The Dilemma of Teaching Political Science Research Methods: How Much Computers?

How
Much Statistics? How Much Methods?
Author(s): Pamela H. Rodgers and Cecilia Manrique
Source: PS: Political Science and Politics, Vol. 25, No. 2 (Jun., 1992), pp. 234-237
Published by: American Political Science Association
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/419716 .
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References

associateprofessor
andchairofthe
of politdepartment
ical scienceat LeMoyneCollege.He is
chairof the
former
boardof directors
of
Educators
forSocial
His
Responsibility.
majorareaof studyis
electoral
behavior.

Freire,Paulo. 1970.Pedagogyof the

NewYork:Continuum.
Oppressed.
Rogers,CarlK. 1969.FreedomtoLearn.
OH: CharlesE. Merrill.
Columbus,

The Dilemma of Teaching Political Science

Research Methods: How Much Computers?
How Much Statistics? How Much Methods?
PamelaH. Rodgers,University
Crosse
of Wisconsin-La
Crosse
Wisconsin-La
CeciliaManrique,University
of

One of thegoalsofmanyhigher
withpolitical
institutions
education
has beento incorscienceprograms
politicalanalysis
poratequantitative
as a resultofthe
inthecurriculum
and empirical
focuson quantification
in thediscipline.
methods
research
in political
and students
Professors
withthe
sciencehavehadto struggle
howmuch
of determining
dilemma
instrucandcomputer
quantification
tionshouldtakeplace.One ofthe
of
waswhatportion
issuesinvolved
coursesshouldbe
methods
research
Teachers
devotedto quantification.
hadto
hadto teach,and students
in additionto subject
learn,statistics
matter.
is evengreater
Today,thedilemma
withtheadventof computing.
facea threeTeachersand students
howmuchcontent,
foldproblem:
andhowmuch
howmuchstatistics,
to teachandlearnto
computing
for
makesucha courseworthwhile
bothconstituents.

highschoolas wellas fromparental

guidance(Manrique1990).
willhavea minimal
Somestudents
obtainedfrom
background
computer
technoIn a worldofgrowing
school
or
introductory
college
high
in
the
students
logicalknowledge,
This
literacy
requirements.
computer
arebeingforcedinto
socialsciences
willneedto
knowledge
preliminary
worldwiththeinthecomputer
be supplemented
to guidethem
data
creaseduseofwordprocessing,
the
statistical
use
of
packthrough
media.
and
electronic
on-line
bases,
literacy
agesbecausemostcomputer
Politicalsciencehas seenmore
of basic
to analyze coursesignoretheteaching
forstudents
opportunities
introCourses
at
the
tools.
statistical
rawdataintheareasofAmerican
are
level
traditionally
geared
ductory
and
and Comparative
Government
towards
(whata combackground
International
Politics.Despitethis,
puteris, whatitdoes,howitworks),
cana faculty
howmuchknowledge
andbusiness
history,
computing
The
assumeofthestudent?
member
in
word
processing,
applications
whodecidesto incorporate
teacher
bases.
and
data
spreadsheets,
in
and
statistical
packages
computers
would
A thirdgroupof students
a research
methods
coursewillhave
at
had
no
have
background
computer
levelsat which
different
to recognize
methods
all.
The
research
faculty
willcomeintothecourse.
students
willhave
cannotassumethatstudents
Therewillbe thosewhoalready
for
tackthe
background
necessary
havea strong
background.
computer
lingthecoursework.A goodteachnowcomingintocollege
Students
wouldbe to allowthe
ingstrategy
with
havehad a greater
experience
their
to mentor
skilled
more
students
and
school
from
computers grade

How MuchComputers?

PS: PoliticalScience& Politics

234

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How Much Computers?

fellowstudentswho are at a lower

skilllevel.
A facultymemberwho incorporatescomputerswillneed to be
prepared,and not relegatecomputing
to an outsidereadingor one assignmentor extracreditpoints.Computerworkneedsto be an integral
partof the syllabus,gradedand
acknowledgedas an essentialaspect
of "scientific"learning.The "Introductionto ResearchMethods"
coursebecomesa strongercritical
thinkingand reasoningcoursewhen
computerapplicationsallow students
to developand testhypotheses.
forstudentsto
It is frustrating
have a teacherwho does not make
an attemptto learnabout the computerand sendsstudentsoffto the
computercenterseekinghelp from
"gurus" there.Thereis morehope
fora facultymemberwho triesto
"plod along" withthe studentsfor
the firsttimeand helpsthemwork
out the bugs in an assignment.Even
exercisesand assignthe best-planned
mentscan runintoproblemsupon
Tackingon comimplementation.
withoutcareful
puterassignments
to the computer
studentintroduction
and thoughtful
preparationcan lead
on the partof
to immensefrustration
studentand teacher.Many timesan
instructor
relegatesthe computer
to the end of thesemester
assignment
whenstudentsare not as open to
absorbingnew material.Careful
are
planningand facultyaccessibility
essentialto buildingsuccessfulpolitical and social sciencecoursesthat
incorporatecomputing.
One of the major decisionsa facultymembermustmake is how much
of the courseshouldbe dedicatedto
Thereis no
computerinstruction.
hard and fastrule. The main idea is
to reinforcestudentsuccessin using
the computer.The focusshouldbe
the computerportion
on integrating
the semester's
of learningthroughout
coursework.This can be achievedby
a briefimmersionwithcomputersat
thebeginningof the coursewith
and build
to reinforce,
assignments
the
on, thatknowledgethroughout
semester.It can also be achievedby
a seriesof weeklycomputerhands-on
throughexperiencesand assignments
out the period.Whicheverpath is
to onechosen,a good one-fourth
thirdof the coursemay end up

devotedto some kindof computer

use instruction.
Anotherdecisionis whetherto use
existingdata setsor to developnew
data setsforthe course. Students
may collectand analyzeraw data
fromself-madesurveys,but faculty
can findthemselvesconstrainedby
thetimefactorand the oftensmall
size of the sample. The ease of using
data setsthatcome withan existing
text,i.e., GSS84 data (Norusis)or
the SETUPS,' mustbe weighed
generatedby
againsttheexcitement
studentsusingdata thatcome closer
to issuesof importancein theirdayto-daylives.
Decisionsby the facultymember
willalso need to be made regarding
thecomputersystemand package to
use. Veryoftenthe systemis determinedby whatis availablein student
labs. For the mostpartthe faculty
memberwillhave to make a choice
betweenmainframeand personal
computersforstudentsto workwith.
Operatingin thesetwo environments
and it can be
can be verydifferent,
difficult
to make the transitionfrom
one to the other.The computer
experiencegainedby the studentin
such a coursecan be valuable since
theworkplace or graduateschool
would have eitherone or both systems.On theassumptionthatthe
coursehelpspreparestudentsfor
graduateschool or forworkwith
the computer
researchinstitutions,
backgroundcertainlybecomesa
major factorin careersuccess.An
importantissue to keep in mindthen
is to teach studentsenoughso that
theycan adapt whatevertheyhave
learnedto a new situation.
Afterthe facultymemberstruggles
withall of thesedecisions,a healthy
needsto be developed
relationship
withacademiccomputingpersonnel
on campus. We do not advocate
heavyrelianceupon academiccomputingpersonnel.Computingpersonnel oftenface a dilemmawithregard
to how muchhelp to give. A lot of
forthe
help meansdoingeverything
studentand faculty,includingdoing
the analysisand suggesting
the statistical methodsto use. In thissituation,everyoneloses. The computing
personnelfeellittleself-fulfillment
fromcompletingsomeoneelse's
tasks. At the same time,the student
does not learnanythingwhileheavily

relyingon the expertiseof computing

personnel.The facultymemberdoes
not educatethe studentand becomes
burdenedwiththe knowledgethathe
or she has releasedan ignorant,or
studentintothe work
ill-prepared,
place.
Requiringa littlehelp fromcomputingpersonnelis a betteridea with
thedevelopmentof the projectleftto
the facultymemberand studentto
workout. Afterall, teacherand studentwould knowthe contentof their
subjectbetterthanthe computing
staffmember.The computingpersonnelcan facilitatethe projectby
supplementary
trainingand information on how the statisticalpackage
workson the available computersystem. Minimumhelp in data entry
and commandfilecreationcan be
provided,especiallywhenit comes to
debuggingsystemerrors,but faculty
membersshouldalso committime
and effortto thisas partof their
learningexperience.The choiceof
package and statisticalmethodmust
be mutuallyagreedupon by faculty
and students.
In termsof usingprepareddata
setsin place of creatingnew data
sets,such as usingthe GSS84 survey
includedin the Norusistextagainst
makingstudentsundertaketheirown
is to
survey,our recommendation
take advantageof bothoptions.Facexerultycan use textbook-prepared
cises as well as allow studentsto
completehands-onresearchprojects.
One semesterthe latterinvolveda
phone survey,data analysis,and
reportwritingfora local newspaper.
Anothersemesterwe assigneda project analyzinga studentsurveyof
computerfacilitieson campusand
writinga reportto the Directorof
AcademicComputing.Allowingstudentsto make use of surveyswithin
theinstitution
and evaluatingsuch
surveysmakesresearchmethodsa
moremeaningfulexperience.
One major objectiveof incorporating computingin a politicalscience
courseis to getthe studentsexcited
about researchpossibilities,data
analysis,and hypothesis
testingusing
the computer.Anotherimportant
objectiveis to providestudentswith
the necessarycompetenceto be flexible in variouscomputingenvironments.A hands-oncomputerorientedresearchmethodscoursecan
235

June1992

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TheTeacher
give studentsconfidenceto undertake
theirown researchprojectsand
enoughsenseto knowwhereto go
forhelp withproblemssuch as the
setcomputercenterin a university
tingor a data processinggroupin an
institutional
setting.

understandthe theoretical
concepts
theylearnedin theirbasic statistics
class because theyare usingreal-life
situations.
We have all heardhorrorstoriesof
studentswho approachcomputing
personnelwiththe problem:"My
instructor
gave us thisdata. We are
to
supposed analyzeit. What am I
supposedto do?" Once again, comHow Much Statistics?
putingpersonnelget caughtin the
dilemmaof how muchhelp should
A teacherin a researchmethods
be givento the student.Many small
how much
coursemustdetermine
do not have
statisticsshouldbe incorporated.
collegesand universities
the personneland resourcesto devote
Statisticsis not a generaleducation
to full-time
statisticalconsulting.
in manyinstitutions,
and
requirement
thecoursecould be the firstand only
Therefore,researchmethodscourses
have littlealternative
but to evolve
introduction
to statisticsand cominto solid coursefoundationsthat
putersthata studentwillreceive.It,
willallow studentsto use computers
is a challengeto make it a
therefore,
in theiranalysisof
interesting,
nonthreatening and statistics
satisfying,
and economicdata.
all
We
have
had
students
social,
political,
experience.
who confessthatthey"were born
withoutthemathgene" and who
How Much
gravitatedto thesocial sciencesto
avoid exercising
quantitativeskills.In
ResearchMethodsContent?
recentyears,however,morecamand
Whileresearchmethodsconcepts
puses are requiringstatistics,
researchmethodscourseshave had
anchorthecourse,computingand
thesame mixof studentswithno
statisticalapplicationsbringthese
preparation,littlepreparation,or a
conceptsto life.It is possibleto use
lot of backgroundin statisticsas we
computersand statisticsas instruhave withstudentcomputingskills.
mentsforexpandingthe scope of
The questionof how muchtime
studentlearningwithoutsacrificing
shouldbe spentin brushingup on
thecontentsof researchmethods.
statisticsbecomesa crucialpoint.
Computerscertainlyhelp alleviatethe
in coursecontent
Some trade-off
of number-crunching.
drudgery
sometimeshas to take place. IntroStatisticalanalysishelpsbringdata
into meaningful
ducingconceptsof operationalizaperspective.But it is
the
stillresearchmethodscontentthat
tion,levelsof measurement,
basics of crosstabulations,
dependent bringsmeaningto empiricalwork.
and independentvariablesdoes not
We proposeintegrating
computer
leave muchroom and timeformulti- and statisticsassignments
throughout
variateregression,
timeseriesand
thesemesterwithappropriateretrendanalysis,etc. Experiencehas
searchmethodscontent.Since most
researchmethodscoursestacklethe
shownthatundergraduate
students
do not necessarily
have to runevery
conceptsof conceptualization,
operastatisticalmeasureavailablein the
tionalization,and measurement
early
books. The sacrificein statistical
in the semester,it becomesrelatively
contentcan be well worththeeffort
easy to make use of computingand
if in thelong runthe studentsare
statisticaltools along withthemore
traditionalresearchmethods
able to synthesize
theinterrelationshipsamongresearchmethodsconapproach.
and computing,and
It is also appropriateto tie teachcepts,statistics,
how theseall worktogether.
ing of computersand statisticsto the
Some studentsmayviewdevoting
traditionalsurvey,experimental,
and
one-thirdto one-fourth
of the course
unobtrusive
researchdesignsthat
constitute
the core of a research
contentto statisticsas gettinginto
muchmorestatistics
thantheybarmethodscourse. Studentsgraspcongainedfor. Some mayviewdedicatceptsbetterwhentheycan directly
ing thistimeperiodto statisticsas an
applydesign,coding,sampling,and
statisticalmethodsconceptsto conexperience.Theynow
eye-opening

cretetasks. Becominginvolvedin
theirown researchdesign,students
learnfromthe beginningthatit is
crucialto a studyto formulatea
hypothesisand to testit. When
studesigningthesurveyinstrument,
dentsfocuson questionorderand
clarity;on codingissues,and on
of the levelof
appropriateness
measurement
theychoose to use.
the
Theywill also need to identify
variousstatisticalmethodsthey
would need to choose in orderto
analyzethe data theywould collect.
Studentappreciationforwhatthey
learncomes in the formof reactions
such as "I wishI had learnedthis
before.I could have used it fora
sociology,psychology,or economics
studythatI was assignedto do."
The studentthenrealizesthe interdisciplinary
implicationsand moves
away fromthe compartmentalization
of learning.

Conclusion
It is no longeradequate to teach
researchmethods
undergraduate
devoid of an understanding
of the
role playedby computersand statistics. It is our contentionthatstudents
benefitmorewhencomputingand
statisticsare an integralpartof a
researchmethodscourse.

Note
1. In Americanpoliticsand public policy
the SETUPS wereintroducedforgeneral
class use in 1975 and have been distributedby
the AmericanPolitical Science Association
and used widelyin collegesand universities
throughoutthe United States.

References
Daniel, Christopher.1990. "Political Science
as Trainingforthe InformationAge."
The Political Science Teacher,Fall.
Manrique, Cecilia G. 1990. "Walk Hand in
Hand WithMe: Centeringon Effortsat
Internationalizing,
Writingand Computing Across the Curriculum."Proceedings
of theA CM SIGUCCS User Services
ConferenceXVIII, October. Presentssurveydata of Universityof Wisconsin-La
Crosse students.
Manrique, Cecilia G. 1991. "Establishing
MicrocomputerStandards." Proceedings
of the24thAnnual Small Colleges ComputingSymposium,Morris,MN, April.
Norusis,Marija J. 1991. The SPSS Guide to

236

PS: Political Science & Politics

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All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

How Much Computers?

Data Analysisor SPSS/PC+ Studentware.Chicago:SPSS, Inc.

AbouttheAuthors
PamelaH. Rodgers
PamelaH.
Rodgersis an associateprofessor
teaching
political
scienceandpublic
administration
coursesat theUniof Wisconversity
sin-LaCrosse.Her
research
interests
research
includeundergraduate
prosurvey
theinitiative
jectson citizenparticipation,
and stateandlocalgovernandreferendum,
intheNSFmentissues.Sheparticipated
inAmerican
Instruction
funded
Quantitative
SocietyProgram
(QIAS) in 1990.

CeciliaG. Manrique
CeciliaG. Manprorique,assistant
fessorof political
science,University
of Wisconsin-La
Crosse,hasbeen
withsevaffiliated
in
eralinstitutions
boththefieldsof
and
computing
politicalscience.Twoyearspriorto joining
she
UWL's politicalsciencedepartment,
with
workedas a userservices
specialist
Services.
UWL's AcademicComputing

THE PACIFIC CENTURY

New Video and Print Resources forTeaching Asia

byAlexGibney
Producerof THE PACIFIC CENTURY
Executive
on PBS inthefallof 1992,triesto gaze
seriespremiering
television
ten-hour
THE PACIFIC CENTURY,a ten-part,
at
the
intothefuture
past.
bylooking
while
of an exoticandinscrutable
orient,
In THE PACIFIC CENTURYwe wantedto upsetAmerican
stereotypes
we
As
Rim.
of
the
Pacific
the
nations
and
States
theUnited
such,
between
connections
thestrong
manifest
making
to providecomparaandculture,
seriesthatwouldmixpolitics,
economics,
a multidisciplinary
serving
history,
designed
oftheseries
theintellectual
solidarity
and economic
aboutcontemporary
tiveperspectives
Undergirding
systems.
political
whoservedas ouracademicadvisorsand
and regional
scholarsfromdiverse
is a groupof eminent
specialties
disciplines
150yearsofAsia-Pacific
history.
guidesthrough
themodern
to understand
natural.Foritis impossible
sucha blendshouldseemperfectly
To a politicalscientist
inthefirst
ofthepast150years.Forexample,
in theregional
program,
a grounding
Asia-Pacific
history
regionwithout
ofthe
and self-sufficiency
theinsularity
tension
in Chinabetween
"The Two Coastsof China,"we lookat thehistorical
In
other
China
still
dominates
that
is
a
tension
It
coast.
of
the
programs
character
today.
andthecosmopolitan
interior
to
in response
of strong
nationalmovements
we showtheemergence
andVietnam,
withJapan,Indonesia,
concerned
ofAsiatoday.
economies
ofthepolitical
character
whichstillcolorthenationalistic
colonialism
western
between
of convenience
themarriage
Asia (orEurope)without
One cannotunderstand
understanding
contemporary
who
of
Asia
from
an
to
rescue
series
we
argued
In
with
this
analysts
interpretation
sought
politicsand economics. effect,
we didnotlookto "culture";
inAsiawere"justlikeus." Butin highlighting
societies
differences,
thatthecapitalist
on "cultural"
We triedto shyawayfroman over-reliance
in politicalsystems.
we soughtto explaindifferences
rather
economic
tendto use "culture"to explainawayhigh-speed
growth
becausewe believethatmanyAmericans
distinctions
behavior
of sociallytransmitted
sense-thetotality
in itswidestandtruest
history,
in Asia. At thesametime,culture
triedto
wehavesimply
We havenottriedto ignorecultural
institutions-is
differences;
important.
arts,beliefs,
pattern,
context.
andhistorical
setthemin a broaderpolitical
thatpriorserieson
We believed
wehavetriedto lookat Asia froma regional
Mostimportantly,
perspective.
we feltitwas
economics
and
communications
In
an
era
of
been
too
atomized.
had
countries
individual
global
rapid
and
an
interrelated
as
Pacific
the
see
to
to
interdependent
region.
important try
their
thesenseof howthePacifichas penetrated
students
Thisregional
approachwouldbringhometo American
in and
1989
demonstrations
the
of
television
intheU.S. to round-the-clock
factories
coverage
dailylives-fromJapanese
the
of
a
awareness
students
would
this
that
also
believed
We
heightened
aroundTienanmen
give
approach
Square.
fromHongKong,Taiwan,SouthKorea,and Southeast
of theUnitedStates,as immigrants
character
Asian-Pacific
Asia pourintoourmajorcities.
Continuedon page 280
237

June1992

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