Seminar November 7, 2007

Structuring Research Opportunities in the Large Lecture Hall

Jeannette Haviland-Jones, Ph. D.Psychology

Pretest: early and late puberty

• What is age of puberty for girls?

• What was the age of puberty for girls in N. America/Europe in the 19th century?

• Are early maturing males better in being happier, more intelligent or less delinquent than late maturing males?

• Are early maturing females better in being happier, more intelligent or less delinquent than late maturing females?

10; 12; 14;16;18

•10;12;14;16;18

Early is better; later is better; no difference

Early is better; later is better; no difference

Teaching Science Scientifically

• The goal of the teaching is have the student evolve to become someone who has some knowledge to someone who judges some knowledge to someone who owns and creates some knowledge

• Consider the developmental process

Lecture happens. Text reading happens. Questions are answered. New resources are

found. Current events are discussed.

• Tasks are added

• Learning becomes

more active

Task 1: Find the answer: – If you have an expert to advise you, who is your expert?

Historical changes in the onset of puberty are related to changes in

Exposure to pheromonesNutritionExerciseEmotional Stress

Which answers are correct or partially correct? According to whom? Cite authors. What justifies their authority? Use any sources you have.

Process: For next lecture group (of 6) hands in one card with phrase type answers.

First step in teaching research process is?

• Reference to authority• Implies that answers have authors or result

from discovery – may have more than one author, more than one discovery

• Answers do not just “exist”

When different researchers do not have the same answer – or do they? Find the procedure

Early maturation -- is it detrimental or useful?

Caspi & Moffit report that early maturation for girls is only related to problem behavior when….

Who is their sample? How did they define problem behavior?Duncan & al. report that early maturing boys are more likely to be involved in delinquent behavior when…..

Who is their sample? How did they define delinquency?Mussen & Jones as well as Richards and Larson report that early maturing boys have a more positive self-image and more positive feelings when…..

Who is their sample? How did they define delinquency?

What subjects are used in each study? Did each study really ask the same question? Which authority would you choose? Should you evaluate this yourself?

Process: Each group hands in card with samples, measures and their vote on the answer to the question: Is early maturation a benefit or a deficit

Task 2: Second step in teaching research process is research method: Comparison

and analysis• Read studies to discover sample and to

discover measure

• Compare results

• Synthesize better answer

Task 3 Create Answers: Becoming an owner of research, more than a consumer• The proxemic behavior of children, early adolescents and older

adolescents is different in a public setting such as mall – is it more socially acceptable or less? – Week 1 Group defines subject sample (use Tanner scale on

puberty appearance) (Turns in card)– Week 2 Group defines measure (use proxemic codes) (Turns

in card)– Week 3 Group establishes reliability on measures (simple

correlation) (Turns in card)– Week 4-6 Group goes to public place and codes (No hand in)– Week 7 Group makes charts of data using excel program (No

hand in)– Week 8 Group writes 2 paragraph conclusion to pass out in

lecture with best chart. (1 page hand-out for all class members)

Small Research Project. Group work outside class usually

• Define terms; practice coding reliability

• Describe method for time/show selection

• Create data charts• Compare with other

groups• Use group member to do

baby stats• Do a simple research

poster

Puzzles and creativity – extending the data, crossing disciplinary lines.• Most people believe that the age of

puberty is rising, not falling. Often they say this is because the average age of survival has risen. What is the false math assumption?

• In the European middle ages it was thought that the royal blood line created a special group of royal people – those not of the royal line could never belong – how would the secular trend help you examine this? Are early maturers different then or now, in all cultures, men and women?

• If early maturation was a health/mental health risk what would you recommend to the President’s White Council on Children?

What was the process?

• The goal was to move the students from research is owned and you are the consumer (Memorized information)

• To you can become better consumer (Critically Evaluated information)

• To you have the potential to become the owner and creator (Research apprentice)

• To you may use this in other arenas creatively (thoughtful person)

Effect

• Grades improve – • students learn to look for references and know

where the answer comes from• Students learn to compare research studies, not

to reject them but understand the process• Students exercise the research process and

generate their own small project – could be a “Gendanken” project that they present to someone with a lab or more resources.

Pretest answers: early and late puberty

• What is age of puberty for girls? Presently 12.5 years plus or minus 2 years.

• What was the age of puberty in N. America/Europe in the 19th century? 15 years for girls plus or minus 2 years.

• What is the most often used measure of puberty? Menarche, not spermarche

• Are early maturing males different from late maturing males? Generally yes -- but

• Is early maturation stressful for girls? Generally no -- but.