Exploring Students' Conceptions of Research and Inquiry

Exploring Students' Conceptions of Research and Inquiry is a collaborative project with scholars at Indiana University and Lesley University  exploring the way that students' conceptions of research and inquiry shape their experiences in an introductory research methodology course.  The project is currently in its second phase, which involves the collaborative writing of a methodology textbook published in 2021 by SAGE: Making Sense of Social Research Methodology.  Funding for this project has come through a phase I and phase II Indiana University SoTL Grant.

Publications:

• Zhao, P. K. Ross, P. Li & B.K. Dennis. (2021). Making Sense of Social Research Methodology: A Student and Practitioner Oriented Approach. SAGE. 

• Li, P., K. Ross, P. Zhao & B.K. Dennis. (2017). “Critical Action Research: How do Graduate Students in an Introductory Research Class Conceptualize ‘Research’?” In SAGE Research Methods Cases. 

• Ross, K., B.K. Dennis, P. Zhao & P. Li. (2017). “Exploring Graduate Students’ Conceptions of Research: Links Between Identity and Research Conceptions.” International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education29(1): 73-86. 

• Zhao, P., P. Li, K. Ross & B. Dennis. (2016).“Methodological Tool or Methodology? Beyond Instrumentality  and Efficiency with Qualitative Data Analysis Software.” Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 17(2):   Article 16.  

Following the publication of our textbook, we were asked to be mentors-in-residence at MethodSpace for the month of February, 2021.  Here are our posts:

• Collaborative Thinking and Writing About Methodology 

• Transcending an Essentialized Qualitative/Quantitative Divide When Making Methodological Choices 

• A Research Conversation: New Thinking About Research Design 

• Figuring Out What to Do: Making Methodological Decisions Across Our Practices 

• Teaching Research Design Through the Lens of Critical Praxis