fostering scientific thinking, and providing practical tools—makes implementation straightforward. The Science of Learning at its most accessible, rigorous, and impactful.’