Information Literacy for Everyone: Using Practical Strategies to Overcome ‘Fear and Loathing’ in the Undergraduate Research Methods Course

ABSTRACT¹

Because the research methods course is critical in helping students to better understand political outcomes, one would expect the subject to be of great interest to political science majors. Evidence suggests, however, that undergraduates often approach the methods class with substantial fear and generally avoid or postpone taking the class. Using data gathered over a 17-year period from 25 sections of the course conducted at two different institutions, we demonstrate that, on average, students self-report moderately strong levels of apprehension about the course, low ratings of their math skills, and the perception that the course is quite difficult. We then describe several practical strategies that we have employed to address these barriers to engagement with, and mastery of, the material – ranging from the philosophical approach to the course to specific assignments and activities for research methods classes. Based on qualitative evidence provided by end-of-semester course evaluations and a small sample of student reflections from an anonymous post-class questionnaire, the results suggest that these strategies have been successful in reaching students who initially showed debilitating anxiety or a lack of interest in the topic.

Keywords:

• Undergraduate education
• information literacy
• undergraduate research

Notes

1 This work has been carried out in accordance with The National Institutes of Health’s Office of Extramural Research training course in protecting human research participants and The American Political Science Association Guide to Professional Ethics in Political Science. The Institutional Review Board of Shepherd University has approved this research, permit number 2016110702.

2 Data on gender was inadvertently excluded from the questionnaire for one section in 2000 (n = 16).

3 Past research does suggest that information-literacy-oriented courses can improve student performance on standardized information competency tests (Marfleet, Dille, and Dille 2005).

4 The strategy of teaching students by engaging them in a research project has been shown to be very successful for a range of educational outcomes – both outside and inside of the discipline of political science. See, for example, Healey (2005), Page (2015), and Parker et al. (2008).

5 Scaffolding has been shown to be an effective pedagogy for a variety of higher-level skills across educational levels and disciplines, especially with respect to language-learning and mathematics. See, for example, Aslam et al. (2017); Rosenshine and Meister (1992); Srole; Endy and Pfleger (2017); Williams (2008).

6 This is generally done immediately following the exercise in which students calculate these measures with a calculator so the full advantage of using a spreadsheet is impressed upon them.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Stephanie A. Slocum-Schaffer

Stephanie A. Slocum-Schaffer is Associate Professor of Political Science and Co-Coordinator of the Gender and Women’s Studies Program at Shepherd University, where she teaches a variety of courses in American politics, women in politics, research methods, and public policy. She is author of America in the Seventies: A Lesson In Limits (Syracuse University Press, 2003) and has published several articles and made numerous conference presentations in two different areas of research: the representation of women in the cabinets and legislatures of democracies throughout the world, as well as the different pedagogical techniques, approaches, and structures that enhance student learning at the undergraduate level.

Robert E. Bohrer

Robert E. Bohrer II is Associate Provost and Dean of Public Policy Programs at Gettysburg College where he is also Associate Professor of Political Science. He specializes in comparative politics of democratic systems and has published several articles and made presentations on voter turnout, devolution in the United Kingdom, women's representation, and party system dynamics. Although administrative duties currently limit his time in the classroom, he has taught several first year seminars, research methods and various other classes at the undergraduate level over the course of over twenty years at Gettysburg College.