How to Teach a Course in Research Methods for Psychology Students

by Ross A. Seligman

Overview

This book is a step-by-step guide for instructors on how to teach a psychology research methods course at the undergraduate or graduate level. It provides various approaches for teaching the course including lecture topics, difficult concepts for students, sample labs, test questions, syllabus guides and policies, as well as a detailed description of the requirements for the final experimental paper. This book is also supplemented with anecdotes from the author’s years of experience teaching research methods classes. Chapters in this book include information on how to deliver more effective lectures, issues you may encounter with students, examples of weekly labs, tips for teaching research methods online, and much more. This book is targeted towards the undergraduate or graduate professor who has either not yet taught research methods or who wants to improve his or her course. Using step by step directions, any teacher will be able to follow the guidelines found in this book that will help them succeed.

How to Teach a Course in Research Methods for Psychology Students is a valuable resource for anyone teaching a quantitative research methods course at the college or university level.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783030428778
Publisher:	Springer International Publishing
Publication date:	04/14/2020
Edition description:	1st ed. 2020
Pages:	117
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

Ross A. Seligman has been teaching Psychology Classes for over 27 years. He currently teaches at Pasadena City College in Pasadena, CA. Professor Seligman earned his B.A. Degree in Psychology at Occidental College in Los Angeles. He earned his M.A. Degree in Clinical Psychology at California State Los Angeles. He also completed his Ph.D. Coursework at The Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, CA. Professor Seligman has taught 16 different Psychology Courses throughout his career at several different Colleges and Universities. He has also worked as a Department Chair and Dean.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 – Meeting with the Dean and getting hired.

1.1 Hiring in general

1.2 Focus on Research Methods

1.3 Your hired – what should I do next

Chapter 2 - Creating the Research Methods Syllabus

2.1 General Information

2.2 Course Description

2.3 Student Learning Outcomes – SLO’s

2.4 Textbook

2.5 Class Schedule/outline of course

2.6 Deadlines

2.7 Assignment Descriptions and Grading

2.8 Support Policies

Chapter 3 – Finding the right textbook

3.1 Summary of Research Textbooks

3.2 OER resources

3.2 Purchasable Textbooks by Publisher

Chapter 4 – The first day of class – What to plan and expect

4.1 What will my classroom look like?

4.2 What skills will my students possess?

4.3 What should I bring to class?

4.4 Opening Remarks

4.5 After the Sermon is Over

4.6 Own your fears but keep them hidden

Chapter 5 – Weekly Overview of class – Lecture and Lab

5.1 Review

5.2 Week #1

5.3 Week #2

5.4 Week #3

5.5 Week #4

5.6 Week #5

5.7 Week #6

5.8 Week #7

5.9 Week #8

5.10 Week #9

5.11 Week #10

5.12 Week #11

5.13 Week #12

5.14 Week #13

5.15 Week #14

5.16 Week #15

5.17 Week #16

5.18 Course Wrap-Up

5.19 The Martini

Chapter 6 - Creating Exams for a Research Methods Class

6.1 What type of exam should be given

6.2 Multiple-Choice Exams

6.3 Essay Exams

6.4 Project Based Exams

Chapter 7 – The Final Project – What does it look like?

7.1 Final Project Overview

7.2 Forming a Group and a Hypothesis

7.3 Literature Review

7.4 Methods Section

7.5 Results Section

7.6 Discussion Section

7.7 References

7.8 Abstract and Appendices

7.9 Rubrics

7.10 Final Draft of the Paper

7.11 Oral Presentation

Chapter 8 -The Student Experience – What is it like being a student in a Research Methods Class?

8.1 Student Experience Overview

8.2 Interview with Lindsay Mitchell

8.3 Interview with Brandon Diep

Chapter 9 -How to teach Research Methods Online

9.1 How to teach Research Methods Online

9.2 How to teach Research Methods Online with a full experiment and experimental write-up

9.3. How to teach Research Methods Online with just a Proposal

Chapter 10. Alternative Lab Assignments

10.1 Alternative Lab #1

10.2 Alternative Lab #2

10.3 Alternative Lab #3

10.4 Alternative Lab #4

10.5 Alternative Lab #5

10.6 Alternative Lab #6

10.7 Alternative Lab #7

10.8 Alternative Lab #8

10.9 Alternative Lab #9

10.10 Alternative Lab #10

10.11 Alternative Lab #11

10.12 Alternative Lab #12

10.13 Alternative Lab #13

Editorial Reviews

The book is likely to be more useful for less advanced lecturers. … For beginner tutors … it can be a helpful guide. … For experienced lecturers, it can be a time-saving book in which they can look at a well-crafted instruction for the organization of a methodological course and thus be inspired to work with their PhD students in the role of tutor. Therefore, the book can be a tool for supervisors to guide future lecturers.” (Jana Dlouhá, ISCB News, iscb.info, June, 2022)

“The book How to Teach a Course in Research Methods for Psychology Students by Ross A. Seligman will be useful for new teachers. It will also be interesting for Research Methods professors to read this book as an exchange of experience. In addition, this book was interesting to me personally as a way of acquiring new information about higher education in the United States, which is different from my experience in the Ukraine.” (Maria Ivanchuk, ISCB News, iscb.info, Issue 70, December, 2020)

From the Publisher