Entry level psychology students conceptualisation of research: an analysis using the Research Skill

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Entry level psychology students
conceptualisation of research an analysis using
the Research Skill Development Framework

• Judi Homewood1 , John Willison2,
• Niree Kraushaar1, Julia Irwin1 and Nasreen Yasin1
• 1Department of Psychology, Macquarie University,
  2109 Sydney Australia
• 2 Centre for Learning and Professional
  Development, University of Adelaide, Adelaide
  5055 Australia

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• Undergraduate education now explicitly addresses
  graduate capabilities as well as
  discipline-specific skill and knowledge
• A common theme in graduate capabilities
  statements is knowledge and imagination,
  graduates should be able to know now to acquire
  knowledge for personal development or for career
  opportunities, and to be able to use critical
  thinking and imagination to solve problems
• To raise new questions, new possibilities, to
  regard old problems from a new angle, requires
  creative imagination and marks real advance in
  science quote attributed to Einstein

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• The Boyer Commission (on undergraduate education
  in the US, published in 1998) reports urged that
  academics should break out the tired old debate
  of teaching vs research
• Why does every University have to offer all
  things to all people. Why does every University,
  thirty-eight of them, why do they all have to be
  doing research, teaching and scholarship and
  struggling to do it in so many areas? Why can't
  we have Universities that make a conscious
  decision to specialise in outstanding teaching
  and scholarship but do very little research?
• Dr Brendan Nelson, then Minister for Education
  and now Leader of the Opposition, in a speech to
  the National Press Club Tuesday 8 March, 2005

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• The first recommendation of the Boyer report was
  to make research-based learning the standard
  such that every course in the undergraduate
  curriculum should provide an opportunity for a
  student to succeed through discovery- based
  methods
• Boyer Commission on Educating Undergraduates
  (1998) Reinventing Undergraduate Education a
  Blueprint for Americas Research Universities
  p17

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What do students think research is ?

• Anecdotal evidence suggests that many
  institutions survey their students asking about
  awareness of research activities (grants,
  seminars, publications) and asking directly
  what do you think research is
• Robertson and Blacker (2006) reported strong
  differences between undergraduates in Physics and
  English in the way they described research and
  their perceived connections.
• Physics students saw research as something
  others do, the province of an elite, and We the
  students dont have the skills or the knowledge
  to understand what they are saying
• students in English position research
  differently I feel that, even though I am a
  first semester studentthat I am working along
  side peopleas though we are all discovering
  something and that they the lecturers are just
  doing it at a different level

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The six facets in Willison and OKeefes (2007)
Research Skill Development Framework

• A. Students embark on an enquiry and so determine
  the need for understanding
• B. Students find/generate needed information/data
  using appropriate methodology
• Students critically evaluate information/data and
  the process used to find/generate the
  information/data
• Students organise the information
  collected/generated
• Students synthesise and analyse new knowledge
• Students communicate knowledge and understanding
  and the processes used to generate them.

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• The RSDF also has a continuum related to the
  degree of unknowness of the topic under
  research and the extent of student autonomy in
  the research activity.

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Participants

• Participants were 541 students who attended the
  initial tutorial for the first psychology subject
  at Macquarie University (Sydney, Australia)
• For 85, this was the beginning of their
  university studies
• Completed a questionnaire asking about perceived
  potential barriers to university success and were
  asked what do you think research is ?

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Responding by Facet
4
10
35
43
10
Unclassifiable

• The study of matter either living or not
• It is very hard
• Doing a search again for whatever youve lost

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• A noble attempt to see what is affecting the
  youth of Australia and more importantly a thinly
  veiled attempt to garner my autograph on the
  permission form. Nice try guys, just dont put in
  on e-Bay
• Copying one person's work is plagiarism, copying
  lots of peoples work is research

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Responding by Facet
4
10
35
43
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What is research Facet A (Embarking on enquiry)
3
18
78
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Examples of Facet A embarking on enquiry
responses

• A method by which a researcher aims to discover
  more about a predetermined idea/concept
• Projects designed to prove or disprove a theory
• Preparation for assignments, discovery of facts

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Facet B 43 note the need to generate
information or data
30
66
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Examples of facet B

• Gathering data
• Gathering information from different varied
  sources
• Research is looking for primary and secondary
  resources to assist in answering questions
• Reading academic articles and journals, looking
  at websites and books to gain further information
  on a topic

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Facet C critically evaluate data or processes
used to collect it , mentioned by 2
13
17
70
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Facet C critically evaluate the data/information
or the processes used to collect it was
mentioned by only 2 of respondents

• Reading, listening, analysing material,
  comparing it to different sources and seeing how
  it relates to the question being posed
•   The gathering of information in large
  portions before breaking it down into only
  significantly relevant material. Judging the
  worthiness of source etc before applying the
  information

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Facet E 10 of participants recognised the
need to synthesise or analyse the information/data

• Sifting through various forms of information to
  extract relevant and well constructed information
  and opinions. This then helps you construct your
  own arguments and opinions
• research is searching and finding different
  aspects of a topic and draw the conclusions. It
  needs critical thinking and problem solving as
  well

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Facet F Students communicate knowledge and
understanding and the processes used to generate
them

• 4 of the respondents mentioned the need to
  communicate their findings to an audience of some
  type.
• Collecting data/info to collate and present

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Facet F Students communicate knowledge and
understanding and the processes used to generate
them

• Interpreting and understanding information from
  a variety of sources to use in an essay
• Investigating and exploring a topic (preferably
  of interest) and being able to identify and
  report a conclusion of that topic or a
  need/desire for further investigation

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Facet F Students communicate knowledge and
understanding and the processes used to generate
them

• Research is the investigation of different
  resources in different forms (TV, computer,
  books, journals, recording etc.) that is put
  together and assessed to come up with the right
  and appropriate facts and allow the person to
  answer their question/discuss their topic with
  excellent knowledge of their topic and also come
  up with their own ideas

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Entry level psychology students and research

• Our entry level students know that knowledge is
  constructed few (10) recognise that knowledge
  is contestable (Facet C and Facet E)
  surprisingly few (4) noted the need to
  communicate knowledge
• The few responses at the higher orders of the
  facets suggest that most seem to think that
  knowledge is created by others
• No one mentioned ethics

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Entry level psychology students and research

• References
• Boyer Commission on Educating Undergraduates
  (1998) Reinventing Undergraduate Education a
  Blueprint for Americas Research Universities
• downloaded from http//naples.cc.sunysb.edu/Pres/b
  oyer.nsf 21 June 2008
• Robertson, J and Blacker, G (2006) Students
  experiences of learning in a research
  environment. Higher Education Research
  Development 25(3) 215-229
• Willison, J and OReagan, K (2007) Commonly
  known, commonly not known, totally unknown a
  framework for students becoming researchers.
  Higher Education Research Development 26(4)
  393-409

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• We can use the responses to tap in to the
  language that students use to describe research
• New third year level research methods unit based
  on enquiry-learning model where students design a
  project, collect the data and write up the report
• Plans to make ethics proposal an assessment task
• To raise new questions, new possibilities, to
  regard old problems from a new angle, requires
  creative imagination and marks real advance in
  science quote attributed to Einstein

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• Thank you for attending !