THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RESEARCH AND TEACHING: ASSESSING THE STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS IN THE CONTEXT OF A NEW EVALUATION METHODOLOGY

Abstract

As teaching and research are perceived as two core academic activities, various attempts have been made to incorporate research into the teaching process. Literature suggests that the link between research and teaching does not only improve the students’ subject knowledge, but also their critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The present paper focuses on the students’ perception of research integration into the teaching process at the undergraduate education level, second year within the Educational Sciences specialization at the University of Bucharest, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences. The aim of the study was to understand the way students perceive the research integration in their courses in the context of introducing a new assessment methodology which focuses on this process. The one-group pre-test – post-test research design involved collecting data from 52 students using the Student Perception of Research Integration Questionnaire (SPRIQ). Data analysis revealed that students perceive many potential benefits when research is integrated into the teaching activity, they are more motivated and interested in the way research is carried out in their department, and have a better perception of their learning environment.

Keywords

• assessment methodology
• research-teaching relationship
• student perception of research integration questionnaire (spriq)