Psychology Course Research Articles

Training of students – prospective teachers for summer teaching practice in children’s health camps

The paper deals with the role of summer teaching practice in students personal and professional qualities development, in activating his/her work on himself/herself, in acquiring the students first professional experience, in professional and pedagogical development of the personality of the prospective teacher, and substantiates the need for purposeful, systematic and consistent training of students for the implementation of professional activities of the counselor during summer teaching practice. The authors have revealed possibilities of psychological and pedagogical academic courses and specialized academic courses implemented in different universities (Organization of educational work in a summer health camp, Organization of summer holidays for children and adolescents, Teaching for summer practice, Fundamentals of counselor activities) as well as forms of practical training of students for professional activities of a leader (instructive camps, instructive and methodological camps, instructional fees, field workshops) in effective preparing students for summer teaching practice. The experience of Samara State University of Social Sciences and Education in teaching students prospective teachers for summer pedagogical practice in the process of mastering the content of the academic course Fundamentals of Leadership Activities is presented. As a result students can carry out independent educational work with children and adolescents during summer holidays, they can implement forms, methods and techniques of educating schoolchildren in a summer health camp; they have a responsible and creative attitude to educational work with children and adolescents.

Initial Evidence for Shifting Race Essentialism Beliefs in the Classroom

Background Teaching students about race and racism is critical to and relevant in psychology classrooms. Objective We explored whether direct instruction dismantling ideas that race is genetic affects students' race essentialist and other related beliefs. Method Undergraduate students enrolled in four social psychology courses completed measures of race essentialism and other related beliefs before and after engaging in course-directed activities designed to reduce endorsement of biological essentialist beliefs about race. Results After class activities, students reported lower levels of general racial essentialist beliefs and estimated that more progress is needed to reduce racial inequality. However, attitudes towards racially minoritized groups or perceived need for anti-racist actions did not shift, and colorblind ideology may have increased. Conclusion These data provide evidence that essentialism shifts can be accomplished in the psychology classroom, but shifting related beliefs may require additional instruction. Teaching Implications The class activities described in this research provide a way for instructors to introduce students to a new concept (race essentialism) and change students’ beliefs in the genetic underpinning of race.

Remarkably reproducible psychological (memory) phenomena in the classroom: some evidence for generality from small-N research

BackgroundMainstream psychology is experiencing a crisis of confidence. Many of the methodological solutions offered in response have focused largely on statistical alternatives to null hypothesis statistical testing, ignoring nonstatistical remedies that are readily available within psychology; namely, use of small-N designs. In fact, many classic memory studies that have passed the test of replicability used them. That methodological legacy warranted a retrospective look at nonexperimental data to explore the generality of the reported effects.MethodVarious classroom demonstrations were conducted over multiple semesters in introductory psychology courses with typical, mostly freshman students from a predominantly white private Catholic university in the US Midwest based on classic memory experiments on immediate memory span, chunking, and depth of processing.ResultsStudents tended to remember 7 ± 2 digits, remembered more digits of π following an attached meaningful story, and remembered more words after elaborative rehearsal than after maintenance rehearsal. These results amount to replications under uncontrolled classroom environments of the classic experiments originally conducted largely outside of null hypothesis statistical testing frameworks.ConclusionsIn light of the ongoing replication crisis in psychology, the results are remarkable and noteworthy, validating these historically important psychological findings. They are testament to the reliability of reproducible effects as the hallmark of empirical findings in science and suggest an alternative approach to commonly proffered solutions to the replication crisis.

A systematic review of the effect of university positive psychology courses on student psychological wellbeing

[https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=224202], identifier [CRD42020224202].

Does Meeting Belongingness Needs Through Social Media Impact One's Fear of Missing Out and Self-Esteem?

The purpose of this study was to explore how meeting belongingness needs through social media use may impact one’s fear of missing out (FoMO) and self-esteem. It was predicted that individuals with increased levels of FoMO would have higher levels of the need to belong. It was also predicted that individuals with lower levels of self-esteem would have higher levels of FoMO and the need to belong. A total of 592 participants (447 female, 137 male) in various psychology courses at a community college and a university participated in an online survey. Consistent with the hypothesis, increased FoMO is related to a higher level of need to belong. Additionally, lower levels of self-esteem are related to higher levels of FoMO and a higher level of the need to belong. Based on these findings, perhaps lower levels of self-esteem further exacerbate the positive feedback loop between one’s desire for belongingness and their FoMO when utilizing social media. As such, these results may caution college students from meeting their need for belongingness through social media usage, and more so, those with a lower level of self-esteem.

The Testing Effect in the Lecture Hall: Does it Depend on Learner Prerequisites?

The benefits of practice testing for long-term learning are well established in many contexts. However, little is known about learner characteristics that might moderate its effectiveness. The effects of practice tests might depend on individual prerequisites for learning, especially in real-world educational settings. We explored whether the effects of practice testing in a regular university lecture would depend on cognitive (e.g., prior knowledge), motivational (e.g., learning motivation), or emotional (test anxiety) dispositions. We implemented an experimental intervention design in psychology courses for teacher students ( N = 208). One week before the lecture, focal learner characteristics were assessed. Immediately after the lecture, participants completed an online review session with short-answer questions (practice testing with corrective feedback) or summarizing statements (restudy), alternating within each participant. One week later, retention of learning contents was assessed with a criterial test containing short-answer and multiple-choice questions. A testing effect emerged (ηp² = .07), with better retention for the tested compared with the restudied contents. Some learner characteristics affected learning outcomes, but no interactions with testing vs. restudy occurred. These results suggest that the testing effect in the university classroom is a robust phenomenon that benefits learning irrespective of primary individual learning prerequisites.

Developing Students’ Intrinsic Interest in Reading Challenging Articles: An Application of Basic Psychological Need Supports

Intrinsic motivation in doing academic tasks were important psychological aspects for improvement of students’ learning. However, intrinsic motivation in reading research articles was observably low among Cambodian undergraduate students. Therefore, developing or sustaining their intrinsic motivation was a needed treatment to enhance students’ learning. Self-Determination Theory (SDT) posited that intrinsic motivation could be increased when students are satisfied with Basic Psychological Needs (BPNs) which may be cultivated through learning environments that make them feel competent, autonomous, and relative to the others while doing an academic task. This study intended to examine whether BPN supportive learning environment is salient to increase intrinsic motivation in reading a research article. 27 participants who were undergraduate students and enrolled in a course of community psychology were purposively selected to fill in a self-administrative questionnaires of Intrinsic Motivation Inventory before and after attending the reading activity. As a result, level of intrinsic motivation in reading was increased in 10 units (64.74 to 74.44) after the activity finished. It was concluded that BPN supportive learning environment was important to increase or at least sustain intrinsic motivation among these particular students. The implication of this study result in the classroom practices was discussed under the SDT perspectives.

A Sociological Lens on Linguistic Diversity: Implications for Writing Inclusive Multiple-Choice Assessments

Multiple-choice questions (MCQs) are widely used in large introductory courses. Recent research focuses on MCQ reliability and validity and overlooks questions of accessibility. Yet, access to the norms of academic discourse embedded in MCQs differs between groups of first-year students. We theorize these norms as part of the institutionalized cultural symbols that reproduce social and cultural exclusion for linguistically diverse students. A sociological focus on linguistic diversity is necessary as the percentage of students who use English as an additional language (EAL), rather than English as a native language (ENL), has grown. Drawing on sociology as pedagogy, we problematize MCQs as a medium shaping linguistically diverse students’ ability to demonstrate disciplinary knowledge. Our multimethod research uses two-stage randomized exams and focus groups with EAL and ENL students to assess the effects of a modification in instructors’ MCQ writing practices in sociology and psychology courses. Findings show that students are more likely to answer a modified MCQ correctly, with greater improvement for EAL students.

The Promise of Labor-Based Grading Contracts for the Teaching of Psychology and Neuroscience

Introduction: Instructors assign grades to communicate to students how well they are learning the course content. However, students and instructors are often displeased with the process and outcome of grading. Statement of the Problem: We contend that conventional grading inadvertently detracts from student learning and simultaneously replicates systems of oppression in academia. We discuss Labor-Based Grading Contracts (LBGCs) as an alternative to conventional grading. Literature Review: We review the conceptual and empirical literature on LBGCs as an alternative method of assessing student work and extend its application to psychology and neuroscience courses. Teaching Implications: We present recommendations for implementing LBGCs and address common concerns instructors have about this approach. We also make a call for more research on LBGCs in psychology and neuroscience teaching and learning. Conclusion: LBGCs represent a promising shift in the purpose and approach to assessing student work and learning by centering laboring to learn and developing skills. LBGCs also create a more equitable grading structure for all students.

Reassurance seeking test behavior and exam performance

The current studies examine the roles of test anxiety safety behaviors and memory confidence in test performance. In Study 1, 154 college students completed self-report measures, including measures of low memory confidence and reassurance seeking test behavior, and provided access to standardized test scores and information about their academic performance in high school. We found a significant indirect association between low memory confidence and standardized test scores through reassurance seeking test behavior. Reassurance seeking test behavior fully mediated the relationship of low memory confidence with standardized test scores. In Study 2, 310 college students completed self-report measures, including low memory confidence and reassurance seeking test behaviors, and provided access to ACT scores, SAT scores, information regarding their academic performance in high school, and introductory psychology course exam scores. Study 2 found reassurance seeking test behaviors are associated with poorer performance on standardized exams and prospectively predicted poorer performance on course exams. Study 2 failed to replicate Study 1's findings and found only marginal evidence that reassurance seeking test behaviors mediate the association between low memory confidence and performance on exams. Further experimental work to manipulate test anxiety safety behaviors is needed.

Nursing Experience of a Patient with Acute Kidney Injury Facing the First Hemodialysis

<p>本文描述一位因腎功能損傷伴隨致命性高血鉀風險，使其面臨初次血液透析之護理經驗，經團隊評估後，需長期血液透析的個案，其日常生活受限、家中角色改變進而產生無力感，照護期間為2020/1/16~2/2。護理過程中藉由直接照護、身體評估、主動關懷及開放性會談等方式收集資料，發現主要健康問題有：一、呼吸喘，二、透析飲食執行度不佳，三、無力感。照護期間透過圖表（卡）教導個案測量水腫情況，並透過水壺、磅秤讓個案學習飲食及水份控制技巧，與其搭配營養師衛教及食品營養成分資料庫，增加個案對飲食資訊管道，並考量個案生活習慣下建立提醒機制，如：製作小吊飾或手機鬧鈴等個別性護理措施，加上家人支持、宗教信仰成為心靈上慰藉及腎友的經驗分享，引導個案接受目前扮演的角色，與疾病共存生活。建議往後照顧類似案例能融入家屬的參與，並思考如何強化醫療成員自我主動學習心理諮商輔導課程意願，讓往後面對此案例時能有更好的因應之道。</p> <p> </p><p>This paper describes the case of a patient with worsening renal function accompanied by electrolyte disturbance who required long-term hemodialysis after assessment by a medical team. The patient felt helpless due to restrictions in daily life and changes in their family role. The care period was from January 16 to February 2, 2020. In this period, observations, direct care, physical evaluation, medical record inspection, active concern, and open interviews were used for collecting information. Major health problems found included the following: 1. shortness of breath; 2. poor execution of dialysis diet; and 3. a sense of powerlessness. During the care period, picture teach the case to measure edema, and let the case study dietary water control skills through the use of water bottles and scales, nutrition-related information websites and several types of reminder mechanisms were employed, such as using cell phone charms or mobile alarms, to help the patient understand correct information on various dietary components and accept their current family role. This was done to make living with the disease easier for the patient. We recommend the inclusion of family participation for future studies on care of patients with similar conditions. Also, we should think of devising ways for increasing medical staff’s willingness to proactively take psychological counseling courses so that they can respond better to such cases in the future.</p> <p> </p>

Reimagining Assessment in a Large Lecture: An Alternative Approach Inspired by Thomas Jefferson and Maria Montessori

In large lecture courses, it can be challenging to imagine assessing student learning in ways other than multiple-choice exams and traditional point-based grading. Inspired by major pedagogical principles shared by Maria Montessori and Thomas Jefferson and supported by current understandings of effective teaching, assessment was reimagined in a large introductory-level child psychology course to allow for free choice and active engagement. Instead of exams, students created a short scientific essay each week on what most interested them; essays were assessed using a short rubric and sampling techniques. Instead of traditional point-based grading, specifications grading was used. These changes, dubbed the JeffMonte method, were associated with better student performance, were received positively by students, and increased instructor satisfaction.

Homework, in-class assignments, and midterm exams

Formative assessments can be used more effectively to support students’ learning when coupled with insights about which types of formative assessments are predictive of students’ subsequent learning achievement. In this study, we investigated the predictive utility of students’ grades on homework and in-class assignments for the midterm and final cumulative exam, which were taken as measures of student learning. The data consisted of the grades of 241 undergraduate students for homework, in-class assignments, midterm and final cumulative exams in a variety of psychology courses. Using regression analyses, we found that students’ midterm exam grades were predicted by their grades for homework and in-class assignments completed before the midterm exam. Final cumulative exam grades were predicted by students’ homework and midterm exam grades, but not their in-class assignment grades. These findings suggest that the effectiveness of formative assessments as tools to predict student achievement varies. Additionally, although homework was not as strong of a predictor as the midterm exam, it was still an adequate predictor of final cumulative exam performance. Since homework feedback is provided earlier and often more frequently, in the context of the present courses under investigation, it can be a useful tool in informing educators’ and students’ learning plans early in a course. Future research should investigate further the relation between different types of formative and summative assessments across different instructors, disciplines and institutions.

Pedagogy matters: A framework for critical community-engaged courses in higher education


 
 
 This article describes specific pedagogical components of a community engagement project between students in a psychology course and youth at a juvenile justice centre (JJS). The purpose of the research was to illustrate how feminist and critical pedagogies can create reciprocal community engagement that provides a space for learning at both college and community sites. The researchers involved in this study included the professor of the Psychology of Women course, a senior college student who previously took the course, the JJS volunteer coordinator and an education professor. Together, they employed qualitative, single case study methodology in order to understand the complex social phenomena of this community-engaged course. The results demonstrate that lessons addressing social inequities are beneficial for youth in JJS and offer a way to alleviate the gap in gender-specific programming. They also create community and offer an empowerment lens. By explicitly focusing on the pedagogical choices of the partnership, this research contributes to an understanding of how critical community engagement can provide mutual benefits.
 
 

Reassessing the Confluence Model of Men's Risk for Sexual Aggression.

Reassessing the confluence model of men's risk for sexual aggression-the confluence model of sexual aggression has been widely used to study men's risk for perpetrating sexual violence. Over time, researchers have attempted to expand this model to improve its predictive utility. Unfortunately, this work has continued to produce similar results with only slight improvements in prediction at best. One explanation for the inability to enhance the model could be due to changes in the dating landscape and shifts in beliefs about gender roles. Therefore, the current study aims to reassess the confluence model using a more contemporary construct, hostile sexism, in an effort to improve the predictive utility of the confluence model of sexual aggression. Participants were 258 college men recruited from a medium-sized public university in the northeastern United States, using an online participant pool of students who volunteered to participate as part of a requirement for a psychology course. Structural equation modeling using mean- and variance-adjusted weighted least squares estimation indicated that the confluence of hostile sexism and impersonal sex appears to be a better predictor of sexual aggression in comparison to the confluence of hostile masculinity and impersonal sex. The results suggest that replacing hostile masculinity with hostile sexism may produce a model that is better able to predict men's risk for perpetrating sexual aggression. These results can provide insight for future iterations of the confluence model, which may include hostile sexism as a core construct. Attitudes that stem from hostile sexism may be a beneficial target for future interventions designed to decrease the frequency of perpetration.

Revision and Application of Attitude Scale for Qualitative Research in Psychology among Chinese Undergraduates

Building on foreign literature about the attitude toward qualitative methods for psychology and combining with our local experience of teaching qualitative methods to psychology students, we revised and validated the original scale of Attitude towards Qualitative Research in Psychology (AQRP), generating Attitude Scale for Qualitative Research in Psychology (ASQRP). The scale was also applied to evaluate the effect of our course on qualitative methods for psychology. Three studies were conducted to explore, revise and validate the scale. In study 1, we translated and revised the original scale with eighteen items from the previous study. In a sample of 311 students enrolled in psychology courses, we surveyed and conducted a confirmatory factor analysis on four dimensions of the original scale. Among them, there was zero correlation between perceived lack of validity and qualitative orientation, while the two dimensions of the original scale were negatively correlated. The results of the fitness index were slightly away from expectations. In study 2, we added six locally adapted items to the scale and surveyed again to gain a sample of 249 psychology students. Exploratory analysis established a three-dimension structure of the Attitude Scale for Qualitative Research in Psychology (ASQPR) containing “perceived lack of validity,” “capturing the lived experience,” and “time- and resource- intensive,” with twenty-two items remaining and the dimension of “qualitative orientation” in the original scale reduced. Correlations between the ASQPR and Knowledge about Qualitative Research Scale and Psychology as a Science Scale showed acceptable validity. In study 3, the ASQPR was applied to assess students’ learning outcomes who took part in the psychological qualitative methods courses for a semester. We used a pretest-posttest design to track the attitude changes in three samples of students (179 in total). After the course, students increased their knowledge about qualitative research and realized the advantages of qualitative approach (i.e., capturing the lived experience) and quantitative approach. They also generally think of qualitative research as time and resource-demanding. However, the ingrained perception of qualitative research as lacking validity remained unchanged. In sum, the current study developed a tool suitable for Chinese students to assess their attitudes towards qualitative research, which can assist in curriculum reform and construction involving teaching qualitative methods.

Reducing students’ ecological footprints through self-developed interventions

An increasing emphasis on taking personal responsibility for making changes to address climate change and support sustainable development is hindered by the limited tools and guidance available that enable the relationship between living patterns and environmental impacts to be readily and accurately discerned. An exception is the ecological footprint calculator that measures the global environmental impact of everyday activities. This study describes how the ecological footprint calculator is used as part of a master’s course in environmental psychology to enable students to understand, change, and measure the environmental impacts of their daily activities. A case study design based on students’ exercises was used to collect quantitative and qualitative data. We found relational, environment, financial, and self-efficacy themes embedded in their reflections on the intervention process. Our study supports an educational approach that requires students to self-develop, implement, and measure interventions to reduce their ecological footprint.

Impacts of the COVID-19 Transition to Remote Instruction for University Students

At a public university in March 2020, 234 students (78% female; 63% second year, 28% third year) enrolled in a psychological statistics course described their experiences during the first week of the transition to remote instruction in response to coronavirus disease 2019. Qualitative responses indicated 13 common concerns in the following domains: financial, housing, and food security; social life; emotional health; sleep; and academic performance. Students with lower socioeconomic status were more likely to experience financial instability, food insecurity, and academic challenges.

An Examination of Sleep as a Mediator of the Relationship between Childhood Adversity and Depression in Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Young Adults

The current study integrates previous research on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and long-term health outcomes to examine associations between ACEs, sleep duration, and depression in a diverse, mostly healthy, sample of young adults. We examine whether sleep duration mediates the association between ACEs and depression among young adults, and whether ethnicity may moderate observed relationships between ACEs, sleep duration and depression. Data were collected from 518 young adults (66.8% female, M age=19.79 years, SD age=3.43 years) enrolled in undergraduate Psychology courses at a large Southwestern university. Participants primarily reported their racial/ethnic background as Non-Hispanic White (60.6%) and Hispanic/Latino (25.1%). Participants self-reported their ACEs exposure, sleep characteristics, and depressive symptoms. In addition to calculating overall exposure to ACEs, scores for the specific dimensions of adversity were also calculated (Abuse, Neglect, Exposure to Violence). Results supported a mediation model whereby higher reports of ACEs were associated with depressive symptoms both directly and through sleep duration. Results were not moderated by ethnicity. Findings provide support for sleep duration as one potential pathway through which ACEs may be associated with depressive symptoms in young adulthood, and suggest that this pathway is similar in Hispanic and non-Hispanic young adults.

Experiential Group Psychotherapy Training with Undergraduate Students in Spain

ABSTRACT This paper describes a single case study design examining the experiences of 14 undergraduate psychology students in Spain who participated in a group psychology course with an analytic, experiential group training component. Our goal was to better understand trainees’ experiences as participants in the groups and gather their perceptions on the main mechanisms of learning that occur. Qualitative data came from participants’ personal reflective journals, and thematic analysis was used to code these data. Quantitative data came from participants’ pre-post scores on a therapeutic factors inventory (Yalom’s therapeutic factors). Test scores suggest that altruism, universality, cohesion, increased among participants, from pre- to posttest. In addition, qualitative analysis revealed that the group process followed an expected progression (e.g., hesitant and superficial, to deep and emotionally charged interventions, to themes surrounding closure and integration). We review learning mechanisms identified by participants, such as practice in the observer role and the use of silences in the group. Finally, we review the usefulness of an experiential approach in helping undergraduate students learn about group process, develop interpersonal skills, experience personal growth, and acquire group facilitation skills. Study limitations are also discussed.