Psychological Literacy: A Construct Validity Analysis

Newell, S J (Samantha)¹, Chur-Hansen, A (Anna)¹, Strelan, P (Peter)^1
1The University of Adelaide, North Terrace, South Australia, Australia, 5005, Adelaide

 

Submission type

Poster only

Scheduled

Poster Sessions 2 (10.30-11:00), 21-07-2016, 10:30 - 11:00

Keywords

Psychological Literacy, Construct validity, Psychology graduate skills, Psychology student attributes, Graduate attributes

Summary

The construct ‘psychological literacy’ (PL) refers to the skills and attributes that higher education psychology graduates are expected to possess. Varied operationalisation of PL across empirical studies has resulted in conflicting information for the attributes that PL encompasses. It is unclear whether the construct of PL has been adequately developed for key stakeholders (such as psychology educators, students and employers), which is problematic as PL is increasingly influential in curriculum policy. There is a need to assess the evidence of construct validity in PL research. Exploratory factor analyses are currently driving the conceptualisation of PL, but this is only beneficial if the components of the construct are understood. This paper presents an evaluation of empirical PL studies against threats to construct validity, and evidence for construct validity in individual measures. Results suggest that there is no unifying theory underpinning PL research, which is problematic for determining the construct validity of PL. Possible solutions to resolve construct validity threats are offered, such as the formation of a theory for attribute selection.

Auteurs