Volume 49, No. 4
Teaching Awards
2022 Society for Teaching of Psychology Awards and Recognition Recipients
JESS KRAYBILL, SEUNGYEON LEE, FANLI JIA, AND LESLIE BERNTSEN
Teaching of Psychology, 49(4), 295–302
No Abstract.
The Replication Corner
Predicting Beliefs in Psychological Misconceptions with Psychology Knowledge and the Critical Reflection Test: A Replication and Extension
KIT W. CHO
Teaching of Psychology, 49(4), 303–309
Background: Psychological misconceptions permeate our culture, with many people endorsing these erroneous beliefs.
Objective: The purpose of this study was to replicate and extend previous findings that reported psychology knowledge and cognitive thinking style predict undergraduates’ beliefs in psychological misconceptions.
Method: Two hundred and ninety-six undergraduates participated in an online survey in which they completed a psychological misconceptions questionnaire and the Critical Reflection Test (CRT). Participants’ academic information (i.e., number of psychology and non-psychology courses taken and overall psychology GPA) was retrieved via institutional data.
Results: Number of psychology courses, psychology GPA, and CRT score were all positive correlates of rejecting psychological misconceptions.
Conclusion: Students who took more and attained higher grades in psychology courses and engaged in more reflective and analytical thinking are less likely to affirm psychological misconceptions.
Teaching Implications: Psychology courses, particularly those that include activities and assessments to bolster reflective and analytical thinking skills, could be effective means to reduce students’ beliefs in psychological misconceptions.
Keywords
Analytical thinking, Cognitive Reflection Test, psychology misconceptions, reflective thinking, science myths
The Proof of Concept Corner
“Jumping the Shark”: An Interdisciplinary Activity for Engaging Students With the Principles of Bivariate Regression
TODD D. WATSON
Teaching of Psychology, 49(4), 310–314
Background: Student anxiety about statistics may lead to poorer learning outcomes.
Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate an exercise designed to teach students in an introductory statistics class the principles of bivariate regression and to emphasize how statistical tools used by psychologists are also implemented in other fields.
Method: Students used a published model on the relationship between tooth size and the length of great white sharks to estimate the length of extinct sharks and to explore factors that could affect the accuracy or validity of regression analyses. Data from an anonymous self-report scale were used to assess the activity.
Results: More than 95% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the activity was engaging, approximately 95% of students agreed or strongly agreed that the activity helped them learn about factors that can lead to problems with bivariate correlation/regression, and approximately 91% of respondents correctly answered a question designed to assess basic content acquisition.
Conclusion: Feedback data suggest that the exercise was successful in achieving its content and process learning goals.
Teaching Implications: Implementation of similar exercises may improve student engagement and outcomes in psychology statistics courses.
Keywords
Active learning, bivariate regression, introductory statistics
The Impact of Strengths-Based Assessment Education on Undergraduate Students’ Knowledge of Disorders and Mental Illness Stigma
RHEA L. OWENS, SEAN HEASLIP, AND MEARA THOMBRE
Teaching of Psychology, 49(4), 315–322
Background: While abnormal psychology courses have traditionally focused on psychopathology, there are several benefits to adopting a strengths-based approach.
Objective: This study examined the teaching of a strengths-based assessment approach (the DICE-PM Model), compared to teaching as usual, in an undergraduate abnormal psychology course.
Method: Two sections of an abnormal psychology course were taught a strengths-based assessment approach while two sections were taught as usual. All participants completed measures of knowledge of psychological disorders and mental illness stigma at the beginning and end of the semester.
Results: Both groups demonstrated significant improvements in knowledge of disorders and a significant decrease in mental illness stigma with the exception of one category assessed (recovery), generally with small effect sizes. Those in the strengths group, compared to the control, showed a significantly greater decrease in mental illness stigma involving anxiety related to others with mental illness, though also with a small effect.
Conclusion: Findings suggest strengths-based assessment education does not compromise the instruction of psychological disorders and is equivalent to a traditional abnormal psychology course in reducing mental illness stigma.
Teaching Implications: Such an approach may be beneficial early in students’ education to reduce mental illness stigma and promote comprehensive assessment practices.
Keywords
Positive psychology, strengths, assets, abnormal psychology, psychopathology, teaching
The Impact of Screen-Free Zones in an Undergraduate Psychology Classroom: Assessing Exam Performance and Instructor Evaluations in Two Quasi-Experiments
LAURA RHINEHART, SALVADOR R. VAZQUEZ, AND PATRICIA M. GREENFIELD
Teaching of Psychology, 49(4), 323–328
Background: With in-person instruction, many undergraduates look at screens during lectures. Because screens can distract, attempts to curb this behavior through screen policies are increasingly common but understudied.
Objective and Method: Two quasi-experimental studies (Study 1: N = 412; Study 2: N = 179) in the same Psychology class explore results of restricting screens to one area of the classroom on exam performance and instructor/course evaluation.
Results: In both studies, these policies improved exam scores in the class. In Study 2, students who chose to sit in the screen-free zone did better on exams. Limiting screen use to the back of the classroom (Study 1) produced student pushback in qualitative comments and lower evaluations in quantitative instructor and course ratings. In contrast, placing screen and screen-free zones side-by-side (Study 2) was accepted without comment by students.
Conclusion: Together, these studies suggest that creating screen-free zones in classrooms can be beneficial for students, especially for those students who choose to sit in the screen-free section. Additionally, students accept side-by-side division of a classroom into screen and screen-free zones.
Teaching Implications: Because these studies are ecologically valid, results have implications for how students take notes and how instructors set restrictions on screens in their classroom.
Keywords
Teaching psychology, digital distraction, student engagement, teaching and learning strategies, instructor evaluation
Evaluating Reddit as a Crowdsourcing Platform for Psychology Research Projects
RAYMOND LUONG AND ANNA M. LOMANOWSKA
Teaching of Psychology, 49(4), 329–337
Background: Online crowdsourcing platforms, such as Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk), have become popular alternatives to the ubiquitous student samples used in psychology research. r/SampleSize, an alternative pool on the website Reddit, allows for online participant recruitment without compulsory or immediate payment, making it potentially useful for students, research trainees, and course instructors.
Objective: The current study sought to assess the viability of using r/SampleSize as a participant pool by comparing its data characteristics to MTurk and existing lab samples.
Method: Two hundred and fifty-six MTurk workers and 277 r/SampleSize participants completed identical questionnaires on demographics, participation motivations, and standard psychology scales.
Results: Participants recruited through r/SampleSize reported diverse ages, education levels, income, and employment, although White ethnic background and US residence were predominant. r/SampleSize participants were more internally motivated than MTurk to participate in research and had greater need for cognition but did not differ significantly in altruism or motivation to gain self-knowledge. r/SampleSize data reliability and quality were comparable to MTurk and lab samples across most analyses.
Teaching Implications: r/SampleSize can be used to recruit relatively large and diverse samples for undergraduate research projects with minimal setup, labor, and cost.
Conclusion: The findings suggest that r/SampleSize is a diverse and viable participant pool.
Keywords
MTurk, Reddit, r/SampleSize, participant pool, online recruitment, crowdsourcing, online sample
The Science of Teaching and Learning Corner
The Relationship Between First-Year Learning Communities and Academic Performance in Introductory Psychology and Sociology
CHRISTINE MA-KELLAMS AND ROY KWON
Teaching of Psychology, 49(4), 338–343
Objective: How do learning communities influence academic performance in Introductory Psychology?
Method: The present research examines the relationship between participation in first-year students learning communities and academic performance across a variety of course requirements (midterms, finals, papers, and class participation) in introductory psychology and, for comparison, sociology courses.
Results: Students who took Introductory Psychology as part of a first-year-student learning community outperformed their peers (who took the same course without a learning community) on the first exam of the semester and were less likely to miss assignments but otherwise showed no significant differences on the other course assignments; introductory sociology students part of these communities showed even greater differences in performance that lasted through the end of the semester.
Conclusion: First-year students learning communities offers significant albeit limited benefits for student performance in introductory courses in the social sciences.
Teaching Implications: Short of institutional efforts to enact programming for first-year learning communities, introductory psychology instructors can attempt to simulate the experience of such communities by promoting a sense of belonging via extra-curricular service or discipline-related activities.
Keywords
Introductory psychology, learning communities, academic achievement
The Impact of Student Choice to Engage in Cooperative Learning on the Final Exam While Controlling for Early Exam Performance and ACT in Introduction to Psychology
MANDA J. WILLIAMSON AND JONAH GARBIN
Teaching of Psychology, 49(4), 344–355
Background: Researchers suggest benefits for cooperative learning, but often fail to control for choosing to engage cooperatively, ACT scores or early course performance.
Objective: To observe the effects of choosing cooperative work on exam performance in an Introduction to Psychology Course, while controlling for early exam performance and ACT.
Method: Data from 261 students assessed the interaction between choice to work cooperatively, alone or being required to work alone while controlling for ACT Score and performance on early tests, respectively.
Results: We observed an interaction between Group and ACT on final exam scores, indicating students who worked cooperatively showed the greatest exam benefits at lower ACT scores. Additionally, a trend toward a significant interaction was found between group and early exam performance, indicating a possible benefit for choosing to work cooperatively for low performers.
Conclusion: Choosing to engage in cooperative learning may decrease ACT-indicated skill differences and early exam success on final exam performance.
Teaching Implications: To decrease the impact of ACT-influenced effects on exam scores, choice to complete cooperative learning activities should be offered in Introduction to Psychology courses.
Keywords
College, teaching, introduction to psychology, cooperative learning
Effectiveness of Undergraduate-Generated Animations: Increasing Comprehension and Engagement for Neuroscience Majors and Non-Majors
CATHERINE L. REED, EMILIA HAGEN, CINDY M. BUKACH, AND JANE W. COUPERUS
Teaching of Psychology, 49(4), 356–368
Background: Animations of scientific concepts may improve comprehension by explaining and visualizing the steps of complex processes, but unless they engage student interest in meaningful ways, their effectiveness as teaching tools is limited. We achieve this through a novel approach to animation design that includes the target audience (undergraduates) so that the resultant animations align with their learner characteristics.
Objective: This case study investigated whether undergraduate-generated animations were more effective educational tools than informationally equivalent text-and-illustration presentations and whether learners’ background influenced the relative benefits of animations.
Method: Incorporating feedback from faculty and undergraduates, we created animations and text-plus-illustration content to explain how neural signals are generated and measured by scalp electrodes. Neuroscience majors and non-majors were presented with either animations or static presentations followed by comprehension and engagement assessments.
Results: Both groups showed comprehension and engagement benefits for animations. Although majors showed better overall comprehension, animations improved comprehension for non-majors over static presentations.
Conclusion: When educational content is directed for a target audience, animations can be more effective teaching tools for a broader student audience.
Teaching Implications: The relevance of online tools for remote instruction makes animations, developed for and by undergraduates, important tools for effectively introducing difficult content.
Keywords
Instructional technology, neuroscience, pedagogy
The Scholarly Teacher Corner
Teaching Ethnic-Specific Coursework: Practical Suggestions for Promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Within the Classroom
JORDAN A. ARELLANES AND MICHAEL HENDRICKS
Teaching of Psychology, 49(4), 369–375
Background: Access to professors willing and trained to teach courses related to specific ethnic groups may be difficult for many universities to provide. This may partially explain why many psychology departments do not offer undergraduate courses that focus on the unique perspectives of specific ethnic groups.
Objective: This study offers practical suggestions for instructors in promoting inclusivity within the classroom detailed though perceptions of students.
Method: Focus groups were conducted with 27 students within four ethnic-specific courses. Focus groups were divided into comparison groups: 1) those that ethnically matched the course material and 2) those that did not.
Results: Ethnic-specific coursework provides space to address systemic issues. Implications from ethnic matching, inclusion efforts within the classroom, and building a class community are discussed.
Conclusions: Diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts are supported when departments offer ethnic-specific courses. The trust and communication with students are improved by constructing effective course frameworks.
Teaching Implications: We inform the development and implementation of ethnic-specific psychology courses by highlighting practical considerations for instructors of varying ethnic backgrounds. Instructors from varied backgrounds can effectively teach these courses but having applied experiences and research related to specific ethnic groups is essential in developing trust and communication with students.
Keywords
Cross-cultural issues, diversity, pedagogy, qualitative research, teaching effectiveness
The Bank Robbery: A Behavioral Observation Exercise for Enhancing Understanding of Reliability
PETER STRELAN
Teaching of Psychology, 49(4), 376–380
Background: The concept of reliability is central to conducting—and understanding—research in Psychology. Students’ understanding of concepts are strengthened when they learn by applying concepts.
Objective: This article describes initial evidence of an activity for teaching reliability.
Method: Students watched a short video of a staged bank robbery. They then tested the reliability of two different forms of police instructions for eyewitness recall. In so doing, they gained practice at calculating and interpreting inter-rater reliability and test-retest reliability.
Results: Data collected from N = 191 students indicates that the exercise has a statistically significant positive effect on student understanding of and confidence about reliability concepts contributes to a roughly 20% increase in performance when comparing responses on pre- and post-exercise multiple choice questions.
Conclusion: The activity gives students practice with the concept of reliability in a way that is engaging and memorable insofar as it demonstrates the implications of reliability for the real world.
Teaching Implications: The activity is straightforward to implement and encourages students to learn by “doing.”
Keywords
Reliability, test-retest reliability, inter-rater reliability, validity, video
Improving the Assessment of Teaching Effectiveness With the Nonequivalent Dependent Variables Approach
JOSHUA J. REYNOLDS
Teaching of Psychology, 49(4), 381–387
Introduction: Assessing teaching effectiveness is relevant for improving one’s teaching and for moving through the tenure process; however, the validity of assessment methods, such as Student Evaluations of Teaching (SET), have been heavily criticized.
Statement of the Problem: Using a one–group pretest–posttest design and assessing learning over the semester has several advantages over SET; however, one drawback is in making conclusions about the cause of changes in the post-test. A change could be due to learning in the semester, maturation, history, or even a testing effect.
Literature Review: To improve the inferential quality of teaching assessment, a nonequivalent dependent variable (DV) design is highly advantageous. A nonequivalent DV is an outcome that is not the target of the intervention yet responds to the same contextually relevant factors.
Teaching Implications: By using a nonequivalent DV design, there might be an increase from the beginning of the semester to the end of the semester in the main DV, but no increase in the nonequivalent DV, which provides a stronger argument that the change in the main DV is due to a true learning effect.
Conclusion: Using nonequivalent DV methodology improves inferential quality and is easily implemented.
Keywords
Teaching effectiveness, assessment, nonequivalent dependent variables design
