Peer Review

Ancillary Materials for Psychology Research Methods and Data Analysis I

Material Detail page

Reviewed:: Dec 6, 2021 by Psychology

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Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:

This set of ancillary materials is intended to supplement Research Methods in Psychology by Cuttler, Jhangiani, and Leighton, 4th Edition. (https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/75) These materials were created through a Round Twelve Mini-Grant for Ancillary Materials Creation and Revision. Materials include lecture slides, prep sheets, labs, and other activities. The materials are also hosted on Columbus State University's LibGuides at https://columbusstate.libguides.com/c.php?g=991551.

Topics covered: Science of Psychology; Scientific Method; Research Ethics; Psychological Measurement; Experimental, Nonexperimental, and Quasi-Experimental Research; Factorial Designs; Single Subject Research; APA Style; Inferential Statistics.

Type of Material:

Reference Material

Recommended Uses:

These materials are meant to supplement Research Methods in Psychology by Cuttler, Jhangiani, and Leighton, 4th edition. They also can be easily edited to fit with a different text.

The materials are readily useful at both the lower- and upper-levels of psychological and experimental research in the social sciences.

Technical Requirements:

Only a web browser is needed for viewing material on the main site. Two reviewers successfully used Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox.

As this site links out to additional resources, software such as MS PowerPoint, MS Word, and Adobe Reader is necessary to utilize the free ancillary materials offered.

Some videos are presented as link-outs, which require speakers and a video player to view items on YouTube.

Identify Major Learning Goals:

These ancillary materials would assist anyone preparing Research Methods for the first time or looking for new ideas. The presented materials represent an excellent collection of reference information and guidance on the field of psychology research methods.

The materials would be especially helpful to someone considering using the open textbook on which they are based. They also might be the foundation for a general class in research methods, and they could also be useful for reference in more advanced classes.

Target Student Population:

The target audience is faculty; however, students in College Lower Division and College Upper Division also would benefit from reviewing the materials.

Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:

It would be beneficial to have a basic understanding and training in Research Methods along with instruction in higher education to use these materials in the classroom. However, this is not strictly necessary as this material is comprehensive in its coverage of the topic at hand.

Content Quality

Rating:

Strengths:

The PowerPoints, labs, activities & assignments, and additional resources (handouts, videos) each revolve around basic topics that would be taught in any research methods course in psychology.
The breadth and span of resources provided across the 13 chapters of Research Methods are exceptional. The ebook along with supplemental materials are comprehensive, professional, and well researched.

Concerns:

None.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:

Strengths:

While these materials are designed for a specific open textbook, the overlap in materials with what generally is taught in Research Methods means these resources are useful for anyone teaching this course.
This is one of the more well researched libguides that our reviewers have examined across hundreds from around the world. This resource was well thought out and could be applied in a wide variety of contexts. It could readily be implemented in its entirety or as selected elements and resources. The open source text as well as supplemental materials assembled are of exceptional quality.

Concerns:

While some of the material directly references the home institution of the authors, this can be easily edited for any school.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:

Strengths:

Materials directly line up with the chapters on the same topic in the open textbook listed.
The PowerPoints can be downloaded as one .zip file from the Galileo page.
The Columbus State University LibGuide is necessary to download one chapter at a time and to see the prep sheets, labs, activities, and assignments. The LibGuide also includes a direct link to the open textbook.
As Word and PowerPoint files on standard topics in Research Methods, these can all easily be edited.

Concerns:

The initial landing site is not readily navigable. However, the libguide is exceptional: https://columbusstate.libguides.com/c.php?g=991551 Visitors may wish to go directly to the libguide for increased navigability through the resources. This new page allows for navigation of resources by chapter and also includes the ebook for the resource.

Other Issues and Comments:: An excellent resource for faculty teaching psychology research methods.
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