Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

2014

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.A. in Psychology

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Thomas W. Lombardo

Second Advisor

Karen K. Kellum

Third Advisor

Todd A. Smitherman

Relational Format

dissertation/thesis

Abstract

Research from a wide range of psychological disciplines has focused on understanding the teaching methods that most effectively promote learning. Despite a wealth of literature demonstrating the effectiveness of various teaching methods, the prevalence of these methods in contemporary college psychology courses has not yet been examined. To fill this gap, the current study surveyed undergraduate psychology instructors on methods implemented in their classrooms. Distributed to 448 institutions of higher learning, this online survey sought to provide a preliminary picture of the modern teaching landscape. In order to provide the most objective standard of comparison among these different institutions, frequency of testing was the primary item of interest for statistical analyses. It was predicted that testing opportunities would be most frequent at colleges in which teaching was the primary responsibility for instructors. Results suggest that this prediction has some merit, as instructors from associate's colleges indicated testing significantly more frequently than instructors at other types of institutions. These findings, as well as the other descriptive results, are discussed, and future directions for similar research are suggested.

Concentration/Emphasis

Emphasis: Clinical Psychology

Included in

Psychology Commons

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