Listening to Our Students: Understanding How They Learn Research Methods in Geography

How undergraduate students learn research methods in geography has been understudied. Existing work has focused on course description from the instructor’s perspective. This study, however, uses a grounded theory approach to allow students’ voices to shape a new theory of how they themselves say that they learn research methods. Data from two focus groups, a survey, and in-depth interviews with undergraduates taking a research methods course suggests that students perceive that they learn best when research methods are taught in ways similar to the faculty research process. The conclusion is that students learning research methods need clear illustrations of process, a community setting that facilitates discussion, instruction in theory, and an extended period of time to complete effective projects.