Teaching Research Methods: Learning by Doing

This paper outlines ways to structure a research-methods class so that students gain a practical knowledge of how research is done. Emphasis is placed on data collection, using statistical software, and writing up results. Included in this article are several assignments and exercises that, when combined, work to produce a scholarly empirical report. Students gain an appreciation of the fruits and frustrations involved in the research process, and learn to be more critical consumers of research projects.