Outlines a history of psychology course in which research design and methodology are introduced in a historical context. Describes course texts and experimental projects in which students ask research questions that are appropriate to a particular historical figure or theorist. Discusses advantages and disadvantages of teaching the course in this…

Presents lesson plans on bread making using a student-centered approach and process skills. Includes designing the experiment, investigation, and data collection. (YDS)

Introduces an investigative microbiology laboratory activity emphasizing critical thinking and experimental design in which students isolate and characterize a bacterium from a specific habitat. Explains the procedures of the laboratory including safety, sample collection, and isolation. (YDS)

Reports on Westfield State College's Animal Behavior course which requires students to design their own research projects, write a scientific research proposal, conduct experiments, and present results in the form of a scientific paper. (Author/MM)

This undergraduate laboratory experiment integrates multiple techniques ("in vitro" synthesis, enzyme assays, Western blotting) to determine the production and detection sensitivity of two common reporter proteins (beta-galactosidase and luciferase) within an "Escherichia coli" S30 transcription/translation extract. Comparison of the data suggests…

Provides a classroom demonstration designed to test an astrological hypothesis and help teach introductory psychology students about research design and data interpretation. Illustrates differences between science and nonscience, the role of theory in developing and testing hypotheses, making comparisons among groups, probability and statistical…

Describes the Inquiry "I" which is designed as a learning tool for scientific inquiry. Explains the steps of prior knowledge, logical argument, experimental design, procedure, data collection, data transformation, results, and new knowledge. Uses guided and open inquiry approaches. (YDS)

Reviews research in teaching applied statistics. Concludes that students should analyze data from studies they have designed and conducted. Describes an activity in which students study germination and growth of radish seeds. Includes a table providing student instructions for both the experimental procedure and data analysis. (CFR)

Describes a technique for teaching undergraduates some of the problems associated with constructing self-report delinquency surveys. Argues that the exercise, requiring students to critique a flawed survey, increases students' interest in the problems and ultimately may lead to a better understanding of them. Outlines procedures, evaluation…

Outlines a class project in which students explore characteristics of paper towels and paper towel advertising. Students design a variety of experiments related to paper towels and their claims. Provides four activities. (DDR)

Presents an authentic semi-guided student research project. Studies the impact of a regional invasion of non-indigenous worm species on decomposition in forest soils. Describes the experimental design, data analysis, and interpretation of the data. (Contains 16 references.) (YDS)

This book discusses two major approaches to social science research: quantitative research, which involves converting observations to numbers and analyzing them statistically; and qualitative research, which looks at participants' opinions, behaviors, and experiences from their own points of view and in a more subjective way. In the book,…

Reviewed are the basic concepts of experimental design, analysis of data, and optimization. Discussed are two-level factorial designs; fractional factorial designs and blocking, additive, linear, and quadratic models; quadratic and composite designs; and designing experiments in design. (CW)

Provides a brief history of research in word processing and writing, describes the use of word processing as a writing aid, and discusses the problems and issues in research design in the area of word processing instruction. (MG)

Describes the Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT) and explains the reasons for a curriculum change. Introduces CAPT-style labs which require students to identify a problem, ask questions, develop a hypothesis, design and conduct an experiment, analyze data, and draw conclusions. (YDS)