The Best Breakfast in Town: A Comprehensive Research Methods Project

Abstract

When instructors are first tasked with teaching the research methods course for their department, a common reaction is frustration and panic. Although all political scientists are trained in research methods, few besides methodologists view it as their primary or strongest area of expertise, and they are aware that the course rarely returns high teaching evaluations (Fletcher and Painter-Main 2014). Likewise, students approach their required research methods course with extreme anxiety, viewing it as the math class they were trying to avoid by majoring in political science (Bernstein and Allen 2013; Coleman and Conrad 2007). With instructors unhappily teaching the class and students dreading taking it, there is a perfect storm of attitudes and beliefs that is hardly likely to lead to a productive learning environment. The challenge driving this article is how to teach research methods in a rigorous, engaging way that promotes student learning without tanking scores on teaching evaluations.