Strengthening scientific reasoning skills in introductory psychology: Evidence from community college and liberal arts classrooms.

Abstract

This research represents an extension of our prior article, published in Teaching of Psychology (Stevens & Witkow, 2014), which detailed the development and evaluation of a single module for training scientific reasoning skills in introductory psychology.Here we report on the development of a larger set of 8 modules, along with evaluation data from a 4-year baccalaureate liberal arts college (N ϭ 195 students) and a 2-year community college (N ϭ 94 students). Each module required 30 -45 min of class time and was keyed to a different major content topic covered in introductory psychology. Participating instructors, who were uninvolved in the development of materials, chose how many and which modules to implement during the term. Gains on a scientific reasoning assessment were compared from the beginning to the end of the term in students in treatment sections versus comparison sections taught as usual. In the liberal arts and community college settings, students in treatment sections showed significantly greater gains in scientific reasoning relative to students in comparison sections (Cohen's d ϭ ϩ0.66 at the liberal arts college and d ϭ ϩ1.06 at the community college). At the community college setting, an additional within-instructor comparison demonstrated that students in the treatment section also made greater gains in scientific reasoning than students taught by the same instructor, but in the term before receiving the modules (Cohen's d ϭ ϩ1.05). Taken together, these results provide evidence for the use of modular activities embedded throughout the term to improve scientific reasoning in introductory psychology courses.

Where Is Psychology Teaching and Learning Research Conducted? An Analysis of Institution Setting and Class Sizes

“…Although author affiliations indicate who designed, conducted, and wrote the research, this information may not always coincide with where the research was conducted. For example, some authors have partnered with teaching faculty at different colleges, including community colleges, to evaluate materials in different instructional settings (e.g., Kenyon et al, 2016; C. Stevens et al, 2016; L.…”

“…To the extent that class structure or student characteristics influence pedagogy, it is thus unknown whether faculty teaching in different institutions or class contexts can meaningfully apply curricular innovations in their own classroom. At least one study that presented data from both a community college and 4-year Baccalaureate setting suggests that the effects of an intervention may vary in specific ways across different institutional contexts (C. Stevens et al, 2016). This represents an important direction for the SoTL research-namely identifying not only "what works?"…”

“…As well, faculty at 2-year colleges may have less access to institutional review boards and/or funding necessary for conducting research studies. However, given that authors can conduct research at institutions other than their own (e.g., Kenyon, Onorato, Gottesman, Hoque, & Hoskins, 2016; C. Stevens, Witkow, & Smelt, 2016; L.…”

Engaging Community College Students in Publishable Research

“…When traditional laboratory experiences are not a reasonable option, embedding scientific reasoning, and critical thinking modules into introductory psychology courses can significantly improve the skills important for conducting publishable research. For example, Stevens et al (2016) found that students showed significant gains in scientific reasoning after experiencing carefully planned lectures and discussion modules designed to promote scientific reasoning and critical thinking. Such curricular enhancements, paired with experiential learning activities, promote faculty and student scholarship.…”

Assessment of Scientific Inquiry and Critical Thinking: Measuring APA Goal 2 Student Learning Outcomes

“…Even at the introductory level, the APA (2011) argues that students should be introduced to psychology as a scientific discipline. Although the APA Guidelines identify the importance of developing scientific reasoning and there is a multitude of classroom activities available with that goal in mind, assessment of these activities to determine if they are effective is less common (Stevens et al, 2016).…”