Description
Research methods is one of the hardest courses to make engaging: abstract terms, long lists of designs and tests, and students who only see why it matters when their own project goes wrong. This research methods teacher pack gives you a full course that is practical from the first lesson. It follows the 16 chapters of the Research Methods Made Simple textbook, and the textbook and its practice book are included, so you and your students work from the same chapter numbers, terms and companion data.
What is in every chapter folder
- Editable slides (.pptx) — 24 slides per chapter: starter, key terms, worked examples, diagrams, check-your-understanding questions, a real research case study, a hands-on activity and exit questions. Every slide has teacher notes with the questions to ask, the misconceptions to watch for and the answers.
- Lesson plan — two 60-minute lessons, timed minute by minute, with objectives, slide references, differentiation and homework.
- Worksheet and answer key — five or six tasks rising in difficulty, with full model answers.
- Chapter test and mark scheme — 10 multiple-choice questions, two structured questions and a 20-mark extended question, with point-based marking and levels for the evaluation parts.
- Exit tickets — three short tickets of three questions each, with answers.
Practical, not just theory
The activities are built for a methods classroom: critique a flawed study design, rewrite a leading survey question, code an interview extract into themes, choose the right statistical test, draft a consent form, read a regression table and run a mock viva. They use the textbook’s companion data (a student survey, a randomised workshop trial, a household survey and ten interview transcripts), so every number and quote matches what students see in their books.
Real case studies
Each chapter teaches through a real, fully referenced study: the Hawthorne experiments, the Wakefield retraction, Tuskegee, Card and Krueger’s minimum-wage study, the 1936 Literary Digest poll, PISA 2022, the Census 2021 gender identity question, the Stanford Prison Experiment and its critics, Reinhart and Rogoff, the Physicians’ Health Study, hormone replacement therapy and the Women’s Health Initiative, a Cochrane review, Registered Reports and more.
Whole-course resources
- Teacher guide — how to plan the course, teach a chapter step by step, and use the pack with the textbook and practice book.
- Scheme of work — 36 weeks, with a guide to which chapters to teach in full, in part or skip for a university module, a dissertation group, the IB Extended Essay or A-level.
- Mid-year and end-of-year exams, each 2 hours and 80 marks, with full mark schemes.
- Diagram bank — all 72 diagrams, as PDF, editable PowerPoint and PNG images.
- Student books and data included — the 409-page Research Methods Made Simple textbook, the practice book with 1,004 questions and worked answers, and the companion datasets, interview transcripts and code.
The 16 chapters
Starting a research project (1–4): what research is, from topic to research question, reviewing the literature, research ethics and integrity. Designing the study (5–8): research design, sampling, measurement, validity and reliability, questionnaires and surveys. Collecting and analysing data (9–14): interviews, focus groups and observation; analysing qualitative data; describing and visualising data; choosing and running statistical tests; regression and causal questions; secondary data, mixed methods and systematic reviews. Writing it up (15–16): writing the dissertation; presenting, referencing and defending your work.
Who it is for
Lecturers and teaching assistants on undergraduate and master’s research-methods modules; dissertation supervisors; IB Extended Essay coordinators and IB Psychology teachers; A-level Psychology and Sociology teachers covering research methods; and EPQ and coursework supervisors.
Licence and format
Eight downloads: five ZIP files (Start Here and Exams; chapters in two parts; Diagram Bank PDF and PowerPoint; Diagram Bank PNGs), the textbook and practice book PDFs, and the companion Data and Code Pack (datasets, interview transcripts, Python and R scripts). Licensed to one teacher or one school or university department for unlimited classroom use and printing, including a password-protected class page such as Google Classroom or Moodle. Not for resale or public posting. Download a free sample chapter below before you buy.
