Background: Utility-value (UV) classroom interventions typically involve students completing assignments that involve writing about the usefulness of the course material. They are widely recommended and have received some empirical support. Objective: This study tested the effectiveness of a UV intervention in an online research methods course. It…

Flipped classrooms are gaining popularity, especially in psychology statistics courses. However, not all courses lend themselves to a fully flipped design, and some instructors might not want to commit to flipping every class. We tested the effectiveness of flipping just one component (a module on junk science) of a large methods course. We…

We compared the performance of senior psychology majors, introductory psychology students, and similarly aged individuals with no college psychology on seven different outcome measures including multiple-choice knowledge tests, attitudes, and open-ended scenarios requiring qualitative responses. On all measures, both senior psychology majors and…

Over 5 semesters and 10 sections, students in a 300-level research methods course used clickers to respond to knowledge-based and opinion/attitude questions about clicker use, the effectiveness of assignments, self-confidence regarding skills and abilities, and more. Changes during the semester and student answers to questions about pedagogy and…

A review of prior research on the role of attendance policies in large lecture classes (including psychology) is presented. This research showed that although students often did not attend class, various policies were effective in getting students to the classroom. Moreover, some research showed that an attendance policy did not lower instructor…

Comprehension of statistics and research methods is crucial to understanding psychology as a science (APA, 2007). However, psychology majors sometimes approach methodology courses with derision or anxiety (Onwuegbuzie & Wilson, 2003; Rajecki, Appleby, Williams, Johnson, & Jeschke, 2005); consequently, students may postpone…

Examines the relationships between admission criteria, graduate school performance, and professional success among masters level psychology graduate students. Although several variables were significantly related to professional success, correlations with admission criteria and graduate school performance were relatively small. (Author/AV)

Results of a study which examined the performance of tutored students in a university introduction to psychology course indicate that the efforts of students in tutored groups are no better than in untutored groups. Suggests further research into the tutor's role in developing positive attitudes about and knowledge of psychology. (Author/KC)

Replies to Bonge's critique (Apr 1982) of the authors' study which found high correlations between student achievement and student assessment of teaching assistants in introductory college psychology courses. The authors offer additional statistical and experimental evidence to support the validity of their findings. (AM)

A study tested the predictive validity of student ratings of college teachers in an introductory psychology course. Repeated over several years, the assessment employed a rating instrument developed by someone other than the course instructor. Moderate and consistent positive correlations were obtained between ratings of teacher skill and…

A study to investigate the effectiveness of the Personalized System of Instruction (PSI) in teaching a college developmental psychology course is described. PSI students were found to be superior on within-course tests and on a 5-weeks delayed retention test. (AV)

Describes a study of the relationship between student characteristics and rates of progress in a self-paced psychology course. Students who proceed faster were found to be more intelligent, score lower on measures of need for approval, and have higher GPA's and aptitude test scores. (Author/AV)