Undergraduate Psychology Teaching and Education at Argentinian Universities: A Sociobibliometric Investigation (1999–2018)

Abstract

This study is an empirical analysis of the recent past and current state of Argentinian undergraduate psychology education in the context of psychology programs’ ongoing evaluation and accreditation processes. We used six bibliometric parameters to retrieve the required listed readings ( N = 16,085) of the 452 compulsory undergraduate courses’ syllabi from Argentina’s 12 most populated psychology programs at public and prívate universities. We then compared our data with analyses from the 2000–2010 period and with official accreditation criteria. Results showed a marked obsolescence and a limited updating of required readings. Syllabi showed a clear hegemony of psychoanalytically-oriented authors and readings, dominance of books and faculty-written manuscripts over scholarly articles, and a very limited internationalization. Our findings suggest that accreditation processes have not modified Argentinian psychology’s main, historical characteristics.