A nationwide survey of introductory psychology instructors showed that introductory courses are remarkably uniform in structure and content, with few differences across instructors and institutions. Instructors' most important goal was to “engage students in scientific inquiry about psychological processes,” but instructors said that what the course does best is to survey the field and the different approaches to it. A survey of introductory students showed that most expected to learn about people and relationships and to gain useful skills and knowledge. At the end of the term, most described the course as a survey, and the course fell short of many of their expectations.
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