Using a survey, interviews, and reflections by the teaching-research team, we explored the effects of almost a decade of experimentation, inspired by Freire's pedagogy for liberation, which applied participatory action research in engineering courses and in cities to develop professionals who are more committed to sustainability and more able to…

The theory of "immaculate insulation" is prevalent among students. Research indicates that students often believe that some materials and objects, such as blankets or mittens, are intrinsically warm. Likewise, they believe that some objects and materials, such as metals, are cold. One effective way to gain insight into how students understand…

Objective: Students will develop positive attitudes toward communication research by linking new values and principles with the familiar values and principles contained in children's literature. Course: Communication Research Methods.

Providing students with supplementary course materials such as audio podcasts, enhanced podcasts, video podcasts and other forms of lecture-capture video files after a lecture is now a common occurrence in many post-secondary courses. We used an online questionnaire to ask students how helpful enhanced podcasts were for a variety of course…

Those who teach research methods courses may struggle to engage students who are anxious or apprehensive about taking the course. Thus, it becomes the obligation of the instructor to develop innovative approaches so that students overcome their apprehension, learn the material, and, it is hoped, develop a passion for research. The authors present…

A teacher and a college student explore experimental science and its history by reading historical texts, and responding with replications and experiments of their own. A curriculum of ever-widening possibilities evolves in their ongoing interactions with each other, history, and such materials as pendulums, flame, and resonant singing tubes.…

To complement traditional learning activities in a masters-level research methodology course, social work students worked on a formal research project which involved: designing the study, constructing measures, selecting a sampling strategy, collecting data, reducing and analyzing data, and finally interpreting and communicating the results. The…

Critical exploration, as a research method, has two aspects: (1) developing a good project for children to work on; and (2) succeeding in inviting children to talk about their ideas: putting them at ease, being receptive to all answers; being neutral to the substance of the answer while being encouraging about the fact that they are thinking and…

Most biology teachers implement animal dissection (real or virtual) and often lead discussions on research involving animal subjects. Such activities provide excellent opportunities to explore ideas about ethical conduct in the care and use of animals. The challenge for teachers is to present information about animal care and use that enables…

Concerned that many students were barely surviving introductory chemistry rather than thriving, one college teacher used classroom research to assess and encourage student involvement and to understand students' difficulties with the material. Although student achievement has not risen measurably, students appreciate the techniques and participate…

This text introduces teachers to research methods they can use to examine their own classrooms in order to become more effective teachers. Becoming familiar with classroom-based research methods not only enables teachers to do research in their own classrooms, it also provides a basis for assessing the findings of existing research. McKay…

Analysis of followup studies of graduates of College of Education doctoral progams at Ohio State and Michigan State universities considered alumni perceptions of doctoral guidance committee activities in planning course work, preparing and administering comprehensive evaluations, and guiding dissertation research. Questionnaire responses from a…

Use of the casebook--selected magazine articles on a given subject, copied, stapled and given to each student--generates enthusiasm and improves the quality of high school sophomore research papers. The casebook approach ensures that no student is left behind in the topic selection or information gathering stages, and the teacher's familiarity…

Collaborating closely with a 10th-grade science teacher, we designed a Web-based learning environment (Web-LE) to improve student motivation to learn science. Factors believed to enhance intrinsic motivation (challenge, control, curiosity, and fantasy) were integrated into the instructional design of the Web-based learning tool. The Web-LE was…

In a 14-month collaborative effort between a beginning writer and a researcher, interviews, classroom observations, and experiences in writing and presenting papers provided a descriptive record of a writer's changing perception of writing. From seeing writing as a mysterious act performed for the teacher and only vaguely reflecting his own ideas…