Article
Learning theory through practice: Publishing of undergraduate research in psychology
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Authors
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Jonas Meixner
- Universität Bremen, Institute für Psychologie und Transfer (InPuT), Bremen, Germany
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Imke Gerkensmeier
- Universität Bremen, Institute für Psychologie und Transfer (InPuT), Bremen, Germany
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Karina Karolina Kedzior
- Universität Bremen, Institute für Psychologie und Transfer (InPuT), Bremen, Germany
| Published: | March 1, 2018 |
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Outline
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Introduction: Research methods and statistics are mandatory modules in Bachelor of Psychology programs in Germany. Due to limited resources only some parts of the modules can be designed with an active, student-focused teaching approach. Undergraduate students interested in research were invited to take part in a ‘real’ research project as an extracurricular activity and/or for their internship at the department of methods and statistics. The participants were actively involved in the research process as well as publishing of the results. The aim of this study is to assess how students evaluate their learning experiences through the research process as well as publishing of their research.
Methods: The evaluation was conducted after publishing of the projects using semi-standardized interviews and a five-item questionnaire scored on a five-point Likert scale (1 – strongly disagree to 5 – strongly agree). Data regarding item 2 (‘Publishing helped me to better understand contents from modules, such as methods and statistics’) were assessed using descriptive statistics and qualitative data were content-analyzed.
Results: Students reported that publishing helped them with learning of module contents (item 2: mean 4, mode 5, range: 2-5). The qualitative data show that the students gained various practical skills, such as designing a questionnaire and conducting statistical analyses, improved their ability to read scientific papers and conduct literature searches. Regardless of the time investment, the students reported being highly motivated to work on the publications and being more confident in own skills.
Discussion: Undergraduate research is an effective learning and teaching method in Bachelor of Psychology. In the process of publishing students learn to transform the mainly theoretical knowledge they gain in their studies into practical know-how. Furthermore, publishing gives an insight into work of active researchers. Thus, if adequate resources are available, publishing of undergraduate research projects could be implemented in teaching in psychology programs.
