The skillful psychology student: Two different ways to improve psychology major students’ thinking and writing skills

Tulis, M.T. (Maria)¹, Jones, E.J. (Eva)¹, Flaig, M.F. (Maja)², Simonsmeier, B.S. (Bianca)², Peiffer, H.P. (Henrike)², Schneider, M.S. (Michael)^2
1University of Salzburg, Department of Psychology
²University of Trier

 

Submission type

Symposium

Scheduled

Beelaerts van Bloklandzaal, 21-07-2016, 09:00 - 10:30

Keywords

academic writing, peer-feedback, case-based teaching, critical thinking skills

Summary of Symposium

Scientific literacy and critical thinking skills are emphasized as central objectives for psychology major students. Academic writing with peer-feedback provides opportunities to increase such skills. Another way to improve critical thinking and transfer of psychological knowledge is case-based learning. In this symposium, we introduce two intervention approaches (academic writing with peer-feedback; an interlaced case-based teaching approach within the first two years of the Psychology bachelor’s program). We present effects on cognitive (critical thinking, epistemic beliefs) and affective-motivational outcomes (enjoyment, academic self-concept). The session is structured to engage the audience in dialog and discussion on meaningful interventions to foster psychological competencies.

Name Convenor

Maria Tulis

Auteurs

A new case-based teaching approach to foster psychological thinking skills

Tulis, MT (Maria)¹, Jonas, EJ (Eva)^1
1University of Salzburg, Department of Psychology

 

Abstract ID

78-1

Submission type

Oral only

Keywords

case study, critical thinking, epistemic beliefs

Summary

 

One of the APA Principles for Quality Undergraduate Education in Psychology (2011, 2013) states that the psychology major should provide a broad foundational understanding of the field from the perspective of content areas. Furthermore, students should be able to use psychological concepts and theories to explain real-world problems. Guided by these goals, and by the intention of providing students with a holistic understanding of psychology as science with interlaced rather than detached sub-disciplines, we introduced a new didactic concept to the 2018/19 Bachelor’s program. Integration across perspectives was incorporated into the curriculum by providing a text-based hypothetical case study (“Mrs. T.”) throughout all introductory lectures. We present findings from the first two measurement points of a longitudinal study to evaluate our new approach. N=122 Psychology majors from an Austrian university completed an online questionnaire before and after the first term “Mrs. T.” was introduced in three introductory courses (on average 6 times per course). Results indicated significant improvements in students’ critical thinking skills (d = 0.32), and evaluativistic epistemic beliefs (d = 0.50). Multiplistic epistemic beliefs (d = -0.24) decreased within the first semester. Positive correlations between students’ perceptions of the case and enjoyment speak for the new didactic approach.

Auteurs

Psychology Students’ Self-Concept in Academic Writing Can be Improved by Peer-Feedback

Flaig, MF (Maja)¹, Simonsmeier, BS (Bianca)¹, Peiffer, HP (Henrike)¹, Schneider, MS (Michael)^1
1University of Trier

 

Abstract ID

78-2

Submission type

Oral only

Keywords

academic writing, peer-feedback, academic self-concept

Summary

Skills in academic writing are closely related to learning and achievement in higher education psychology programs. Improving these skills may not only foster achievement but also contribute to developing students’ psychological competence, including their academic self-concept (ASC). However, until today there is virtually no study that examined the effects of academic writing interventions on ASC. The present study closes this gap by investigating the effects of a four week long structured web-based peer feedback intervention on ASC. N=49 Psychology majors from a German university took part in a randomized-controlled trial including a pre-and post-test as part of a seminar assignment. Each student acted as an author and a reviewer of an academic paper. Results indicated significant improvements in ASC for the domain of academic writing over time as compared to a control group. Furthermore, the causal effect of peer feedback compared to no feedback on ASC for academic writing was large with d = 0.72. The effect was domain specific, as the ASCs for the sub-domains statistics and language remained unchanged by the intervention. Overall, the results revealed that peer feedback is an effective method to enhance psychology students’ ASC in the domain of academic writing.

Auteurs

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Only 2 contributions (60 min. Symposium), XY

 

Abstract ID

78-3

Submission type

Oral only

Keywords

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Summary

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Auteurs