I finally have a chance to respond (Wednesdays are one of my busier days with 2 sections of methods back-to-back.) Anyway, here is my response...
If I'm understanding the question correctly (please correct me if I'm misunderstanding), there is some confusion from students why they need to take a methods course. If they plan on continuing into a graduate program and doing research, it makes sense to them. They understand that they need the methods course to know how to do research. But, since this isn't the plan for everyone there is some confusion. Some plan on going into "practice" and doing therapy, so they don't always see the importance of methods when they have to sign up for the course. And a third group plans on trying to get a job with a bachelor's degree. Each of the three groups has a different need to be met by the course, but in my opinion that need really isn't that different. Those who plan on going on to do therapy need to be able to evaluate the research on the effectiveness of different treatments. In order to understand this research, they need to know the different designs and what information can, and perhaps more importantly, can't be gained. For those who want to get a job right away, I try to explain how different research methods can be applied in a work environment (especially in terms of program assessment/evaluation.) The trick to me isn't so much what we teach them, but how to present it to them so that they are aware of why it is important. I agree with Steven that the differences between experimental and correlational research is very important. I'd also add to the list of important concepts the notion of confounding variables, the reasons why just because something seems to be working, we can't just stop and say there is the answer. Getting students to stop and think about alternative explanations is something that is very important in both research designs and in their day to day lives. In some ways it gets to the issue of being skeptical about information that is presented and being willing to challenge that information by wanting to see the empirical evidence supporting a claim. By using examples of how different designs can be used to answer questions in a variety of different settings, the students seem to get the fact that research isn't something that just happens in a lab with a bunch of rats. By talking about how designs help us to determine effective treatments for mental disorders, using designs to measuring performance or effectiveness of a new program (for example, the effectiveness of a new marketing program advertising a product), etc. they seem to realize that a methods course is important. At the same time, the biggest challenge is finding the time to cover everything that needs to be addressed. At the beginning of the semester, I start by asking students what areas they are interested in within the field, and then making sure that I include examples from those areas in examples I discuss in class. Also, by letting them select articles to review on a topic that interests them, they are able to have some feeling of "ownership" in regards to their learning that helps them see the relevance. And to tie this to the even bigger picture, psychology departments have to realize that in most situations we do have 2 or 3 different groups of students in our programs. We tend to be really good at meeting the needs of those who plan on continuing to do research, since that is what we are usually the most familiar with ourselves. However, we have to make the effort to identify the needs of the other students who might choose a different path. For that reason, I tend not to be in favor of a one-size-fits-all approach to the psychology curriculum. I do believe that there are some basic, core issues that should be common to anyone who gets a degree in psychology, but there is also the need to allow for some customization of their degrees in terms of their electives to best meet the different needs they have. Hopefully I addressed the issue in here somewhere. - Marc ============================================= G. Marc Turner, MEd, Network+, MCP Instructor & Head of Computer Operations Department of Psychology Southwest Texas State University San Marcos, TX 78666 phone: (512)245-2526 email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
