Record Details

Postgraduate students learning about research

Social Work and Social Sciences Review

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Field Value
 
Title Postgraduate students learning about research
 
Creator Bell, Linda
Clancy, Carmel
 
Subject postgraduates;measuring attitudes to research;research methods teaching;quantitative methods;social work students;mental health students
 
Description Initial findings from a pedagogic initiative and research project show how two cohorts comprising 105 postgraduates undertaking social work or mental health educational programmes responded to learning about research methods in one UK university. Few studies have looked specifically at postgraduate students’ attitudes towards research / research methods. Previous research suggests students may express anxiety when learning about research, particularly quantitative methods. Using an existing validated rating scale with 5 subscales (Papanastasiou, 2005), we explored students’ attitudes before and after taking a research module and possible significance of gender, professional group and being college or employment based. Project data was used by students to complete a quantitative module assignment. Results showed these students had a ‘positive’ attitude towards research pre-module; this was generally maintained but did not increase post-module. Students were rated as having overall research ‘anxiety’ pre-module; this lessened post-module although the change was not statistically significant. A significant change (decrease) in ‘usefulness to career’ subscale was recorded post-module. We consider factors that could have impacted on these research findings such as reduced follow up sample sizes, but report how combining a pedagogic initiative with a research project offers opportunities to explore this complex area, with positive outcomes for student learning.
 
Publisher Whiting & Birch Ltd
 
Date 2013-05-29
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
Peer-reviewed Article
 
Format application/pdf
text/html
 
Identifier https://journals.whitingbirch.net/index.php/SWSSR/article/view/533
10.1921/swssr.v16i2.533
 
Source Social Work and Social Sciences Review; Vol 16, No 2: Number 2 / 2013; 37-50
1746-6105
0953-5225
 
Language eng
 
Relation https://journals.whitingbirch.net/index.php/SWSSR/article/view/533/573
https://journals.whitingbirch.net/index.php/SWSSR/article/view/533/574
 
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