Teaching Psychology Research Methodology Across the Curriculum to Promote Undergraduate Publication: An Eight-Course Structure and Two Helpful Practices

Frontiers in Psychology

Stuart McKelvie¹ 

关键词: teaching;    research methods;    course structure;    critical discussion;    replication;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02295

学科分类：心理学（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

How can methodology courses promote undergraduate involvement in publishable research? In our undergraduate liberal arts institution in Québec, where the Bachelor's degree normally takes 3 years following 2 years of college, we require more, rather than less: our psychology program has evolved since the 1960s to require a solid backbone of mandatory methods-related courses that is considerably more extensive than in most universities (McKelvie, 2000). Psychology majors take two consecutive introductory statistics courses in the first academic year, reaching the level of two-way ANOVA. Simultaneous with the second course, they take an introductory research methods course with lectures and discussion of important concepts, including theory, and involvement (participation, testing, writing) in instructor-planned projects that usually extend past research. In the second year, intending honors students take an advanced methods course that builds on the first one. It uses the same text, and continues active participation in project work. An unusual requirement (McKelvie, 2000) is a course in Psychometrics and Psychological Testing, reflecting our belief in the importance of measurement. In the third year, students with a program average of 80% or better, and a combined average of 75% in the advanced research methods course plus the second statistics course, may enter the honors program. They take a multivariate statistics course, and produce an idea for a data-based honors thesis under the direction of a main and a secondary supervisor. Students are encouraged to create their own research question on a topic of their choosing. Over two semesters, they discuss this project in a seminar course and write a formal proposal, and then in the thesis course, they conduct the research and write the report.

【 授权许可】

CC BY