Review ofToPTeaching Strategies: Links to Students' Scientific Inquiry Skills Development

Abstract

A major function of instruction in psychology is to convey complex phenomena in a manner accessible to students. Instructors using well-designed teaching activities can help to make complex material accessible. We content analyzed teaching activities reported in the first 33 years of Teaching of Psychology. We identified 15 general teaching strategies in 681 teaching activity articles and coded strategies' potential impact on student development of scientific inquiry skills. We found that ToP authors have consistently used learner-centered strategies and have significantly increased their use of active evaluation strategies. We discuss implications of instructor use of the most frequently encountered strategies.

Students’ Perspectives on the First Day of Class: A Replication

“…Research has identified various teaching strategies that optimize student learning and facilitate the understanding and retention of information (Tomcho et al, 2008). In western contexts, teaching approaches that encourage active engagement with the material, as well as critical thinking and evaluation are known to exert a positive impact on learning outcomes (Butler, Phillmann, & Smart, 2001;Freeman et al, 2007;O'Sullivan & Copper, 2003;Prince & Felder, 2006;Sivan, Wong Leung, Woon, & Kember, 2000;Yoder & Hochevar, 2005).…”

Introduction of a Journal Excerpt Activity Improves Undergraduate Students’ Performance in Statistics

“…Research has identified various teaching strategies that optimize student learning and facilitate the understanding and retention of complex information (Tomcho et al, 2008). Learning approaches that encourage active engagement with the material, as well as critical thinking and evaluation, are known to exert a positive impact on learning outcomes (Butler, Phillmann, & Smart, 2001;Freeman et al, 2007;O'Sullivan & Copper, 2003;Prince & Felder, 2006;Sivan, Wong Leung, Woon, & Kember, 2000;Yoder & Hochevar, 2005).…”

The Effectiveness of the Inquiry and Brain Storming Strategies in Developing Achievement and Creative Thinking Skills in Arabic Language of University Students

“…In addition, inquiry-based learning integrates many strategies throughout its steps, its components, and associated teaching practices, including problem-solving, brainstorming and discussions in collaborative groups (Dunlap & Antonio, 2012). Furthermore, there are set of skills related to developing creative of the students' through using inquiry-based learning and brainstorming as follows (Tomcho et al, 2008, Ormond, 2011):…”

“…Contemporary trends in teaching and learning have moved from direct learning strategies to active learning strategies, and include many strategies, including inquiry-based learning and brainstorming. These strategies start from a set of principles, the most important of which are the following (Tomcho et al, 2008):…”