ERIC Number: EJ1440658
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024-Oct
Pages: 8
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0098-6283
EISSN: EISSN-1532-8023
Does "Psychological Literacy" Feature in Non-Psychology Degrees? A Cross-Discipline Study of Student Perceptions
Madeleine Pownall; Chloe Thompson; Pam Blundell-Birtill; Samantha J. Newell; Richard Harris
Teaching of Psychology, v51 n4 p453-460 2024
Background: "Psychological literacy" is a set of attributes, which refer broadly to how students apply their subject-specific psychology knowledge to solving problems. However, the extent to which psychological literacy skills are "unique" to psychology as a discipline is unknown. Objective: We assessed whether students perceive psychological literacy attributes to be prominent in disciplines outside of psychology. Method: We recruited undergraduate students from Psychology, non-Psychology STEM subjects, and Humanities subjects (N= 296) and asked them to identify the extent to which they perceive psychological literacy attributes to be prominent in their degrees. Results: Psychology students reported significantly higher perceived prominence of psychological literacy attributes in their degree, compared with Humanities and non-Psychology STEM students, in all but two of the psychological literacy attributes. Conclusion: These findings suggest that psychological literacy mostly represents attributes unique to psychology students, but some of these attributes are also developed within other disciplines. The facets of psychological literacy unique to psychology relate to knowledge of behavior, research skills, ethics, and socio-cultural issues. Teaching implications: This suggests that psychology students graduate with some subject specific attributes, which may make them uniquely advantaged in a competitive work context and affirms that psychology degrees do hold unique value.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Undergraduate Students, STEM Education, Humanities Instruction, Student Attitudes, Behavior, Research Skills, Sociocultural Patterns, Soft Skills, Psychological Studies, Interdisciplinary Approach, Educational Benefits
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A