I'm having some trouble in my Research Methods class that I'm hoping wiser
or more experienced TIPSters can help me with. Context: There are twelve
juniors in the class, we're using a text by Vadum and Rankin, they'll take
three exams and write three short journal article analysis papers, two lab
reports, and a term project which is the lit review and proposal for what
will be their senior thesis next year. The course has a reputation for being
difficult. I've had all of them in other courses before so they know my
style, which is to intersperse lecturing with class discussions and demos
and to provide a lot of support outside of class. I'm a good teacher, and I
usually have no difficulty generating discussions in other classes. However,
in this one I'm finding that not only can I not get a general discussion
going, I can't even get students to answer simple questions that I know most
of them can answer, like "what's the difference between a positive and a
negative correlation?" or "why do you need a control group?"
I don't remember having this much trouble last year. In some ways, this
cohort is not as strong academically, but there are at least three strong
students in there. In working with some of the students outside of class,
I'm getting the impression that they are very insecure about this course and
about their understanding of the material. The class average on the first
exam was a B, so most of them grasp the material enough to do well on the
exams. But the silence in the classroom has continued even after that exam.
I'm not sure how to deal with it. Any advice?
Nathalie
*****
Nathalie Coté
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Belmont Abbey College
100 Belmont - Mt. Holly Road
Belmont, NC 28012
(704) 825-6754
