Teaching Research in Principle and in Practice: What Do Psychology Instructors Think of Research Projects in Their Courses?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jordan Rose Wagge ◽  
Michelle A Hurst ◽  
Mark John Brandt ◽  
Ljiljana B. Lazarevic ◽  
Nicole Legate ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Research Practice ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Scientific Contribution ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Undergraduate Studies ◽  
Potential Reason ◽  
Psychology Majors ◽  
Student Researchers ◽  
Student Projects

Psychology majors typically conduct at least one research project during their undergraduate studies, yet these projects rarely make a scientific contribution beyond the classroom. In this study, we explored one potential reason for this - that student projects may not be aligned with best practices in the field. In other words, we wondered if there was a mismatch between what instructors teach in principle and what student projects are in practice. To answer this, we asked a psychology instructors (n = 111) who regularly teach courses involving research projects questions about these projects. Instructors endorsed many of the commonly assumed pitfalls of student projects, such as not using rigorous methodology. Notably, the characteristics of these typical student projects did not align with the qualities instructors reported as being important in research practice. We highlight opportunities to align these qualities by employing resources such as crowdsourced projects specifically developed for student researchers.

Considerations for conducting sensitive research with the LGBTQIA+ communities

2021 ◽  
pp. 147078532110304
Author(s):  
Clifford Lewis ◽  
Nina Reynolds
Keyword(s):  
General Population ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Research Note ◽  
Research Practice ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Ethical Research ◽  
Conducting Research

As LGBTQIA+ people in western societies get more comfortable publicly identifying as part of the LGBTQIA+ communities, research projects are increasingly collecting data related to such orientations. This may be done directly in studies focusing on the LGBTQIA+ communities or indirectly on studies focusing on the general population whose members may incidentally be of a diverse gender or sexuality. Accordingly, there is a need to conduct research in a way that is sensitive and inclusive of the diverse lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ people. Focusing on the notions of respect and beneficence underlining ethical research practice, this research note explains the heterogeneity inherent in the LGBTQIA+ acronym and draws implications for research practice. The article concludes by putting forward some considerations, focusing on the researcher, the research project, and the participant; to help market researchers when conducting research with LGBTQIA+ people.

Playing with Positionality?

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Kingston
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Civil War ◽  
The Political ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Associational Life ◽  
Political Dynamics ◽  
Research Site ◽  
Theoretical Assumptions

The chapter outlines how researchers take on different roles and positionalities as they adapt to the field, moving, for instance, from that of an “outsider” laden with externalized theoretical assumptions and having few contacts with and knowledge of the research site to one approaching, to varying degrees, that of a “pseudo-insider.” Indeed, the argument here is that researchers make choices when moving from outsider to insider roles (and between them), contingently adapting their positionality in the hope to better understand the political dynamics that underlie research projects. The setting is post-civil war Lebanon and the research project revolves around an examination of the micropolitics of civil society and associational life in this re-emerging but fragmented polity.

scholarly journals WORCS: A workflow for open reproducible code in science

Data Science ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Caspar J. Van Lissa ◽  
Andreas M. Brandmaier ◽  
Loek Brinkman ◽  
Anna-Lena Lamprecht ◽  
Aaron Peikert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Source Code ◽  
R Package ◽  
Open Science ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Tabular Data ◽  
Step Procedure ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Conducting Research ◽  
And Training

Adopting open science principles can be challenging, requiring conceptual education and training in the use of new tools. This paper introduces the Workflow for Open Reproducible Code in Science (WORCS): A step-by-step procedure that researchers can follow to make a research project open and reproducible. This workflow intends to lower the threshold for adoption of open science principles. It is based on established best practices, and can be used either in parallel to, or in absence of, top-down requirements by journals, institutions, and funding bodies. To facilitate widespread adoption, the WORCS principles have been implemented in the R package worcs, which offers an RStudio project template and utility functions for specific workflow steps. This paper introduces the conceptual workflow, discusses how it meets different standards for open science, and addresses the functionality provided by the R implementation, worcs. This paper is primarily targeted towards scholars conducting research projects in R, conducting research that involves academic prose, analysis code, and tabular data. However, the workflow is flexible enough to accommodate other scenarios, and offers a starting point for customized solutions. The source code for the R package and manuscript, and a list of examplesof WORCS projects, are available at https://github.com/cjvanlissa/worcs.

scholarly journals Utilising Mood Boards as an Image Elicitation Tool in Qualitative Research

2021 ◽  
pp. 136078042199348
Author(s):  
Simon Spawforth-Jones
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Critical Appraisal ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Collection Method ◽  
Visual Method ◽  
Data Collection Method ◽  
Elicitation Methods ◽  
And Gender

The use of image elicitation methods has been recognised in qualitative research for some time; however, the use of mood boards to prompt participant discussion is currently an under-researched area. This article explores the use of mood boards as a data collection method in qualitative research. Used in design disciplines mood boards allow designers to interpret and communicate complex or abstract aspects of a design brief. In this study, I utilise mood boards as being part creative visual method and part image elicitation device. The use of mood boards is explained here in the context of a research project exploring masculinity and men’s reflexivity. In this article, I consider the benefits of utilising this method in researching reflexivity and gender before offering a critical appraisal of this method and inviting others to explore how mood boards might enhance research projects involving elicitation.

From Academic to Practitioner: Tips for Increasing Engagement With Your Research (Essay on Best Practices)

2021 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 244-256
Author(s):  
Ava T. Carcirieri
Keyword(s):  
Domestic Violence ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Family Court ◽  
Academic Training ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Data Analyst ◽  
Systemic Improvement

Academics and practitioners all too often have little or no contact with each other; the practitioner does not know what research exists that can inform their practices, and the academic does not know enough about the institutions they primarily study to make recommendations that are specific enough to inform a concrete practice or policy. I leverage my experiences both as an academic and as a data analyst and domestic violence coordinator at Family Court to outline lessons learned in the field. I detail how my academic training hindered my work as a practitioner, and how practitioners differ in terms of conducting internal research and presenting data and findings. I use my lessons learned and subsequently list several concrete practices that academics can begin to work into their work to increase communication with important stakeholders, and tailor their work to practical systemic improvement. Bridging the gap between academics and practitioners will lead to better research projects, and findings that will be able to actively enact changes within systems that academics focus on.

scholarly journals Using playful methods to understand children’s digital literacies

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pekka Mertala
Keyword(s):  
Digital Literacy ◽  
Research Data ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Digital Literacies ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
Context Sensitive ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Meaningful Research

This chapter is the final for Section 3 and in many ways stands as an example of how many of the individual elements presented thus far in the book, can come together in a holistic way. This chapter demonstrates how we can adopt play, make it unique to the project and the children and still arrive at meaningful research data. This chapter describes a research project wherein 3- to 6-year-old Finnish children’s digital literacies were studied and supported via playful methods. The key theses this chapter advocates are:-The use of playful methods in early childhood education (ECE) research is one way to acknowledge and respect the characteristics of the research context.-The ambiguity of play should be acknowledged when planning, conducting, and evaluating playful research projects.-Studying and supporting children’s digital literacies do not always require digital devices.The chapter is structured as follows. First, a reflective discussion on the ambiguity of play and the use of playful methods as a context-sensitive research approach is presented. Then, an overview of the research project and its objectives are provided. In the end, three concrete examples of how the children’s digital literacy was studied and supported using playful methods are given.

scholarly journals THE HUMAN FACTOR IN RESEARCH PROJECTS CONDUCTED AT POLISH UNIVERSITIES

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 790-794
Author(s):  
Ewa Ptaszyńska
Keyword(s):  
Human Factor ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Project Manager ◽  
University Research ◽  
Management Styles ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Research Project ◽  
National Centre ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Research Team Member

This article is based on research conducted at the Wroclaw University of Science and Technology and was financed by the National Centre of Science with the purpose of identifying success and failure factors for university research projects. The research shows that the human factor was crucial in determining the outcome of university research projects. This article presents the analysis and results of selected aspects of a research project into human resource management. The study involves in-depth interviews with 40 project managers of university research projects. Based on interview responses, the following features are evaluated: main reasons for starting research projects, different methods of selecting the research project manager, research team member selection criteria, management styles used by research projects managers, and crucial problems connected with the human factor that occurred in the research projects being analyzed.

scholarly journals Strengthening the SSTC NRS Scientific and Technical Potential through Participation in the IAEA Coordinated Research Projects

2021 ◽  
pp. 5-13
Author(s):  
Yu. Balashevska ◽  
D. Gumenyuk ◽  
Iu. Ovdiienko ◽  
O. Pecherytsia ◽  
I. Shevchenko ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Safety Assessment ◽  
Radiation Safety ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Spent Fuel ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
Technical Potential ◽  
Technical Issues ◽  
Fuel Characterization ◽  
Definition Of

The State Scientific and Technical Center for Nuclear and Radiation Safety (SSTC NRS), a Ukrainian enterprise with a 29-year experience in the area of scientific and technical support to the national nuclear regulator (SNRIU), has been actively involved in international research activities. Participation in the IAEA coordinated research activities is among the SSTC NRS priorities. In the period of 2018–2020, the IAEA accepted four SSTC NRS proposals for participation in respective Coordinated Research Projects (CRPs). These CRPs address scientific and technical issues in different areas such as: 1) performance of probabilistic safety assessment for multi-unit/multi-reactor sites; 2) use of dose projection tools to ensure preparedness and response to nuclear and radiological emergencies; 3) phenomena related to in-vessel melt retention; 4) spent fuel characterization. This article presents a brief overview of the abovementioned projects with definition of scientific contributions by the SSTC NRS (participation in benchmarks, development of methodological documents on implementing research stages and of IAEA technical documents (TECDOC) for demonstration of best practices and results of research carried out by international teams).

scholarly journals Towards Growth-Mindset Mathematics Teaching in the Netherlands

10.29007/gdgh ◽  
2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Greg Alpar ◽  
Marloes van Hoeve
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Mathematics Teaching ◽  
Time Pressure ◽  
Deep Understanding ◽  
Growth Mindset ◽  
The Other ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
New Era ◽  
Collaboration And Communication

Mathematics is the foundation of sciences and it is important in a learner’s career success. Growth mindset in mathematics teaching is essential to reach a broader student population effectively. Shifting the focus from performance and time pressure to deep understanding and personal growth, unnecessary competition vanishes among learners. As a result, they develop a better relation with their own thinking and they gain insights into the thinking of others. At the same time, collaboration and communication emerge naturally. The fear of mathematics and making mistakes disappear, while students learn by connecting ideas and applying the already learned study material.In the academic years of 2017-2018 and 2018-2019, two Dutch research projects dealt with the application of a growth mindset in mathematics teaching. One was in secondary schools, the other one at universities. In this article, we briefly report about and reflect on the exciting results of these studies and suggest further directions for research and the development of best practices.The ideas and experiences described in this paper are urgent as currently we are at the threshold of a new era in which education and learning are (and should be) really open for everyone; with low floor and without ceilings.

Archaeologies of Automobility

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Merriman
Keyword(s):  
Social Science ◽  
Cultural History ◽  
Road Construction ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Archival Research ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Contemporary Archaeology ◽  
Road Signs ◽  
1960S And 1970S ◽  
Design Construction

Archaeologists are no strangers to the spaces and materialities of roads. The material cultures of prehistoric and Roman roads have provided an important focus for archaeological investigations, while modern road construction programmes have provided invaluable opportunities to conduct archaeological and geological investigations of sub-surface materials. In recent years, humanities and social science scholars have started to trace the material cultures and practices associated with the modern spaces of the car, road, and driving, and this chapter traces the outlines of what we might call an archaeology of modern automobility, discussing the findings of two research projects undertaken on the material cultures of automobility. Drawing upon research on the historical geographies of Britain’s M1 motorway the author examines how archaeological techniques (including field excavations) could provide an important complement to archival research in order to trace the design, construction, and use of such sites. In the second example, the chapter discusses a recent research project which attempted to write a cultural history and contemporary archaeology of the campaign for bilingual road signs in Wales. Drawing upon archival research, oral histories, and photographic research, the project reveals how the materiality of road signs was central to the motives behind-and effectiveness of-the campaign in 1960s and 1970s Wales.

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