Teaching Research Methods to Undergraduate Psychology Students Using an Active Cooperative Learning Approach

Many undergraduate degree programs require students to develop a basic understanding of research methodology. Unfortunately, methods courses are typically unpopular with students because the course material is complex and technical in nature. Consequently, some instructors supplement traditional lecture-text classes with active learning experiences such as a student-developed research project. This paper describes a research methods course in the social sciences (psychology) based solely on multiple student-developed research projects. The paper highlights the strengths and weaknesses of this non-traditional approach to teaching research methods.