Alternative Teaching Techniques: An Overview of Problems with Current Evaluation Research

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Abstract
In recent years there has seemingly been an increase in the concern shown by political scientists for the attainment of excellence in their roles as teachers. This general quest for excellence in teaching has resulted in renewed efforts to differentiate “more effective” from “less effective” teaching approaches, techniques, and strategies. The basic purpose of this article is to identify and discuss some of the major problem areas in the current literature which attempts to evaluate alternative teaching techniques in the discipline of political science. The problems that are discussed can generally be grouped under three broad areas of concern: methodology (problems of assumptions, research design, and measurement), theory (problems of analytical logic and absence of theoretical foundations), and values (problems of goal specification, goal prioritizing, and cost-effectiveness). In general, each of these problem areas is discussed, illustrative examples from the literature which highlight some of the problems are referenced, and suggested ways of dealing with some of the problems are given.

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