Communication is a diverse discipline that includes many social scientific, humanistic, and critical modes of inquiry. After elucidating several challenges to teaching a communication research methods course, this article describes a four-credit, one-semester "research incubator" that was piloted by two faculty members and seven students…

Despite posing a number of benefits, teacher research might be something classroom practitioners avoid engaging in due to inadequate research literacy. Part of this literacy consists of the knowledge and skills required to use popular research methods. Given that teachers might find it useful to read about how their peers have attempted to use…

Contemporary undergraduate courses in research methods are challenging to teach because of the wide scope of the subject matter, limited student contact hours and the complexity of supervising research projects undertaken by novices. Focus group assignments within class offer an interesting and enjoyable way for students to develop and apply…

Focus group research is commonly employed in communication and related disciplines. Despite the growing popularity of focus group methodology, it is generally discussed only briefly in research methods texts. Students are very familiar with the process of taking a survey, but most have never participated in focus groups, and a brief lecture on…

A successful undergraduate research experience depends on a good mentor/ teacher. Surveys, interviews, and focus group discussions reveal that students and their mentors agree that research learning is very different from classroom learning. They do however disagree about some of the dynamics and priorities of the mentoring relationship. (Contains…