This article introduces a set of case studies that were submitted to us following requests in psychology conferences and publications, and through professional networks. The full versions of the case studies make up the first version of a Psychological Literacy Compendium of Practice that is available online at www.psychologicalliteracy.com. The…

The shortage of social science graduates with competent quantitative skills jeopardises the competitive UK economy, public policy making effectiveness and the status the UK has as a world leader in higher education and research (British Academy for Humanities and Social Sciences, 2012). There is a growing demand for quantitative skills across all…

The ability to reason scientifically and communicate research appropriately is central to psychological literacy. Scientific research has little value unless scientists are able to convey results and their consequences clearly to others. In this study, we outline a method of assessing the development of psychological literacy in undergraduate…

Patchwork text assessment offers an alternative to traditional forms of assessment that are often focused on single assessment outcomes. Embedded within patchwork text assessment is formative assessment whereby short pieces of work, or patches, are shared with staff or peers for feedback which students can reflect upon and use to amend their work…

The argument presented here is that the teaching of psychology in the UK is focused on the learning of technical skills and is missing the opportunity to enthuse and inspire students in the personal science. This focus mirrors a general educational drive in the UK towards achievement at external examinations which are assessed by narrow cognitive…

Background: Recent changes in higher education in the UK have led to much discussion about the performance of men and women students with different methods of assessment. Aim: To see whether or not there were differences between the marks awarded to men and women final-year psychology students as a function of the modes of assessment used. Method:…

Multiple choice questions (MCQs) are becoming more common in UK psychology departments and the need to assess their reliability is apparent. Having examined the reliability of MCQs in our department we faced many questions from colleagues about why we were examining reliability, what it was that we were doing, and what should be reported when…