Volume 49, No. 2
Presidential Address
Time to Return to Normal? I Sure Hope Not
LINDA M. WOOLF
Teaching of Psychology, 49(2), 105–107
In 2020, the pandemic altered not only the way many teachers approach the classroom but also their understanding of challenges faced by students and the relevance of psychology to everyone’s lives. This article serves as an STP Presidential welcome to the work and resources of the Society. I also highlight the rationale behind the 2022 STP Presidential task forces. These task forces were shaped by events of the past two years and focus on four major themes: Teaching to make a difference; ethical literacy, thinking, and reasoning; diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI); and our interconnected world. The pandemic changed the way many of us teach and let's hope we can take what we have learned to move forward with increased resilience and improved pedagogy.
Keywords
Teaching, ethics, diversity, equity, inclusion, social justice, international issues, climate
Replication Corner
Teaching Students to Learn Better in Introductory Psychology: A Replication and Extension Study
CAROLYN R. BROWN-KRAMER
Teaching of Psychology, 49(2), 108–117
Background: Psychology courses provide a good opportunity for instructors to teach students effective learning strategies integrated with content.
Objective: This replication and extension study explored changes in students’ self-reported use of learning strategies before and after a term paper assignment and examined the relationships between learning strategy use and academic performance.
Method: Three hundred eighty-five introductory psychology students completed surveys on their use of 11 learning strategies at the beginning and end of the semester, read an empirical article and wrote a term paper about the learning strategy of practice testing, and completed four exams among other assessments.
Results: Replicating prior work, students generally reported improvements in their use of learning strategies over the course of the semester, though improvements were largely attributable to grade point average (GPA). Two learning strategies—self-explanation and practice testing—were positively correlated with course performance in the second half of the semester, over and above the effects associated with GPA.
Conclusion: Teaching students about beneficial learning strategies may increase their adoption of those strategies as well as their course performance, replicating prior research.
Teaching Implications: In order to improve course performance, instructors may consider adapting assignments in ways that increase students’ knowledge and use of effective learning strategies.
Keywords
Study skills, introductory psychology, intervention, academic performance
Proof of Concept Corner
Psychology Students’ Understanding of Ethics and Application of Ethical Principles
MARY KATHERINE DUNCAN AND KENDALL GEIST
Teaching of Psychology, 49(2), 118–123
Background: The American Psychological Association (APA) has called on undergraduate psychology programs to embed training in ethics throughout their curricula. Although guidelines and resources exist, research on students’ understanding of and ability to apply the discipline’s ethical principles is limited.
Objective: The purpose of this study was to learn more about psychology students’ perceptions of their undergraduate training in ethics, understanding of what it means to behave ethically, and competence at applying ethical principles.
Method: Forty-four psychology students rated their undergraduate coursework and fieldwork training in ethics, described what it means to be ethical, and proposed a department honor code. Responses were independently coded using a rubric based on APA’s five ethical principles.
Results: Participants reported that their undergraduate training gave them an adequate understanding of ethics. The majority included at least three ethical principles in their descriptions of ethical behavior but fewer than three principles in their proposed honor codes. Upper-level students rated their fieldwork training in ethics significantly higher than lower-level students. Participants with higher ratings of fieldwork training in ethics included significantly more ethical principles in their honor codes.
Conclusion: Findings support APA’s call to embed training on ethics throughout the undergraduate curriculum.
Keywords
American Psychological Association, ethical principles, undergraduate training in ethics, understanding of ethics, ethical competence
Using “Make & Take Quizzes” to Improve Exam Performance and Engage Students in Effective Study Strategies
KRISTEL M. GALLAGHER
Teaching of Psychology, 49(2), 124–129
Background: Most students rely on ineffective study habits to learn material instead of using evidence-based strategies known to improve learning.
Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a novel in-class quizzing strategy (i.e., Make & Take Quizzes) that was intentionally designed to engage students in evidence-based study strategies.
Method: Final exam grades between sections of identical courses where students completed (N = 74) or did not complete (N = 73) Make & Take Quizzes were compared. Changes in the use of study strategies from the beginning to the end of the semester in two courses where students completed the quizzes were also examined.
Results: Students in Make & Take Quiz sections significantly outperformed those in sections without the quizzes. Students’ overall strategies for studying did not significantly change; however, there were significant improvements in the specific strategies of deciding on the main ideas when studying and putting ideas into one’s own words when studying.
Conclusion: Make & Take Quizzes appear to help students learn course material, while also engaging them in the use of specific study strategies. Teaching Implications: An easy-to-implement strategy, instructors can engage students in the effective use of evidence-based study strategies by incorporating Make & Take Quizzes in their courses.
Keywords
Quizzes, study strategies, exam performance, evidence-based learning
A Comparison of Multimedia and Traditional Paper Assignments in an Introductory Psychology Course
MONICA A. RIORDAN, ZAMEN ABO-ZEBIBA, AND JOSEPH MARSH
Teaching of Psychology, 49(2), 130–135
Background: Multimedia creation and curation for assignments have the potential to engage students in deeper learning.
Objective: This study explored whether the same homework assignments delivered in paper versus multimedia format resulted in different student experiences.
Method: Introductory psychology students submitted either traditional papers or multimedia projects to address the same assignment prompt, a process that was repeated seven times throughout four courses and was either instructor-determined or student-selected. Students were surveyed about the assignment formats, and assignment grades were analyzed.
Results: Overall, students found the multimedia assignments more engaging, more enjoyable, more interesting, and more difficult than paper assignments. When assignments were instructor-determined, students reported higher perceived learning for the multimedia assignments. Assignment grades were not significantly different between assignment formats.
Conclusion and teaching implications: These results suggest that moving traditional paper assignments into a multimedia format is a no-cost way to improve the student experience.
Keywords
Technology, student engagement, multimedia
Training Structural Awareness with StatHand: A 1 Year Follow-Up
PETER J. ALLEN, JESSICA L. FIELDING, ANNABEL H. WESTERMANN, AND AMELIA M. LAFRATTA
Teaching of Psychology, 49(2), 136–143
Background: Allen, Fielding, East, et al. demonstrated experimentally that structural awareness, or the ability to disregard a research problem’s topic and instead focus on its structural features, can be trained using StatHand (https://stathand.net). Most training benefits persisted for 1 week.
Objective: The objective was to assess the longer-term effects of training.
Method: One year after training (or control activities), 54 participants were re-administered 5 measures of structural awareness and 1 statistic selection measure.
Results: Trained participants continued to reliably out-perform control participants on 4 measures of structural awareness, though no longer on the 5th. Over the year, decrements in trained participants’ performance on the 5 structural awareness measures were mostly small. However, 1 year after training, the trained participants’ statistic selection advantage had largely disappeared.
Conclusion: Brief structural awareness training can have long-term benefits, though selecting an appropriate statistical test for common research scenarios without assistance remains a difficult task.
Teaching Implications: Structural awareness can be trained. However, even structurally aware students cannot reliably select appropriate statistics without assistance. Training plus easy access to a decision-making aid should maximize statistic selection accuracy. Our evidence-based training methods and materials, including StatHand, can be freely used and adapted for these purposes.
Keywords
Instructional technology, statistics, research methods
Science of Teaching and Learning Corner
Career Assistance From Psychology Programs and Career Services: Who Is Preparing Psychology Students?
JESSICA C. CONROY, KAREN E. STAMM, RORY A. PFUND, PEGGY CHRISTIDIS, ROBIN HAILSTORKS, AND JOHN C. NORCROSS
Teaching of Psychology, 49(2), 144–152
Background: Despite the popularity of the undergraduate psychology major, little is known about career support and preparation available to psychology students. Objective: This study examined the prevalence, types, and methods of career assistance available to undergraduate psychology students both through their psychology programs and through their institutional career services.
Method: A total of 240 programs from a stratified random sample of institutions offering undergraduate psychology programs responded to an online survey, yielding a response rate of 42.5%.
Results: Undergraduate psychology programs most often provided assistance in applying to graduate school, while career services provided a wider range of resources. Baccalaureate institutions offer career assistance, via the psychology program or the institutional career center, more frequently than associate institutions. Most common forms of assistance consisted of instruction on how to apply for a job, how to find information about career possibilities in psychology subfields, resumé or curriculum vitae preparation, and individual advising.
Conclusion: Although career assistance was widely available, there are several ways in which the type and scope of assistance can be improved upon to better support students and increase access.
Teaching implications: Undergraduate psychology students could benefit from more career assistance content throughout psychology curricula.
Keywords
Career issues for students, undergraduate education, careers in psychology, career pathways
Critical Thinking Performance Increases in Psychology Undergraduates Measured Using a Workplace-Recognized Test
MERCE PRAT-SALA AND MIKE VAN DUUREN
Teaching of Psychology, 49(2), 153–163
Background: Higher education institutions and universities aim to provide students with a range of transferable skills that enable them to become more thoughtful and effective employees, citizens, and consumers. One of these skills is critical thinking.
Objective: The aim of the present research was to examine whether taking a psychology degree is concomitant with students’ increase in critical thinking skills when students are not explicitly taught critical thinking.
Method: Study 1 utilized a cross-sectional design and Study 2 a longitudinal design. The Watson and Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (WGCTA, UK) was used to measure critical thinking.
Results: For both studies, the overall scores of WGCTA, as well as scores of the subtest of Recognition of Assumptions, were significantly higher for final-year than for first-year students.
Conclusion: From the findings, we conclude that the levels of critical thinking by final-year psychology students may be enhanced.
Teaching implications: We propose that teaching other aspects of critical thinking such as Evaluation of Arguments and Interpretation, as measured by this test, could be beneficial in further developing psychology students’ overall critical thinking performance.
Keywords
Critical thinking, transferrable skills, psychology undergraduates, WGCTA
Achieving Testing Effects in an Authentic College Classroom
ELIZABETH SHOBE
Teaching of Psychology, 49(2), 164–175
Background: Findings from the testing effect literature suggest several ways to achieve testing effects in an authentic classroom, but few consider instructor workload, equity, and resources that determine feasibility and sustainability of testing effect methods in practice.
Objective: To determine elements and procedures from the testing effect literature for practical application, devise a method for feasibly and sustainably implementing testing effect methods in practice, and determine if a simple way to incorporate retrieval practice into an existing introduction to psychology course was sufficient to observe testing effects.
Method: Quiz scores of Introductory Psychology sections with and without retrieval practice were compared. Sections with retrieval practice also compared the effects of repeated and new questions on quiz performance.
Results: Students with retrieval practice performed significantly better on quizzes than those without. Repeated and new retrieval practice were equally superior.
Conclusion: Retrieval practices can successfully be implemented, feasibly and sustainably, in an authentic classroom environment. Retrieval practice questions can be related to delayed practice questions, rather than exact repeats, to achieve a testing effect.
Teaching Implications: Distributing low stakes multiple-choice questions throughout lectures is effective for increasing test performance. The current method was neither burdensome to workload, content, or resources.
Keywords
Memory, pedagogy, scholarship of teaching and learning, teaching effectiveness, evaluation/testing
Scholarly Teacher Corner
Developing Collaborative Thinkers: Rethinking how we Define, Teach, and Assess Class Participation
BRIDGETTE MARTIN HARD AND TAALIN RAOSHAH
Teaching of Psychology, 49(2), 176–184
Introduction: Class participation is a common component of many college classes and is typically defined as involving students’ active, oral engagement in class.
Statement of the Problem: Class participation is often an under-utilized pedagogical tool for skill-building and development.
Literature Review: We present an evidence-based framework that encourages instructors and students to rethink class participation as collaboration. Drawing on a review of over 40 years of research, we argue that this framework for defining class participation will lead to better classroom discussions, academic and social-emotional benefits for students, and prepare students with essential workforce readiness skills.
Teaching Implications: We describe how instructors can adopt our framework with evidence-based suggestions for: (1) redefining participation as collaboration with explicit criteria (2) structuring course experience to develop students as active collaborators (3) working to build productive classroom teams, and (4) evaluating participation through a collaborative lens.
Conclusions: We offer a novel framework for redefining participation through a collaborative lens, along with a suite of evidence-based suggestions for shifting the thought processes and behaviors of students toward collaboration.
Keywords
Collaboration, collaborative thinking, participation, higher education, student engagement
A Transformational Approach to Developing Cultural Humility in the Classroom
DENISE FARRELLY, DANIEL KAPLIN, AND DELIA HERNANDEZ
Teaching of Psychology, 49(2), 185–190
Introduction: Undergraduate psychology programs offer opportunities for the development of knowledge and specialized skills in order to equip students to work with diverse populations.
Statement of the Problem: It is crucial for psychology clinicians and other human service providers to understand and be responsive to the scope of cultural diversity. To be effective, they must demonstrate cultural humility through an anti-bias approach.
Literature Review: We review research pertaining to cultural diversity, cultural humility, and the social and pedagogical implications associated with these constructs.
Teaching Implications: We offer one approach for fostering the development of cultural humility through a 6-week Cultural Humility Learning Module that capitalizes on the principles of diversity, privilege and bias, cultural humility, fairness, and social justice.
Conclusion: Through piloting and refining the learning module in our own classrooms, we believe that this approach shows promise of transformational learning. We offer the reader potential ways to assess the effectiveness of the module.
Keywords
Cultural humility, cultural competence, diversity, transformational learning, psychology education, cross-cultural psychology, teacher education
An Exercise for Conveying Equal Employment Opportunity Concepts for Industrial-Organizational Psychology Courses
ANNA M. SEMANKO AND VERLIN B. HINSZ
Teaching of Psychology, 49(2), 191–195
Background: Equal employment opportunity guidelines and concepts are important for increasing equity in the workplace. Given the large number of undergraduate students currently in or entering the workforce, it is critical to convey these concepts in a manner that increases student understanding of appropriate organizational behavior.
Objective: We present and discuss an exercise and corresponding in-class discussion aimed at conveying equal employment opportunity concepts to undergraduate students.
Method: An exercise was developed using vignettes based on cases that demonstrate key equal opportunity concepts. Student understanding of equal employment opportunity was assessed pre- and post-exercise.
Results: Overall, the postexercise measures suggested greater student understanding of equal employment opportunity concepts in comparison to their pre-exercise understanding.
Conclusion: The exercise described herein is an impactful and effective means of engaging students in content related to equal employment opportunity.
Teaching Implications: Instructors can use this active exercise in their courses to aid students in their understanding of equal employment opportunity concepts. As a result, students’ knowledge of equal employment opportunity may encourage them to combat and prevent occurrences of discrimination in the workplace.
Keywords
Industrial-organizational psychology, teaching of psychology, equal employment opportunity, organizational behavior
