The power of collaboration: Reflections on a collaborative approach to teaching research methods in public administration
| Published date | 01 July 2020 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0144739419875177 |
| Author | EK Sarter |
| Date | 01 July 2020 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Article
Teaching Public Administration
The power of collaboration:
2020, Vol. 38(2) 101–112
ª The Author(s) 2019
Reflections on a
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DOI: 10.1177/0144739419875177
collaborative approach to
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teaching research methods
in public administration
EK Sarter
University of South Wales, UK
Abstract
The ability to engage with empirical research in a meaningful way is a vital skill for public
administration (PA) students and graduates. Yet, while research methods are essential
skills for PA students, it is widely acknowledged that teaching research methods in the
context of social science programmes and PA in particular faces challenges. To address
these challenges, namely negative perceptions of research methods in combination with
misconceptions about the value of methodological knowledge and skills and the resulting
lack of engagement, different approaches have been put forth. These comprise stronger
links between the course content and research methods as well as the integration of
hands-on experiences. This article presents a reflective analysis of a collaborative
approach, which integrates hands-on experience while highlighting the value of metho-
dological skills and knowledge for public sector organisations and linking research
methods to students’ future careers.
Keywords
Research methods, public administration, teaching, student-centred
Introduction
The ability to engage with empirical research is an essential skill, not only but also for
public administration (PA) graduates. While research methods are a vital part of PA
programmes, teaching research methods faces specific challenges, from ‘negative per-
ceptions’ (Gunn, 2017a: 244) of research methods ‘as a dry and difficult subject’
Corresponding author:
EK Sarter, University of South Wales, LLantwit Road, Pontypridd, CF37 1DL, UK.
Email: Katharina.sarter@southwales.ac.uk; Telephone: (01443) 4 82303
102
Teaching Public Administration 38(2)
(Leston-Bandeira, 2013: 215), to misconception of the value of methodological skills
and knowledge and a lack of engagement and poor learning outcomes (Clark and Foster,
2017: 261). Against this background, closer entanglement with the course content as well
as the integration of hands-on experiences have been suggested to highlight the value of
methodological skills and knowledge and to improve student engagement (Elton, 2001;
Graffam, 2007; Gunn, 2017b; Healey, 2005; Leston-Bandeira, 2013; Parker, 2011;
Payne, 2011; Spronken-Smith and Walker, 2010).
Taking account of these insights, this article presents a reflection on a specific project
that aims to highlight the value of methodological skills for future careers in public
services and PA. This article proceeds as follows. It first outlines the importance of
methodological skills for PA students, the challenges that teaching research methods in
social science programmes pose, and approaches that have been suggested to improve
engagement and learning outcomes. It then turns to outline a specific project. Against the
background that one of the prime concerns was that students in the specific programme
did not see the value of methodological skills for their future careers, this project aimed
first, to give students the opportunity to gain practical hands-on experiences and second
to highlight the value of methodological skills for their future careers. To provide stu-
dents with a practical experience of the value of methodological skills for graduate
employment in the public sector, it aimed to highlight the contribution of good meth-
odological skills and research to further the development of public sector organisations
and public services. To achieve this, the project was based on a collaboration with an
external partner organisation from the public sector. In the course of the project, students
undertook a research project that aimed to evaluate and assess the services and identify
areas of improvement – the results were then presented to the partner organisation and
one of its main stakeholders, the local authority. The conclusion summarises the main
findings.
Teaching research methods in social science programmes
Numerical skills as well as the ability to engage with quantitative research in different
ways are essential for PA students. Research methods, and particularly competencies in
quantitative methods, are important not only for student learning but also for graduate
employability (Gunn, 2017a: 244). Albeit most students may not envision a future as
researchers, as future professionals in PA, they will likely be required to engage with
research in multifaceted ways as they may be expected ‘to formulate relevant knowledge
needs, to commission research, to evaluate research, and interpret its results’ (van de
Meer and Marks, 2016: 111). It thus comes as no surprise that graduates themselves have
reported the value of skills in empirical social science research methods (Adeney and
Carey, 2011: 85).
Research skills increase their employability and contribute to making students ‘more
marketable and valuable as employees’ (Adeney and Carey, 2011: 85) in the academic as
well as the public and the third sector. To acquire the ability and the knowledge that is
necessary to engage with research as a PA practitioner, students need to acquire
‘methodological knowledge and reflection as well as practical experience with research
Sarter
103
methods and techniques’ (van de Meer and Marks, 2016: 111). With methods skills
‘bolstering core competencies and student marketability’ (Naylor et al., 2014: 68),
empirical research methods are an essential part of social science and PA programmes
(Foster and Gunn, 2017: 237). Thereby, undergraduate programmes have been high-
lighted as ‘the pivotal stage for enhancing quantitative skills’ (Payne and Williams,
2011: 1) and it has been argued that research experiences should be integrated from an
early stage, preferably the first year, on (Jenkins and Healey, 2012).
The challenge of teaching research methods
Yet, while research methods are important, teaching research methods in the context of
social science programmes faces specific challenges. Most students do not have a
genuine interest in research methods. In addition to a lack of genuine interest in methods,
‘negative perceptions’ (Gunn, 2017a: 244) of research methods, which are ‘often seen as
a dry and difficult subject’ (Leston-Bandeira, 2013: 215) are prevalent among students,
leading to a lack of engagement and poor learning outcomes (Clark and Foster, 2017:
261). This is further reinforced by the fact that, unlike for modules that are strongly
linked to the core of the subject matter, the value of studying research methods and their
connection to other parts of the programme as well as for employability is often not
obvious to students. More specifically, it has been argued that students may not realise
why research methods are part of their studies and how studying research methods is
connected not only to the rest of their studies (Clark and Foster, 2017: 261; Earley, 2014)
but also, one might add, to their future careers. The missing awareness of the importance
of research methods among students has been connected to the fact that research methods
are commonly designed as standalone modules (Payne, 2011: 10). As a result, ‘students
often feel alienated by the lack of clear connections between methods and the subject
knowledge they encounter in the rest of their degree’ (Gunn, 2017b: 305). This can pose
a hindrance to students’ perception of the value of methods training (Payne, 2011: 10)
and contribute to (or reinforce) a (pre-existing) lack of motivation, engagement, and
interest, which in turn affects learning outcomes and student experience (Gunn, 2017a:
244). Taken together, a lack of genuine interest in research methods, a...
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