Researching the teaching of advanced research methods: challenges for pedagogy and inclusive research Melanie Nind

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Researching the teaching of advanced research
methods challenges for pedagogy and inclusive
researchMelanie Nind

• 1st REUNID International Symposium
• 11 October 2013, University of Barcelona

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Focus

• This symposium originates from the need to
  support the dissemination, exchange and debate of
  the contributions and results of educational
  research, and its implications concerning
  educational improvement.

• Research about how advanced and innovative social
  research methods are taught and learned
• To inform and develop the pedagogical culture
  surrounding research methods teaching

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Origins

• NCRMs overall mission is to provide a strategic
  focal point for the identification, development
  and delivery of an integrated national research
  and training programme aimed at promoting a step
  change in the quality and range of methodological
  skills and techniques used by the UK social
  science community and providing support for, and
  dissemination of, methodological innovation and
  excellence within the UK.

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The social science perspective

• Problem Need for a step change in the quality
  and range of methodological skills and techniques
  used by social researchers

• Solution Training in advanced and innovative
  research methods lots of it face-to-face,
  VLEs in context of quality research by top
  methodologists

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The educational perspective

• Problem Need to understand the distinctive
  pedagogical challenges that arise in teaching
  advanced/ innovative social science research
  methods

• Solution Qualitative research, conducted with
  methods teachers and learners, on their
  perspectives, experiences and practices

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Research questions

• What are the distinctive pedagogical challenges?
• How do teachers learners respond?
• What is the nature of methods teachers
  pedagogical content knowledge?

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Plus

• What is driving any innovation in teaching and
  learning methods
• What innovations are unfolding?
• Does innovation in research methods demand
  innovation in teaching and learning methods?

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Research design
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Methodological challenges

• Who are the experts for an expert panel method?
• Facilitating dialogue and reflection teachers as
  learners and learners as teachers making the
  implicit explicit
• Technicalities online forum unobtrusive video
  of teachers and learners ready for immediate
  video-stimulated recall and reflection sessions

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The big challenge research with

• Communicating that we are not seeking to make
  judgements on others
• Instead that we are seeking to foster reflection
  and co-construction of knowledge within a
  community of stakeholders
• As methods teachers, learners and researchers
  ourselves we are inherently part of what we are
  studying

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Concerns in the literature

• Particular needs of social workers, nurses,
  geographers, teachers etc
• Teaching research methods at undergraduate and
  postgraduate level in degree programmes
• Challenges of teaching mixed methods or
  particular methods/methodologies
• Most effective mode of delivery
• Motivating learners learner diversity

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Concerns in the research councils

• Quantitative skills deficit, even with
  statistical literacy (MacInnes, 2012)
• Pipeline of competent people to meet demands of
  competitive global knowledge economy
• Efficiency affordances of VLEs

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Educational concerns

• Although there is a substantial body of
  literature at the disposal of teachers addressing
  the how to of research methods it does not
  adequately inform the teaching of methods
  (Wagner et al, 2011 75)
• Limited attention given to pedagogical culture
  in research methods
• Strategies are needed that empower students in
  their own learning and make the connection
  between conceptual and procedural knowledge
  (Strayhorn 2009 120)

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Emerging discourse

• Surrounding 3 substantive themes in the
  literature
• active learning
• experiential learning
• reflexive learning

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Pedagogical knowledge based on

• Being self-taught
• Action research re new approaches
• Evaluation
• Single/ reflective/ exploratory/ descriptive/
  comparative case studies
• Satisfaction survey data and occasional
  comparisons

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The content issue

• The task of teaching research methods is not
  the transmission of a body of knowledge, or the
  drilling of students in the use of techniques,
  but rather a matter of helping them to build up
  relevant knowledge and capabilities, and to
  develop the necessary intellectual virtues.
• (Hammersley 2012 2)

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The innovation issue

• Innovations in teaching driven by
• need diverse groups, low motivation
• new opportunities offered by technology
• innovations in methods?

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• While it is reasonable to assume that new and
  innovative strategies are available, all too
  often research methods instructors teach the way
  they were taught. This approach to teaching
  preserves the normative paradigm in which the
  teacher is all knowing and the student is an
  empty vessel waiting to be filled. (Strayhorn
  2009 120)

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Emerging areas being probed

• Differences in approach between experienced
  novice teachers/researchers
• Qualitative quantitative differences (failure
  avoidance, active learning or experiential real
  world learning variation in dataset use)
• Evidence of authentic problem-based learning
• Theoretical, training and experiential influences
  on teaching approaches

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Part of the challenge

• Research like teaching is about doing (Delyser
  2008) - research as praxis
• there is no better manner of mastering the
  fundamental principles of a practice the
  practice of scientific research is no exception
  here than by practicing it alongside a kind of
  guide or coach who provides assurance and
  reassurance, who sets an example and who corrects
  you by putting forth, in situation, precepts
  applied directly to the particular case at hand
  (Bourdieu 1992, 222 original emphasis)

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Our argument

• Enhancing methodological skills cannot be
  addressed without educational research, otherwise
  the solution is always more training rather
  than finely tuned learning experiences
• Educational research can help develop a
  pedagogical culture for teaching research methods
  and contribute to policy and practices in the
  social science research arena

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• There remains little evidence of a pedagogic
  culture for methods teaching (if the indicator is
  systematic debate through the literature or
  dialogue across disciplinary or methodological
  contexts, or if the indicator is a substantial
  research base) (Wagner et al., 2011, 85)
• But interest and awareness is increasing, and
  dialogue and research evidence is emerging.
• Discrete PCK should be the outcome of this.

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Acknowledgements

• This research is funded by NCRM
• The research is being conducted with Rose Wiles
  and Daniel Kilburn
• The advisory group and NCRM hub at the University
  of Southampton have provided valuable input

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• Bourdieu, P. 1992. "The Practice of Reflexive
  Sociology (The Paris Workshop)." In An Invitation
  to Reflexive Sociology, edited by P. Bourdieu and
  L. Wacquant. Chicago London The University of
  Chicago Press.
• Delyser, D. 2008. "Teaching Qualitative
  Research." Journal of Geography in Higher
  Education 32, no. 2233-244.
• Hammersley, M. 2012. Is it possible to teach
  social research methods well today? Discussion
  paper presented at HEA Social Sciences teaching
  and learning summit Teaching research methods,
  University of Warwick, 21- 22 June 2012.
• MacInnes, J. 2012. Quantitative Methods teaching
  in UK Higher Education The state of the field
  and how it might be improved HEA Social Sciences
  teaching and learning summit Teaching research
  methods, University of Warwick, 21- 22 June 2012.
• Strayhorn, T.L. 2009. The (in)effectiveness of
  various approaches to teaching research methods.
  In Teaching Research Methods in the Social
  Sciences, ed. Garner, Wagner Kawulich. Farnham
  Ashgate Publishing.
• Wagner, C., M. Garner, B. Kawulich. 2011. "The
  state of the art of teaching research methods in
  the social sciences towards a pedagogical
  culture." Studies in Higher Education 36, no.
  175-88.