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The Inquiry’s the Thing: Teaching Quantitative Research Without Teaching Statistical Software

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The Palgrave Handbook of Political Research Pedagogy

Part of the book series: Political Pedagogies ((PP))

Abstract

Social scientific research is an engaging and important endeavor and one that many of us want to share with our students. Yet many students shy away from quantitative research, thinking it is beyond them. I argue that the key to teaching research design and methods is to give students the opportunity to complete research themselves. However, statistical software can make research seem more distant and unapproachable. In this chapter, I discuss how my strategy for teaching undergraduate research evolved from emphasis on methodology to an emphasis on the research process. I then discuss how I have used online analysis tools to allow students to develop and complete their own research projects and what I have learned in the process.

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Correspondence to Debra Leiter .

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Leiter, D. (2021). The Inquiry’s the Thing: Teaching Quantitative Research Without Teaching Statistical Software. In: Mallinson, D.J., Marin Hellwege, J., Loepp, E.D. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Political Research Pedagogy. Political Pedagogies. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-76955-0_16

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