Student experiences of research methods education in college-based higher education

ABSTRACT

Research methods education is a challenging area for lecturers and students to engage with; students regularly demonstrate negative dispositions to research methods and lecturers struggle with issues such as curriculum marginalisation. However, employers increasingly demand graduates equipped with skills as researchers. Consequently, in university-based higher education, there has been investment to support research and good practice in this area. In contrast, limited attention has been paid to research methods education in college-based higher education. We report the outcomes of a small-scale national study designed to capture contemporary insights in research methods provision in college-based higher education. Drawing on data from two national surveys, we report student attitudes to, and experiences of, research methods and strategies employed by lecturers to teach and assess research methods. Students demonstrate positive attitudes to research methods, receptive to their research methods education and can see their applicability to ‘real life’ situations. However, the data demonstrate that the breadth of their research methods education is limited, potentially having implications for the development of skills such as critical evaluation of research outcomes, and students longer-term development as researchers. We conclude by highlighting future research directions and curriculum development to promote research methods education in college-based higher education.

KEYWORDS:

• Research and scholarly activity
• research-based curricular
• vocational education
• foundation degrees
• research training

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Rebecca Turner

Dr Rebecca Turner is an Educational Developer at the University of Plymouth. She has broad research interests with address themes such as student transitions, research methods education and student progression.  

Carole Sutton

Carole Sutton is an Associate Professor (Senior Lecturer) in Sociology and Senior Fellow of the HEA, at the University of Plymouth. She has a sustained track record in postgraduate and undergraduate delivery, and developing innovative approaches to teaching, learning and student experience, particularly in relation to teaching research methods. 

Claire Gray

Claire Gray is the Partnerships Development Co-ordinator responsible for supporting and developing HE provision outside of university settings.  Claire’s research interests included public sector partnerships and educational policy focusing primarily on HE in FE.   

Sebastian Stevens

Sebastian Stevens holds a masters degree in social research methods and is currently completing his doctoral research at the Peninsula School of Medicine (Plymouth University). He is also an Associate Lecturer in Research Methods at the Department of Sociology with an interest in quantitative methods pedagogies.

Julie Swain

Julie is the Quality Assurance Partnerships Co-ordinator for Academic Partnerships within Plymouth University which houses over 15,000 students who study ‘off campus’,  regionally, nationally and internationally. Her role primarily focuses on the student experience, ensuring students have access to all of the Universities e-resources and services. Also working closely with the academic and support staff from across the partnership to ensure the priority of student engagement through innovative learning opportunities and student satisfaction