Potential Potholes: Predicting Challenges and Learning Outcomes in Research Methods in Psychology Courses

Abstract

Identifying impediments to learning can help both instructors and students. In this study students ( N = 222) from across the nation listed concepts from research methods they found the most challenging—“potholes” or impediments to learning, and also rated the difficulty of various concepts from the class. We also measured student attitudes and perceptions of the course. Our results showed validity is one of the hardest concepts for students to understand in RM. Not surprisingly, within a list of concepts in research methods, students tend to be tripped up by terms of similar grouping. Perceptions of a research methods course was strongly related to the students’ attitudes and canonical correlation analysis revealed several important findings from our data set. For example, we found that when students perceive more value, expectancy for success, cognitive strategies, and resources management strategies, they are less likely to be challenged by the concepts of samples and variables and threats to internal validity. Our findings provide a clear map of student potholes in research methods courses and suggest ways to change student attitudes about the same.

Assessing the Accuracy of Students’ Metacognitive Awareness of Psychology Concepts

“…Overall, these findings also extend those of previous similar studies (Gurung & Landrum, 2013;Stoa et al, 2022) that collected only metacognitive awareness ratings for a limited subarea of psychology (research methods and learning) concepts, did not assess participants' actual knowledge of psychology concepts, and did not consider their findings based on participants' psychology background.…”

“…As noted earlier, the metacognitive ability is a strong correlate of student learning (DiFrancesca et al, 2016;Schneider & Preckel, 2017). The present study also extends and improves upon the work of previous similar research that sought to identify difficult concepts in psychology (Gurung & Landrum, 2013;Stoa et al, 2022). Both Gurung and Landrum's (2013) and Stoa et al's (2022) studies serve as valuable resources for instructors to help anticipate possible difficulties their prospective students will have understanding certain concepts.…”

Developing and Implementing an Intervention Study: Strategies for Mentoring Students Throughout the Research Process

“…Gurung and Stoa (2020) found that the most important topic rated by faculty, out of their list of 25 topics, was the experimental approach, which is a foundation of many intervention studies. Stoa et al (2020) emphasized in their study investigating students’ perceptions of challenges faced in research methods courses that the concepts of validity and quasi-experimental design were most difficult for students, concepts that are crucial to the understanding of intervention studies.…”

Coverage and treatment of qualitative inquiry in general research methods textbooks.

“…Not only are they entering a dynamic field at a moment when instructional modalities are shifting rapidly (Hamilton et al, 2021), most do not receive adequate pedagogical training, mentorship, or supervision (Buskist, 2013). The challenges are amplified for those teaching research methods/methodology courses because they are tasked with cultivating sophisticated analytic and evaluative skills (Connor-Greene & Greene, 2002) while introducing complex and abstract ideas such as validity (Stoa et al, 2022) and replication (Chopik et al, 2018). Moreover, instructors of research are entering the field at a time in which conventional methodological narratives coincide with dynamic conversations about epistemic values (Osbeck, 2018), a growing awareness of methodological contestation (Pryiomka & Clegg, 2020), and the rise of new methods grounded in different philosophies of science (Wertz, 2014).…”