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Abstract

The article describes an innovative technique for teaching the History of Psychology (HoP) using the story of Victor the “Wild Boy” of Aveyron. Students were given both a traditional history textbook and assignments, along with a novel on the life of Victor and a themed writing assignment. The goal was to elicit connections between Victor’s story and the HoP to increase enthusiasm and engagement in the material. Pre- and postcourse assessments were collected and compared to a senior seminar. Results indicated that students in HoP had higher ratings of overall knowledge and enthusiasm than seminar students. In particular, the Victor reading and assignment were positively evaluated. Students were able to connect the story of Victor to a wide range of people and ideas in the HoP. Using Victor’s story as a teaching tool was effective and engaging in this challenging course.

Keywords

history of psychology Victor the Wild Boy teaching tool

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“Victor the Wild Boy” as a Teaching Tool for the History of Psychology

Abstract

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References