Abstract
Volume 45, No. 1
Greetings from the President
Presidential Greeting
Sue Frantz
Teaching of Psychology, 45(1), 4–4.
No Abstract
Special Section—Career Issues and the Undergraduate Psychology Major
Introduction to the Special Section
Andrew N. Christopher and Jonathan M. Golding
Teaching of Psychology, 45(1), 5–5.
No Abstract
Psychology Students’ Expectations Regarding Educational Requirements and Salary for Desired Careers
Chehalis M. Strapp, Danica J. Drapela, Cierra I. Henderson, Emily Nasciemento and Lauren J. Roscoe
Teaching of Psychology, 45(1), 6–13.
This study investigated the accuracy of psychology majors’ expectations regarding careers. Psychology majors, including 101 women and 35 men (Mage = 23 years; standard deviationage = 6.25), indicated a desired career and estimated the level of education needed and the expected annual salary for the career. Students’ expectations were compared with Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Students completed the Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy Scale Short Form to assess the career efficacy and expectations. Students overestimated education needed for a career, but salary estimates did not differ from market statistics. Students’ confidence in career choice and expected income was related to career efficacy. Results highlight the importance of career advising and support for psychology students entering the job market.
Psychology major, educational requirements, salary, career planning
Preparing Psychology Majors to Enter the Workforce: Then, now, with Whom, and how
Drew C. Appleby
Teaching of Psychology, 45(1), 14–23.
Undergraduate psychology programs have not always provided the same level of support for their job-seeking students than they have for those preparing to become psychologists. This is a particularly unfortunate situation because, according to the American Psychological Association’s Center for Workforce Studies (American Psychological Association, 2017), only 13% of the 3.4 million people in the United States who have earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology have gone on to earn a higher psychology degree. The first part of this article uses quotations from seven national reports on the psychology curriculum to identify the genesis and gradual amelioration of this unfortunate situation. The remainder of this article focuses on strategies that psychology faculty can use to help their job-seeking students successfully accomplish Goal 5: Professional Development of the APA Guidelines for the Undergraduate Psychology Major. These strategies include referring advisees to professionally trained advisors and becoming aware of careers in which baccalaureate-level psychology majors have entered or can prepare to enter and the sets of knowledge, skills, and characteristics important for success in these careers.
Psychology majors, career advising, academic advising, workforce preparation
Faculty and Career Advising: Challenges, Opportunities, and Outcome Assessment
Kristin M. Vespia, Stephanie D. Freis and Rebecca M. Arrowood
Teaching of Psychology, 45(1), 24–31.
Psychology prioritizes students’ professional or career development by including it as one of the five undergraduate learning goals. Faculty advisors are critical to that development but likely feel less prepared for the role. Departments face challenges assessing associated student learning outcomes. We introduce an instrument programs can use to evaluate outcomes and advisors can use to measure students’ advising needs, perceptions, and preferences. We share results from an undergraduate sample (N = 91) to illustrate potential data and uses. For example, these students viewed faculty as knowledgeable career advisors and expressed confidence in their major selection, but simultaneously reported feeling unprepared for postgraduation life and thought the major was not highly marketable. We offer specific recommendations for using such data to promote professional development.
Career advising, faculty advising, undergraduates, psychology major
Traditional and new Approaches to Career Preparation Through Coursework
Natalie J. Ciarocco
Teaching of Psychology, 45(1), 32–40.
Traditional career preparation courses provide students with a variety of benefits. Students taking these courses report a better understanding of psychology-related careers, less indecision about their future careers, and are more knowledgeable about themselves in relation to careers. Yet only 37% of undergraduate psychology programs offer formal career preparation through the curriculum. Given the lack of experience and training faculty have on career preparation issues, they may be uncomfortable developing such courses. This article addresses considerations one should make when developing a career preparation course for undergraduate psychology majors, as well as potential topics and assignments for the course. It also outlines how to place career preparation within the major using modules when career preparation courses are not available.
Career preparation, professional development, psychology curriculum, course development
Embedding Career Issues in Advanced Psychology Major Courses
Jane S. Halonen and Dana S. Dunn
Teaching of Psychology, 45(1), 41–49.
Despite the popularity of the psychology major, complaints regularly arise about the value of majoring in psychology. This article reviews the workforce advantages that accrue to successful psychology students and encourages new strategies for emphasizing the professional development goal in the American Psychological Association’s Guidelines for the Undergraduate Psychology Major (2013). Recommendations include infusing career preparation in advanced classes, designing career-focused capstone courses, and conducting a climate check on department support for fostering realistic and appropriate career aspirations in undergraduate psychology majors.
Career issues, advanced classes, capstone courses, assessment
Conversations About Careers: Engaging Students in and out of the Classroom
Beth M. Schwartz, Virginia R. Gregg and Mark McKee
Teaching of Psychology, 45(1), 50–59.
Providing career preparation for our students continues to be a focus for faculty, departments, and institutions. Professional development is most effective when accessible to students in a number of ways. This article presents how career preparation can be incorporated in advising, through programming and assessment in a career center, and in the curriculum. We discuss the importance of career discussions in advising, the types of resources available in a career center, and finally, we review a number of courses in which faculty can incorporate discussions and assignments focused on careers in psychology. Through this multifaceted approach, students are more likely to obtain important career information, as they consider what path to take after their undergraduate education.
Careers, career center, advising, curriculum
Using the Internet to Facilitate Career Choices in Psychology-Related Fields
Jonathan M. Golding, Anne M. Lippert and Sarah E. Malik
Teaching of Psychology, 45(1), 60–66.
Career planning for psychology majors has broadened to include a diverse array of opportunities (e.g., medicine, law, education, government, and military). The Internet has made it possible for students to learn about and quickly obtain information regarding these new career options. This article describes various career resources on the Internet and highlights which websites might be best for students with a clear career direction, as well as those for students who are unclear about what the future holds. The websites described include large sites not affiliated with a college, university, or professional organization. Other websites described are affiliated with a(n) (a) psychology department, (b) department of the federal government, (c) for-profit company or nonprofit organization, (d) professional organization, and (e) online career management site.
Internet, careers, advising, undergraduate, psychology majors
Tapping Into Alumni as a Source of Authentic Information and Advice on Careers in Psychology
Timothy J. Lawson
Teaching of Psychology, 45(1), 67–74.
This article describes how my psychology department utilizes our alumni to educate current and prospective students about careers in psychology. I explain how we developed an alumni careers website and on-campus alumni careers sessions for students. High school students and our psychology majors reported that they found this information valuable, but they also valued a broader list of psychology job titles. Nevertheless, students appreciated the fact that the alumni careers information was more reflective of real-world jobs of our university’s graduates as compared to the list of job titles.
Alumni, careers
Psychology Doctoral Program Admissions: What Master’s and Undergraduate-Level Students Need to Know
Linh Nguyen Littleford, Kim Buxton, Meredith A. Bucher, Stephanie L. Simon-Dack and Kao Lee Yang
Teaching of Psychology, 45(1), 75–83.
What do psychology doctorate programs require and prefer in their master’s level applicants? Do the programs value students’ graduate experiences during and postadmission? Doctoral programs’ (n = 221) responses to an online survey showed that most required letters of recommendation, personal statements, Graduate Records Examination scores, and undergraduate grade point average. These credentials, interviewing skills, and student–mentor research match are crucial to admission decisions. However, clinical PhD, counseling PhD, clinical and counseling PsyD, practice subfields (e.g., school psychology), and research subfields (e.g., social psychology) evaluated differently 8 of the 26 credentials. Master’s-level applicants benefit more than bachelor’s-level applicants when beginning their doctoral work (e.g., having their master’s theses waived), but the advantages vary by subfields. Implications and recommendations for doctoral applicants are discussed.
Psychology doctoral programs, master’s-level students, admission criteria, psychology subfields
Affordances and Alignments: Continuing Challenges in Advising Undergraduate Psychology Majors
R. Eric Landrum
Teaching of Psychology, 45(1), 84–90.
Challenges abound in providing accurate and useful information to prospective and declared psychology majors about their career options and how to make decisions that will lead to satisfying and rewarding postgraduate lives. One component of this challenge is that by majoring in psychology, career affordances (i.e., the opportunities and limitations inherent to psychology) lead to generalized opportunities that are available to many different disciplinary majors. Another component of this challenge is the alignment between students’ self-reflection and understanding about career goals being aligned with accurate and available information about the desired careers. Understanding how affordances and alignments affect psychology major advising may provide a fruitful framework in moving forward to provide the best professional development resources possible.
Psychology majors, advising, affordance, alignment
The Generalist’s Corner
Incorporating a Discussion of Genetic Attributions Into Psychology Courses
Jane P. Sheldon
Teaching of Psychology, 45(1), 91–101.
A highly relevant construct that may need more emphasis in our psychology courses is genetic attributions. Attributions are causal explanations people make for specific behaviors, characteristics, occurrences, or differences. Research has found that genetic attributions are related to numerous biopsychosocial phenomena (e.g., perceptions about one’s own health, attitudes toward others) that impact individuals and societies. Unfortunately, often these causal attributions are linked to problematic outcomes. For example, genetic attributions for the etiology of illness are often associated with decreased personal control and well-being. Additionally, genetic attributions for group differences are related to psychological essentialism (i.e., the belief that members of a group all share a deep, underlying “essence”), which, in turn, tends to be associated with stereotyping and prejudice. With the following brief overview of theoretical and empirical work related to genetic attributions, I discuss how instructors can incorporate discussions of this important concept into their psychology courses.
Genetic attributions, attribution theory, causal explanations, psychological essentialism, implicit theories