PURPOSE

1. Delete me & place your LOGO in this area. Enhancing High School Students’ Interest in Psychology Through the Use of a “Psychology Day” Valerie J. Eastman, PhD. Department of Behavioral Sciences, Drury University, Springfield, MO METHOD RESULTS PURPOSE Past researchers (e.g., Benjamin, Fawl, & Klein, 1966; Henderson, 1994; Mathie, 2002) have urged greater cooperation between universities and high schools in order to increase high school students’ awareness and understanding of the field of psychology. In the spirit of that mandate, our university created a one-day campus event aimed at promoting the science of psychology to area high school students. The event encompassed a series of activities including a sample psychology class, a psychology “fair”, and a career panel of local professionals. We sponsored this event on four separate occasions and each time we received very positive feedback from the participants. Participants completed a survey at the conclusion of the event; the survey was designed to assess their attitudes toward the university, the day’s events, and psychology in general. At our most recent event in the fall of 2012, 78.7% reported an increased interest in psychology. The activities fair included seven different psychology-related stations, each with its own experiential activity. Students rated each activity on a Likert scale from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent). The mean ratings for these activities (with standard deviations in parentheses) ranged from a high of 4.44 (.69) to a low of 3.86 (1.02). (Mean ratings for each station are reported in the table.) These results have encouraged us to continue sponsoring the event with only minor adjustments each year based on participant feedback. Other colleges and universities around the country can easily adopt a similar type of educational program for high school students in their areas. The sample psychology class was taught by a full-time psychology faculty member and included an interactive lecture and multimedia presentation. The psychology fair, staffed by psychology majors at our university, included a variety of research-based stations where students actively explored such topics as the stress-illness connection, personal space, reaction time, the Stroop effect, and intelligence testing. During the career panel, students heard from several local professionals who discussed their work in a variety of different areas such as forensic psychology, law enforcement, human resources, and social services. The event was co-sponsored by the university’s office of admissions and was advertised on their website. Any interested high school student was welcome to attend. We also specifically invited students enrolled in psychology and sociology classes at a local high school. Each year, attendance increased beginning with a low of 39 in the first year to a high of 62 in the fall of 2012. REFERENCES \ Benjamin, Jr., L. T., Fawl, C. L., & Klein, M. (1977). The fair: Experimental psychology for high school students. American Psychologist, 32, 1097-1098. Henderson, B. B. (1994). The role of psychology departments in supporting secondary school teachers of psychology. Teaching of Psychology, 21 (2), 107-108. Mathie, V. A. (2002). Building academic partnerships in psychology: The Psychology Partnerships Project. American Psychologist, 57, 915-926 (Mathie, 2002).