Psychological Literacy and Applied Psychology in Undergraduate Education

Increasing Psychological Literacy and Work Readiness of Australian Psychology Undergraduates through a Capstone and Work‐Integrated Learning Experience: Current Issues and What Needs to be Done

“…An argument posed by innovative educators in psychology is that a central aim for psychology is to promote and develop psychologically literate citizens ready to engage with professional workplace practices (McGovern et al, ). Psychological literacy is the ability to apply psychological skills and knowledge to real life contexts, and includes concepts such as critical thinking, effective communication, acting ethically, being insightful and reflective, and respecting diversity (Cranney et al, ; Cranney & Dunn, ; McGovern et al, ; Trapp et al, ). To produce psychologically literate citizens and address the employability needs of graduates entering the workforce on completion of an undergraduate bachelor‐level degree, it is suggested that undergraduate psychology degree programs offer a capstone course in the final year which includes a WIL experience.…”

The measurement of psychological literacy: a first approximation

“…This definition reflects the more aspirational approach to psychological literacy held by Cranney et al who has been at the forefront of recent research in psychological literacy in Australia. Cranney, along with other researchers, promotes psychological literacy as a necessary goal and primary outcome of an undergraduate education in psychology (McGovern et al, 2010 ; Beins et al, 2011 ; Halpern and Butler, 2011 ; Cranney et al, 2011a , b ). Cranney and Morris ( 2011 ) have extended the conceptualization of psychological literacy with the introduction of the idea of adaptive cognition—“… global ways of thinking (and consequently behaving) that are beneficial to one's (and others') survival and wellbeing” (2011, p. 251).…”

“…The past decade has seen a growing expectation on higher education institutions to prepare their graduates for an increasingly complex, rapidly changing world in which the employees of the future need to be highly-skilled, adaptable, flexible, self-aware, and intuitive problem-solvers with a global outlook. Stakeholders in the tertiary education system (such as students and their families, employers, professional bodies, industry, business, and government) demand greater accountability and clarity about the value of a student's degree and the array of skills they will possess at the completion of their training as they take up a place in the workforce (Cranney et al, 2011a ). In the field of psychology, these expectations have led to national and international efforts to define graduate attributes and competencies, student learning outcomes, and career pathways, and to delineate the possibilities/opportunities and boundaries of the discipline of psychology itself.…”

“…Alongside this has been discussion of the broader skills of university graduates, and how they are prepared to act as “global citizens” with the ability to apply their knowledge to local, national, and international communities in ethical and socially responsible ways for the greater good (Cranney et al, 2011a ). Within this context two key constructs in psychology have emerged, the concepts of psychological literacy and the psychologically literate citizen.…”

Psychological Literacy Weakly Differentiates Students by Discipline and Year of Enrolment

“…The construct of psychological literacy has become an integral part of discussions around the skills a graduate from a psychology degree should have ( McGovern et al, 2010 ; Cranney et al, 2011b , 2012 ; Trapp et al, 2011 ; Mair et al, 2013 ; Karantzas, 2014 ; Baker, 2015 ). Psychological literacy is most commonly defined as “…the general capacity to adaptively and intentionally apply psychology to meet personal, professional, and societal needs" ( Cranney et al, 2012 , p. iii).…”