Fostering Student Centered Learning (SCL) Through the Use of Active Learning Exercises in Undergraduate Research Methods Courses: Employing the Research Project Model.

2. What is Active Learning?

Active learning is defined as talking, listening, reading, writing, and reflection through problem-solving exercises, and other activities all with the objective of requiring students to apply what they are learning (Meyers & Jones, 1993, p. xi).

A great deal of research supports active learning exercises finding that students who are actively involved in the learning process are much more likely to retain information (Felder & Brent, 1996; Gardiner, 1998; Knowles, 1998; McKeachie, 1994), comprehend material (Bonwell & Sutherland, 1996; Robinson, 2000), and maintain overall interest in the course (Taylor, Anderson, & McConnell, 2003). The benefits of student centered active learning has been well-documented; it serves students well when they enter their ever changing fields of employment and need to adapt to change, think critically (Felder, 1993), and work both collaboratively and independently.

Many of the approaches expressed here are related to cognitive psychology and constructivist learning theory. Constructivism holds true that learning is idiosyncratic, active, and an evolving process (Anthony, 1996, p. 349). An environment must be created in which students are allowed to think for themselves as opposed to learning from a set curriculum (Rhodes & Bellamy, 1999).

Active Learning and Research Methods:

While a great deal of literature documents the benefits of using student centered active learning techniques in various academic settings and courses (Greek, 1995; McKinney, 2005; Robinson, 2000; Silberman, 1996), few efforts have specifically addressed the utility of engaging undergraduate social science research methods students in a semester-long, tiered assignment, empirical research project, drawing on student centered active learning techniques (Hackett & Caunt, 1995) and even fewer have studied methods courses in the field of criminal justice. Criminal justice research methods material is uniquely conducive to student centered active learning as part of a dynamic project based learning process in that many of the key constructs of the material require not only recognition, but application to real-world research dynamics.

Most research projects include unique circumstances in which "text-book" examples may not perfectly fit; therefore, a true understanding of how research can be carried out without sacrificing the reliability and validity of the findings is needed.

5. Faculty Assessment and Conclusions:

The post-test survey responses and open ended feedback provided by the students has shown, overall, that the research project model is an effective component to use in conjunction with lecture-based material for research methods courses. More specifically, it corroborates previous research findings on the use of active learning strategies. For example, Qualters (2002) reported students will often take ownership and interact more when courses and projects emphasize active learning.

In addition to supporting findings from previous research, this work also found it useful to allow students to evaluate the teaching strategy. The students were able to identify aspects they found helpful (e.g., how to operationalize research concepts, how to develop and administer a survey, how to analyze data, and how to work with SPSS) and areas they felt could be improved (e.g., conduct fewer surveys and have more control over the research topic the class chose).

Each semester, as the authors devise new remedies for old problems, new problems emerge; the research project evolves each semester and there are endless opportunities to continue improving the assignments, coordinating information, and maximizing student's learning of complex material. The problems that typically emerge include a deficiency in writing skills, an inability to use library sources accompanied by an over reliance on non-scholarly internet sources, wildly varying degrees of computer literacy combined with data entry and analysis problems. Trouble-shooting individual student issues can be very time consuming for faculty who may benefit from a graduate student teaching assistant in this course.

In the future, classes may choose more than one topic to accommodate more student interests. Some of the individual exercises and research tasks may be delegated to small teams rather than to all individuals. Additionally, feedback has revealed that students could benefit from more time in the computer lab learning how to use the statistical software program (SPSS). In response students next semester will be given short assignments and perhaps lab time to become familiar with the different capabilities of the software; thus, when students analyze their own data, they will need less formal instruction.

Overall, student centered active learning strategies have proven beneficial in teaching research methods and the tasks involved from project inception through completion seem to draw on the constructivist learning theory perspective. With the instructor serving as the facilitator, students were encouraged at each step of the project to ask and answer their own questions. Students indicated a sense of ownership in their projects and felt both more compelled and more confident in conducting their own research.

The level of student perceived confidence and competence in their research skills is encouraging. There are boundless opportunities available to implement student centered active learning activities in research methods courses through the use of the project model approach. While there are logistical issues to employing some of the active learning activities discussed here the student feedback and perceived learning outcome is well worth the effort.