The Application of Task ‐ Driven Method in Market Research Course Teaching

: Market research as a core component of marketing, requires students to understand theoretical concepts and possess the ability to conduct practical operations and market analysis. This paper presents the teaching design and practice of applying the task-driven method to the market research course, exploring a teaching model that integrates practical tasks with theoretical instruction. By introducing real market research tasks, students experience the entire process of market research firsthand and enhance their market analysis and problem-solving abilities. This paper evaluates the effectiveness of the task-driven method in market research teaching, analyzes student feedback, and proposes suggestions for future market research course instruction.


Introduction
The teaching goal of the market research course is to enable students to understand and apply market research theory and to develop the ability to independently execute market research projects.Traditional classroom lectures are efficient in transmitting knowledge but are somewhat limited in cultivating students' practical operations and thinking abilities.The introduction of the task-driven method helps to remedy this shortcoming by promoting the improvement of students' abilities to integrate theory and practice through the completion of concrete, practical market research tasks.

The Advantages of the Task-Driven Teaching Method in Market Research Course Instruction
(1)Integration of Practice and Theory The task-driven method requires students to apply the theoretical knowledge learned in class to specific tasks, such as designing questionnaires and conducting market analysis, thus deepening their understanding and application of theory.The tasks often simulate real business environments and challenges, allowing students to better grasp the standards and practices of the market research industry while completing these tasks.
(2)Enhanced Problem-solving Abilities In the process of completing tasks, students identify and solve actual problems, fostering their ability to make decisions and solve problems in unknown situations.
(3)Independent Learning Skills The task-driven method encourages students to independently explore and learn the materials and information needed, enhancing their self-study and lifelong learning abilities.The method often involves various activity types, including individual assignments, group discussions, and scenario simulations, catering to different learning styles of students.
(4) Stimulating Interest and Motivation Completing concrete tasks allows students to visually perceive their learning results, motivating them more deeply for market research courses.After completing tasks, teachers can provide immediate feedback based on student performance, which contributes to enhancing student interest.
(5)Increased Hands-on Skills Market research involves many hands-on operations, such as data collection, processing, and analysis.The task-driven method can directly enhance students' practical abilities in these areas.
(6)Promotion of Team Collaboration and Communication Market research projects often require teamwork.During the process of completing tasks, students learn how to collaborate and communicate effectively with others, skills that are key to future professional environments.Critical thinking about data sources, research methods, and the feasibility of solutions is essential when students analyze and solve problems within tasks, fostering deep thinking abilities.

The Challenges of the Task-Driven Teaching Method in Market Research Course courses
The task-based teaching method in market survey courses may encounter the following challenges: (1) Task Design and Implementation Designing tasks that meet the requirements of a market survey course is challenging.Teachers must intricately create tasks that allow students to learn theoretical knowledge through solving practical problems.These tasks must be both practically valuable and feasible. (

2) Student Motivation and Engagement
The tasks in market survey may be complex, requiring students to be proactive and research-oriented, which demands high self-motivation.The level of enthusiasm may vary greatly among students, leading to inconsistent engagement.
(3) Resource and Time Constraints Market surveys often require extensive field research and data analysis, which may involve designing, distributing, collecting, and processing survey questionnaires.The time and resources provided by schools may be limited, which could affect the implementation of the task-based teaching method. (

4) Student Ability Differences
There may be significant differences in market surveyrelated knowledge, skills, and experience among students.Ensuring that all students can effectively participate and benefit from the tasks is a challenge.
(5) Complexity of Assessment The task-based teaching method usually requires a multidimensional evaluation system to assess student outcomes.However, it may be difficult to set uniform assessment standards in market survey courses because the results of market survey tasks are often diverse and open-ended.
(6) Combining Practical Application with Theoretical Knowledge Teachers need to continuously adjust the content of teaching to ensure a close integration of theoretical knowledge and market survey practice, allowing students to apply classroom-learned theory to actual market survey tasks.However, this integration is not always easy to achieve.
(7) Continuity and Consistency of the Course Maintaining a continuity in task difficulty throughout the course, while also ensuring consistency in goals and content of various tasks, poses a challenge to instructional design.
In summary, although the use of the task-based teaching method in market survey courses can enhance students' practical and problem-solving skills, overcoming the above challenges requires teachers to be highly creative, adaptable, and sensitive to student differences.

Design of Task-Driven Teaching Method in Market Research Courses
Designing task-driven teaching activities should be continually adjusted and adapted, taking into account student feedback to ensure that learning activities effectively achieve learning objectives.In applying the task-driven teaching method to a market research course, for example, we might design as follows:

Setting Teaching Goals
Students should be able to independently design and execute market research processes.

Task Design
Analyzing the market position of a real brand, students need to design questionnaires, collect data, conduct analysis, and propose market strategy suggestions.

Resource Selection
Provide access to market research templates, statistical software, and reference materials for market research.

Operational Steps
(1) Teach the basic elements of questionnaire design.
(2) Implement the survey research in groups.
(3) Use software for statistical analysis of the data.(4) Write a market research report.

Assessment Methods
(1) Process evaluation, including teamwork and execution strategies of the task.
(2) Product evaluation, including the quality of the report and the accuracy of data analysis.

Implementation of Task-Driven Teaching Method in Market Research Course Instruction
Each task requires students to solve specific problems encountered in actual market research in groups, under the guidance of a teacher.

Determination of Course Objectives
Establish the main objectives of the market research course, such as enhancing students' market research capabilities and cultivating their market analysis skills.

Task Selection and Design
Choose suitable tasks based on the course objectives to stimulate students' interest and motivation.Tasks can include creating market research surveys, analyzing market data, and writing market research reports.Determine the difficulty and complexity of the tasks to ensure they match the students' academic level and the stage of the course.

Preparation of Learning Resources
Prepare related learning resources, such as market research cases, industry reports, and survey tools.Provide the materials and technical support needed for students to complete the tasks.

Student Support and Guidance
Provide the support and guidance needed during the task, such as answering questions and providing real-time feedback.Establish necessary discussion and interaction mechanisms to promote collaboration and knowledge sharing among students.

Task Evaluation and Feedback
Design assessment methods, such as student reports, surveys, or oral presentations, to evaluate the completion of tasks.Provide timely and specific feedback to help students understand their strengths and areas for improvement.

Reflection and Improvement
After completing the tasks, conduct reflection and discussion, letting students share their learning experiences and insights.Based on student feedback and teaching experiences, make improvements and adjustments to task design and teaching strategies.
By using the methods designed above, the task-driven method can prompt students to apply theoretical knowledge and skills in a real market research environment, cultivate practical market research abilities, and enhance their learning participation and motivation.

Student Engagement and Motivation
Assess how actively students engage in the market research activities initiated by task-driven methods.

Mastery of Knowledge and Skills
Evaluate students' mastery of market research theoretical knowledge and practical application before and after the taskdriven teaching.

Improvement in Problem-Solving and Critical Thinking
Analyze students' problem-solving and critical thinking as shown in their ability to address complex real-world issues.

Teamwork and Communication Skills
Assess the progress in students' teamwork and communication skills, based on feedback and team interaction observation.

Realism and Career Preparedness in Market Research
Determine the degree of students' preparedness for careers in market research based on their familiarity with research tools and confidence gained.

Long-Term Impact
Evaluate long-term effects by tracking graduates' career progresses in market research.

Reflection and Self-Improvement of Teaching Methods
Instructors can assess their teaching methods through student feedback, self-reflection, and peer reviews.

Conclusion
The task-driven method displays clear teaching advantages in market research courses by raising student participation and practical experience.Through comparing student feedback and performance before and after the introduction of task-driven tasks, this teaching method proves effective in improving students' practical operational abilities, analytical skills, and self-learning capabilities.The task-driven method significantly increases student classroom engagement, learning interest, and the quality of task completion.

Future Outlook
With the continual evolution of educational models and the maturation of technological means, the task-driven teaching method has a broad future prospect in market research instruction.The following outlook aims to explore potential future trends: (1) Collaboration with the Business Community Closer school-enterprise collaboration, directly integrating actual market research tasks from businesses into the course, could make student learning more practical and urgent.
(2) Technology Integration Utilizing advanced technologies such as big data analysis, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to enhance the data processing capabilities of market research courses.Let students personally experience the process of data mining and predictive model construction through simulation software and analysis tools.
(3) Personalized Learning Trajectories Teaching platforms could customize personalized learning tasks based on students' progress and feedback data, making learning more targeted.
(4) Interdisciplinary Learning As market research encompasses fields such as statistics, psychology, economics, and more, the task-driven teaching method can encourage students to use an interdisciplinary perspective to solve market issues, adding depth and breadth to the course.
(5) Real-time Feedback and Assessment System Developing and integrating more intelligent feedback systems to provide instant analysis and assessment, helping students and teachers track progress and swiftly adjust learning strategies.
(6) Virtual and Augmented Reality Technology Using virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technology to provide immersive market research experiences, such as consumer behavior research in a virtual supermarket environment.
(7) Focus on Sustainability and Ethics With corporate social responsibility and sustainability increasingly emphasized, let students consider ethical and sustainability issues when carrying out market research tasks, cultivating responsible business leaders.
(8) Global Perspective Incorporating international market research cases and cross-cultural analyses into courses to enhance students' global vision and cross-cultural communication skills.
(9) Case Bank Construction Creating a rich case bank, collecting actual investigation cases from different industries, markets, and enterprise scales, providing students with a broader range of learning resources.
(10) Learning Community Building learning communities to encourage students, teachers, and industry experts to share knowledge and experiences, promoting the exchange of knowledge and best practices.
By implementing the elements in the future outlook described above, market research courses can more efficiently prepare students for the rapidly changing business landscape and shape them into individuals with strong analytical abilities, critical thinking, and innovative capability.