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ABSTRACT
For many political science programs, research methods courses are a fundamental component of the recommended undergraduate curriculum. However, instructors and students often see these courses as the most challenging. This study explores when it is most appropriate for political science majors to enroll and pass a research methods course. The hypothesis posits that the number of prior introductory-level political science courses can be a strong precursor to research methods success, even for those who are upper-class students and majors. This hypothesis is tested by analyzing data from six sections of an undergraduate research course offered at a midsized public university. The results demonstrate that students are most likely to succeed in their research methods course if they are majors with at least five previous political sciences courses completed. Recommendations for course prerequisites and specific curriculum mapping are offered in light of these findings.
Notes
Out of 119 comparable four-year institutions that offer a political science degree, 69.7% of them require at least one research methods course.
Other theories on why completing a greater number of political science coursework leads to greater success in a research methods course, independent of class status, is because students become more familiar with the professors, teaching styles, and academic expectations within the major. With this theory, every political science course completed increases the likelihood of completing a future political science course.
The Carnegie classification for the university is Doctoral/Research University, but the political science program does not offer a doctorate degree.
For comparability purposes, the institution reports an average SAT Composite score of 918 (35th percentile nationally) for incoming Freshmen in 2014.
This study’s unit of analysis is the individual student. Student characteristics like gender and major are necessary components to capture accurate results on what predicts classroom success. Such data are commonly seen in alternative studies on political science education assessment (e.g., Champney and Edleman Citation2010; Mallinson and Baumann Citation2015). This study is approved by Indiana State University’s Institutional Review Board.
Although differences between research methods pedagogy is undoubtedly going to occur between two different instructors, both professors assigned Johnson and Reynolds (Citation2007). Statistical analysis by hand was not incorporated in the course nor was statistical concepts beyond regression included. Both professors introduced interpretations of simple regression in social science research, but this was not addressed in depth.
When evaluating and reporting on one’s own students, research caution must be exercised (Johnson Citation2014). Nonetheless, this research aligns with other studies that use student grades or performances as data (Handelsman et al. Citation2005; Sum and Light Citation2010).
Across the six sections, the DWF mean ranges from 24% to 41%. Chi-squared tests do not suggest a difference on DWF rates by sections or instructors.
Prerequisites are now imposed on registering for this course.
The results on gender produce some surprising results though. The course under consideration weights writing assignments greater than mathematical assignments. Given this, and the fact that some assessments find women outperform males on writing skills, such as that found in the ACT Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency, provides some logic to these results.
