Courses: Research methods for undergraduates or graduates. Objectives: The aims of this activity are: (1) to clarify the basics of experimental design; (2) to illustrate the concept of levels of measurement; (3) to demonstrate in-person/hands-on data collection procedures; (4) to understand and practice the steps in null hypothesis testing; and…

Many students probably know something about space from playing computer games or watching movies and TV shows. Teachers can expose them to the real thing by launching their experiments into near space on a weather balloon. This article describes how to use high-altitude ballooning (HAB) as a culminating project to a chemistry unit on experimental…

Preventative health has become central to contemporary health care, identifying youth physical activity as a key factor in determining health and functioning. Schools offer a unique research setting due to distinctive methodological circumstances. However, school-based researchers face several obstacles in their endeavour to complete successful…

Objective: Students will develop positive attitudes toward communication research by linking new values and principles with the familiar values and principles contained in children's literature. Course: Communication Research Methods.

This article provides instructors with guidelines for teaching simple experimental design for the comparison of two treatment groups. Two designs with specific examples are discussed along with common misconceptions that undergraduate students typically bring to the experiment design process. Features of experiment design that maximize power and…

Cognition is a general term describing the mental capacities of an animal, and often includes the ability to categorize, remember, and communicate about objects in the environment. Numerous regions of the telencephalon (cerebral cortex and limbic system) are responsible for these cognitive functions. Although many researchers have used traditional…

This investigative laboratory exercise uses the different relations between ambient temperature and metabolic rate in endotherms and ectotherms as a core concept to answer the following question: What thermoregulatory mode is employed by chicken embryos? Emphasis is placed on the physiological concepts that can be taught with this exercise,…

Describes a college course which will help students develop an appreciation of the systematic study of politics. Students learn to scientifically explore political behavior and events and develop knowledge of elementary research design principles and problems in preparation for a subsequent elective course in political science research methods.…

Points out major problems with the scientific method as a model for learning about methodology in science and suggests teaching about the scientists' toolbox to remedy problems with the conventional scientific method. (KHR)

Offers considerations for statistics instructors of behavioral and social science students, in light of the research showing these students often perform significantly worse in statistics than in other classes. Suggests that instructors reflect on the context (student goals and background), course content, and pedagogical style when designing and…

Described is a teaching method for chemistry that gives college students practice in experimental design. Students are given a problem and required to design a procedure to solve the problem. Problems increase in complexity as the students progress through the courses. (RH)

Discusses aspects of quantitative experimental design to help college science faculty investigate college-level science instruction. (PR)

Describes a simple exercise that can be used to demonstrate the concepts of SI units, experimental design, and significant digits in a manner that holds the attention of students who already understand these concepts but is still valuable for students who are less prepared. (CCM)

Introduces the chicken wing project in which students assess the microbial contamination of chicken wings for the safety of foods. Uses the colony counting technique and direct wash fluid examination for determining the microbial contamination, and investigates methods to reduce the level of microbial contamination. (Contains 14 references.) (YDS)

Introduces an activity in which students design and experiment to determine the mass of a sample of copper without using a balance. Uses water displacement to find the mass of copper. (YDS)