Conclusion
We began this volume with a metaphor about carrying out a research project being like climbing a mountain; research, like climbing, is exciting, can be demanding, and necessitates skills in the use of a range of tools. Some climbers specialize: they only use one set of tools so they are restricted to the kinds of mountains they can comfortably confront. In the same way, researchers can limit the kinds of questions they ask by limiting the scope of research tools they are willing to use.
This volume invites both novice and experienced researchers to consider other means to ask questions of the world, of people, and of social situations beyond what has been comfortable for them. There are many research ‘mountains’ to ascend and both novice and experienced researchers need to have a broad-enough toolkit to allow them to approach a range of challenging peaks with some confidence they can begin to make progress towards their goals. For novice researchers, we hope this volume will give you the confidence that even though you might be nervous as you approach the start of your climb, you are able to find the tools that will help you attain the summit you seek.
Our intention in preparing this book was to showcase a variety of ways faculty members use active learning/teaching strategies to engage students in authentic forms of learning about applied social research. We based the book on the premise that students who have opportunities to test out and experiment with a variety of meaningful research-related activities are better equipped to address the realities of research in applied organizational settings and are more easily enculturated into the role of a professional or academic researcher. Although this book does not address actual student outcomes of engaging in more active forms of applied research preparation, it does clearly elucidate the wide variety of approaches that a relatively small sample of faculty members employ to bridge the gap between ‘learning about’ and actually ‘doing’ applied research in a range of settings.
We have immense pride in being able to share so many insightful ways to engage, motivate, and support applied researchers-in-training. When we reflect on the strategies shared in the preceding chapters, a number of overarching themes emerge that help to find common ground between the various instructional goals, real-world approaches, and applied research contexts shared by the contributors.
First, we have presented a broad array of approaches that, despite their specific research contexts, are highly transferable between different fields and disciplines with the social sciences. Additionally, we were highly impressed with the authors’ application of various creative approaches to actively engage students in learning how to do research that have their roots or genesis in other fields of exploration. Both these observations underscore the value of considering the inherent interdisciplinarity embedded within applied social research that can be further fostered by examining, and potentially applying, a wide variety of robust methods and techniques aimed at enhancing active and authentic learning.
Secondly, the order of the chapters and sections of the book help confirm that active engagement is highly useful throughout the entire research process, from initial formulation of a researchable idea to the action steps that are derived from the dissemination of the findings, conclusions, and recommendations. Although our main intent was to feature articles that are aligned with discrete phases of developing and implementing research projects, readers may find that many of the approaches can be integrated into a series of active learning experiences that extend throughout the planned research project.
Thirdly, the chapters shared in this volume reveal purposeful, outcomes-driven teaching approaches that have been shaped and informed by the relevant literature. Rooted in a clear focus and sound pedagogical principles, the authors provided straightforward descriptions of their activities and ideas, and the various steps to carry them out. This rich and fruitful range of experiences provides readers with useful starting points to shape their own practices as they adopt, adapt, and refine the approaches presented in this book.
Finally, in addition to the strong evidence-based premises employed by our contributors, the majority of the approaches shared by the authors have been refined over time with the benefit of student input and feedback. For many faculty members, this observation reflects the importance of taking the initiative to try out new instructional strategies while closely monitoring student understanding and engagement to enable meaningful refinements to be made. Sharing ongoing enhancements to the instructional activities helps underscore the commitment of our contributing authors to continuously improving their teaching approaches and the potential impact of these practices on their students’ learning experiences.
After reading the contributions to this book, we encourage readers to seek out other helpful sources and ideas. Most importantly, consistent with the OER approach taken in this book, we urge readers to use this book and other resources as they create, revise, reuse and refine their own approaches to promoting students’ active engagement in learning about the applied research process and to share their approaches with others.
References
Nind, M., Holmes, M., Insenga, M., Lewthwaite, S., & Sutton, C. (2020). Student perspectives on learning research methods in the social sciences, Teaching in Higher Education, 25(7), 797-811, https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2019.1592150
