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The role of psychological literacy in enhancing the student experience

This session explores the current state of psychological literacy in psychology courses and its role in teaching and learning. It discusses the challenges in teaching psychology to appropriate standards and the importance of preparing students for employment and society.

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The role of psychological literacy in enhancing the student experience

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  1. The role of psychological literacy in enhancing the student experience Gareth Williams and Rowena Hill Division of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Nottingham Trent University

  2. Overview There are three aims to the session. • Explore what can be learnt from a wide range of subject literacies and their role in teaching and learning throughout the university • - and more broadly subject literacy - amongst higher education • Explore the current state of the art of psychological literacy • Current state of psychological literacy in psychology courses at the Division of Psychology • Re-examine point 1 above within the new context

  3. Subject Literacy • Subject literacy is not • Reading and writing literacy • Only transferrable skills • What it includes: • Subject Knowledge • Transferable skills • How we treat knowledge • Employability skills • Global citizenship • NTU Graduate attributes • For example, active listening

  4. Psychological literacy

  5. Challenge for psychology • Most psychology graduates do not go into named psychologist roles • Around 5% continue with a career leading to a chartered psychologist role • Chartered routes have changed but A-Level student perception has stayed the same • Shift from masters courses to doctorates • Careers out of reach for many students • Clinical Psychology • DClin • Applicant : place ratio 2014 = 7 : 1 • Educational Psychologist • DEdPsych • Applicant : place ratio = 13 : 1 (Southampton) • Other chartered routes • For example, MSc Forensic Psychology • Also competitive

  6. Employability and subject challenge • Staying true to subject integrity • Is it possible to teach psychology to the appropriate standard • Offer students a positive learning experience • Unknown employment the changing graduate landscape • Preparing students for employment and society • but ensuring our students apply their subject literacy in their every day life now – not just ‘after NTU’

  7. Psychological literacy • Having a well-defined vocabulary and basic knowledge of the critical subject matter of psychology • Valuing the intellectual challenges required to use scientific thinking and the disciplined analysis of information to evaluate alternative courses of action • Taking a creative and amiable skeptical approach to problem solving • Applying psychological principles to personal, social, and organizational issues in work, relationships, and the broader community • Acting ethically • Being competent in using and evaluating information and technology • Communicating effectively in different modes and with many different audiences • Recognizing, understanding, and fostering respect for diversity • Being insightful and reflective about one’s own and others’ behavior and mental processes McGovern et al. (2010), p. 11

  8. Division of Psychology Psychology Single Honours Psychology with Criminology Psychology with Sociology

  9. Plotting psychological literacy • Mostly in level 6 • Elective modules, Research Project, Professional Practice • Levels 4 and 5 • mostly BPS Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership • Research Methods, Statistics • Psychology: Cognitive, Biological, Individual Differences, Social, Developmental • Content heavy in levels 4 and 5 • No plan to include psychological literacy features

  10. Method • Analysis of learning outcomes to assess current status • Psychology Single Honours • Compared against the nine criteria • McGovern et al. (2010) • 15 modules (N = 22 as some modules were composites) • Analysis by • Level • 4, 5, 6 • Mode of teaching • Lecture, medium interactive, small interactive • Mode of assessment • Essay, phase test, examination, report

  11. Findings: Psychological literacy by level

  12. Findings: Psychological literacy by teaching method

  13. Findings: Psychological literacy by assessment

  14. Summary of Findings • Psychological literacy represented in learning outcomes • ‘Knowledge’ type literacy more common than skills and actions • Acting ethically focused on concepts related to research methods • BPS content heavy Level 5 • Dip in some learning outcomes being sensitive to psychological literacy • Some assessments offer psychologically literate learning experiences • Examinations and Essays less consistent

  15. Case study: Individual Differences and Conceptual and Historic Issues • Assessment is a 2,500 word essay entitled: • “Critically analyse how useful seminal and contemporary individual differences theories can be when making sense of a life event that you have personally experienced”

  16. Opportunities and Challenges • Opportunities • Staff inspiration • Student inspiration • Aggregates priorities • Challenges • Threatens the student comfort zone • Staff resistance in other institutions

  17. Summary: • Ongoing here at NTU within psychology • Success we feel is a balance between: • Subject integrity vs subject application • Consistent context vs differentiated delivery across the course • Assessment vs learning opportunities • Therefore these are likely to be different for each course within psychology • Next steps are to find out how to take advantage of opportunities and overcome any barriers • What could we learn from your current practice?

  18. Discussion: Your subject literacy • Use your course learning outcomes as a ‘starter for ten’; what can come ‘off the page’ now? • What is the balance between subject integrity and subject literacy – we think neither one should be compromised • Learning opportunities versus assessment opportunities – we feel that subject literacy should be balanced between the two • Identifying potential subject literacy assessment opportunities? • Is literacy most appropriate for UG only or should it be an aim for PG courses?

  19. Suggested References: • Cranney, J. & Dunn, D. (Eds.) (2011) The Psychologically Literate Citizen: Foundations and Global Perspectives. New York: Oxford University Press. • Mair, C., Taylor, J. & Hulme, J. (2013). An introductory guide to psychological literacy and psychologically literate citizenship. HEA website: https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/detail/subjects/psychology/psychological-literacy • Watt, R. (2013). Developing the psychologically literate citizen at the University of Stirling. HEA website: https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/node/7555

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