Writing in the Psychology Major: A Survey of Upper-division Courses. Sonia Savelli, Patti Loesche, Beth Kerr Department of Psychology.

Transcription

1 Writing in the Psychology Major: A Survey of Upper-division Courses Sonia Savelli, Patti Loesche, Beth Kerr Department of Psychology June 30, 2005

2 MISSION What writing skills do psychology instructors expect of their graduates, how effectively do we teach these skills, and what can we improve? These questions were initially explored over 10 years ago in a 1994 writing assessment study conducted by the Psychology Writing Center. Based on student portfolios as well as surveys and interviews with instructors, this study identified the existing literacy path through the undergraduate psychology curriculum. In brief, this path towards scientific literacy, an essential part of undergraduate education in psychology, introduces basic skills needed to write about science in Psych 209 (Fundamentals of Research) and increases the breadth and depth of these writing experiences in upper-level classes. In spring quarter 2005, the Psychology Department asked us to revisit these questions. Many psychology instructors provide substantive writing opportunities for their students, but the nature of these assignments had not been described or explored systematically since the 1994 study. In the present study, we asked four main questions: (1) In what courses do psychology majors receive writing assignments? (2) What are those assignments? (3) What are the goals of the writing assignments? (4) How satisfied are instructors with these writing assignments, and with including writing in their courses? METHODS We asked instructors from 300-level core courses, 300-level laboratory courses, and upper-division elective courses to provide copies of their syllabi and writing assignments for courses taught in the academic years and (Appendix A). Because some courses have more than one instructor, 66 instructors of 47 different courses were contacted. Instructors who teach a particular course in multiple quarters were asked for only their most recent syllabi and writing assignments. We next developed a survey (available on request) of current writing practices in these upper-level psychology courses. We did not ask for syllabi or assignments from instructors of statistics (Psych 315, 317, 318), honors courses (Psych 350, 450), seminars (Psych448), or courses above Psych 490, nor did instructors from these courses receive a survey. 2

3 RESULTS Psychology Courses with Writing: Syllabi and Assignments Response rates For academic years and , 66 instructors taught 47 different upperdivision courses (some courses were taught by more than one instructor). The response was gratifying: nearly all (64 of 66, or 97%) either responded to our request for syllabi and writing assignments or had them available on their course website. Results Most instructors (55 of 66, or 83%) had writing assignments in their courses. We categorized the courses surveyed into three groups: laboratory courses (Psych 330, 331, 332), core courses (Psych 300, 303, 305, 306, 333, 345, 355), and upper-division electives. Of these groups, instructors in core courses were least likely to have writing assignments (11 of 18 instructors, 61%). All instructors of the three laboratory courses (Psych 330, 331, 332) had writing assignments (not surprising, because laboratory courses are also W courses), and nearly all instructors (36 of 40, or 90%) of elective courses included writing assignments. Survey Results Response rates We asked the 66 instructors to complete a writing assessment survey for each course taught during and Once again, we received a strong response: 46 of the 66 instructors (70%) completed the survey. These 46 instructors represent 33 (or 70%) of the 47 upper-division courses (Appendix B). Survey responses were collected from all laboratory instructors, 14 of the 18 (78%) instructors teaching core courses (representing all seven core courses) and 24 of the 40 (60%) instructors teaching elective courses (representing 23 elective courses). The following is an analysis of five of the 23 survey questions. We have grouped responses for these five questions by laboratory courses, core courses, and elective courses. Types of writing assignments Instructors of laboratory courses (Psych 330, 331, 332) assign longer and more formal scientific papers (lab reports, research proposals, and literature reviews). All laboratory courses 3

4 are W courses. Core courses tend to use shorter and more informal kinds of writing assignments, such as short-answer tests, essay tests, and reaction/thought papers. Twenty-two of the 24 instructors of elective courses had least one type of writing assignment, and most (18, or 75%) had more than one type of writing assignment. Instructors of elective courses tended to assign shorter, informal types of writing such as short-answer tests and essay tests, but also assigned longer, more formal types of writing, most commonly, literature reviews. Class size probably constrains the type of writing assignment given. Laboratory courses and elective courses typically have fewer than 50 students, and most have fewer than 30 students. Core courses, on the other hand, typically have enrollments of 100 students, although with one TA for every 50 students (Appendix C). Goals of writing assignments The types of writing assignments reflect differing goals of those assignments and these tended to vary with type of course (Appendix D). In response to multiple-choice questions, all laboratory instructors said that the focus of the writing assignments was to help students understand the scientific method, to help students to understand and use the language and style of scientific writing, and to help students to understand how and when to cite sources of evidence. In contrast, the majority of instructors of core courses used writing assignments to teach course content, evaluate arguments in the area, and distinguish between opinion and evidence. In elective courses, instructors cited the same goals as those of both laboratory and core course instructors. Instructors in elective courses tend to use the kinds of assignments (short-answer/essay tests as well as formal scientific writing) used by both other course groups; therefore, it is not surprising that the goals cited by instructors of elective courses would be a combination of those cited by laboratory and core-course instructors. The goals of the writing assignments reported in the survey are aimed at both general academic literacy and scientific literacy. Literacy goals reported that are common to any academic discipline include to help students to understand how and when to cite sources of evidence and to help students to learn to evaluate arguments in the area. In addition to these basic aims, however, nearly all of the instructors surveyed also emphasized the disciplinespecific goal of teaching scientific literacy as a way to interpret information in the major ( to 4

5 help students to understand the scientific method ; to understand and use the language and style of scientific writing ; to distinguish between opinion and evidence ). Barriers to writing Instructors of laboratory courses all cited insufficient understanding of background material as the greatest barrier to students successful completion of their writing assignments. Laboratory courses require students to conduct experiments, usually on a topic of their choice. Typically students know little about their chosen topic, have a very limited time within which to learn about the topic, and must research it on their own with little assistance from the instructors. Furthermore, laboratory courses do not require the students to have background knowledge in the subject area because there are no prerequisites for the corresponding core course. For example, Psychology 330 (Laboratory in Animal Behavior) does not require students to have taken Psychology 300 (Animal Behavior) and very few students electively take the corresponding core course before the laboratory course. In the laboratory courses students design an experiment, collect, handle, and interpret data, and write up their results in a lab report. However, most students have only a superficial grasp of the content area in which they are expected to practice these skills. In the core courses, the two most frequently cited barriers to successful completion of writing assignments were inadequate grasp of the scientific method and problems with English as a second language (4 responses each, or 29%). Core courses can only be taken after successful completion of the Research Methods course (Psych 209, a large-lecture course) with a grade of at least 2.0. However, for at least some students, the Psych 209 prerequisite appears to be inadequate preparation for at least some core courses. Among instructors of elective courses, the barrier to satisfactory student writing most often cited was inadequate college-level literacy (10 responses, or 42%). Elective courses often have formal scientific writing assignments such as literature reviews or lab reports, which require both more writing, and more specialized writing, than the short-essay type of writing typical in the core courses. It seems plausible that the demands of both longer and more formal papers would be more likely to strain the writing abilities of students who already have limited writing experience. 5

6 Across all courses, the second most common barrier cited (by 12 of 46 respondents, or 26%) was problems with English as a second language. Although we do not have data on the numbers of ESL students who are psychology majors, indirect support for this concern comes from the Psychology Writing Center, where, in , 20% of the hundreds of students seen there reported writing more comfortably in a language other than English. Resources for ESL students are limited at UW in general. The English department offers special assistance to ESL students, but we do not know the extent to which psychology students who are non-native speakers of English use this service. The problem of inadequate student literacy, regardless of whether students are native or non-native English speakers and writers, is faced by departments across the university, so this issue may also need to be addressed at a higher level than the department and earlier in a student s university career (Appendix E). Instructor likes and dislikes Overall, most instructors liked their writing assignments (32 respondents, or 70%). Positive responses included that the assignments allow students to think critically in a specific area, to focus on important issues and see the bigger picture, to evaluate scientific evidence, and to explore their own interests (Appendix F). Twenty-three instructors listed one or more things that they disliked about their writing assignments (Appendix G). Of these, 12 (52%) disliked grading assignments because of the time required. Most instructors (34 of 39, or 87%) either graded the papers themselves or had a TA grade the papers; the remaining five respondents used a reader to grade their papers. Even when instructors had assistance grading, they still reported issues with developing an adequate grading rubric to standardize grading across graders. SUMMARY The general goal of this project was to identify how well the department provides undergraduates with the opportunities to improve as scientifically literate writers and speakers. We documented the courses in which psychology majors receive writing assignments, the types of assignments given and their goals, and instructors satisfaction with the quality of these writing assignments and with including writing in their courses. 6

7 We received syllabi and assignments for 97% of the 300- and 400-level psychology instructors contacted, and 70% of the instructors teaching these courses gave us feedback on their writing assignments. It is clear from this robust response that writing is widely considered a fundamental part of the psychology curriculum. Most courses for psychology majors have writing assignments; these vary from general, short writing tasks to longer, formal scientific papers. Students write less, and less formally, in core courses than they do in the laboratory courses or in upper-division electives. Reported reasons for the relative shortage of writing in the core classes include that students show an inadequate grasp of the scientific method; however, class size probably also contributes to the amount and types of writing done in different types of courses. Laboratory instructors reported insufficient background in the relevant content area, because of the lack of a content course prerequisite, as the greatest barrier to students writing competently in their courses. Instructors of electives reported inadequate college-level literacy as common among their students, a problem perhaps exacerbated because of the higher level of writing expected in these courses. Similarly, instructors also expressed concern about general and scientific literacy among ESL students across all courses in the major. We conclude from these results that most psychology instructors are highly motivated to give students meaningful writing experiences in the major, but that both large and small obstacles interfere with the ability providing more and better experiences. Some of these obstacles may be at the level of the assignment, others at the curriculum level, and others are common to undergraduate writing experiences across the university. FUTURE PROJECTS This survey is a first step in exploring ways to improve opportunities for students to improve as writers and speakers in the discipline. The next step is to formalize communication goals for undergraduate psychology majors in preparation for an expected Arts and Sciences charge to departments to identify department writing goals for undergraduates and to determine the route (and department requirements) that will move students toward meeting these goals. Future projects include developing communication goals for individual courses 1, specifying a 1 The University of Washington has been charged with developing learning goals for all undergraduate courses before the next accreditation. For an example of learning goals for psychology majors, see the report of the Task Force on Undergraduate Psychology Major Competencies appointed by the APA s Board of Educational Affairs (March 2002), Communication skills are one of ten learning goal categories. 7

8 literacy pathway for psychology majors, and integrating communication goals with other learning goals (for example, critical thinking skills and information and technological literacy goals). These initiatives will require looking closely at the writing done in required lowerdivision courses such as Research Methods (Psych 209) and Biopsychology (Psych 202) (several survey respondents recommended that more writing practice be required in the lower-division psychology courses). These initiatives will also require a closer look at the contribution of core courses to the literacy pathway as well as a re-evaluation of the laboratory course experiences. 8

9 Appendix A: List of courses for which syllabi and writing assignments were requested (W): course with W credit Core Courses (n=7) Course # Course Title 300 Animal Behavior 303 Personality 305 Abnormal Psychology 306 Developmental Psychology 333 Sensory and Perceptual Processes 345 Social Psychology 355 Cognitive Psychology Laboratory Courses (n=3) Course # Course Title 330 Laboratory in Animal Behavior (W) 331 Laboratory in Human Performance (W) 332 Laboratory in Animal Learning (W) Elective Courses (n=37) Course # Title Course # Title 322 Introduction to Drugs and Behavior 430 Development of Brain Connections 335 Human Factors 432 Visual Perception 347 Psychology of Language I 435 Human Color Vision (W) 357 Psychobiology of Women 436 Developmental Aspects of Sports Competition 400 Learning 437 Motor Development 403 Motivation 443 Motivation Theories in Social Psychology (W) 406 Insect Behavior 445 Theories of Social Psychology (W) 407 History of Psychology (W) 447 Psychology of Language II 410 Child and Adolescent Behavior 451 Health Psychology Disorders 412 Behavioral Genetics 452 Self Concept 414 Cognitive Development 456 Social/Moral Development (W) 415 Personality Development 460 Cognitive Neuropsychology 416 Animal Communication 462 Human Memory (W) 417 Human Behavior as a Natural Science 469 Psychology of Reasoning 419 Behavioral Studies of Zoo Animal (W) 470 Psychology and Music (W) 420 Drugs and Behavior 471 Applied Issues in Cognition 421 Neural Basis of Behavior 480 Ideas of Human Nature (W) 426 Neurobiology of Learning and Memory 489 Clinical Psychology 428 Human Motor Control and Learning 9

10 Appendix B: Courses for which surveys were completed Core Courses (n = 7) Course # Course Title 300 Animal Behavior 303 Personality 305 Abnormal Psychology 306 Developmental Psychology 333 Sensory and Perceptual Processes 345 Social Psychology 355 Cognitive Psychology Laboratory Courses (n = 3) Course # Course Title 330 Laboratory in Animal Behavior 331 Laboratory in Human Performance 332 Laboratory in Animal Learning Elective Courses (n = 23) Course # Course Title 335 Human Factors 357 Psychobiology of Women 400 Learning 403 Motivation 406 Insect Behavior 407 History of Psychology 414 Cognitive Development 415 Personality Development 419 Behavioral Studies of Zoo Animal 426 Neurobiology of Learning and Memory 428 Human Motor Control and Learning 435 Human Color Vision 436 Developmental Aspects of Sports Competition 437 Motor Development 443 Motivation Theories in Social Psychology 445 Theories of Social Psychology 451 Health Psychology 452 Self Concept 456 Social/Moral Development 462 Human Memory 470 Psychology and Music 471 Applied Issues in Cognition 489 Clinical Psychology 10

11 Appendix C: Survey responses to type of writing assignment Core Courses (13 respondents representing all 7 core courses) Core courses included the following types of writing: Short-answer tests, essay tests, reaction paper/thought paper, research proposals, case study, article summary, lab report, literature review, synthesis, journal/diary. short-answer tests (5 courses) essay tests (5) reaction/thought papers (5) research proposal (2) case study (2) article summary (2) Laboratory Courses (8 respondents representing all 3 laboratory courses) Of the 3 laboratory courses taught, all have a laboratory report, research proposal, and literature review writing assignments as well as essay tests. Psychology 331 has a quick check your understanding assignment. Psychology 332 students prepare a conference poster. Elective Courses (22 respondents representing 21 elective courses) Of these 21 courses, 18 have more than one writing assignment. short answer tests (13 instructors; of these, 11 have some other writing assignment) literature review (12) essay tests (10) reaction/thought paper (8) lab report (4) research proposal (4) article summary (4) synthesis (3) observation report (2) term paper (2) conference poster (1) journal/diary (1) 11

12 Appendix D: Survey responses to goals/focus of writing assignments Core Courses (n = 13) 13 instructors of core courses cited understand course content as one of the goals/focus Evaluate arguments in the area (9 instructors) Distinguish between opinion and evidence (8) Understand the scientific method (7) Cite sources of evidence (7) Understand and use the language and style of scientific writing (6) Prepare to answer questions on essay exams (3) Revise writing in response to feedback (1) Build and demonstrate quantitative literacy (1) Others: Get a broader view of progress in the field, Learn to organize thoughts and make logical argument, Construct a scientific argument Laboratory Courses (n = 8) Understand the scientific method (all instructors) Understand and use the language and style of scientific writing (all instructors) Cite sources of evidence (all instructors) Understand course content (6) Revise writing in response to feedback (6) Build and demonstrate quantitative literacy (3) Evaluate arguments in the area (3) Distinguish between opinion and evidence (2) Prepare to answer questions on essay exams (1) Elective Courses (n = 22) Understand course content (all instructors) Evaluate arguments in the area (17) Distinguish between opinion and evidence (15) Cite sources of evidence (15) Understand and use the language and style of scientific writing (14) Understand the scientific method (12) Revise writing in response to feedback (9) Prepare to answer questions on essay exams (5) Build and demonstrate quantitative literacy (3) Other: learn relevant literature on special topic; integrate and develop their knowledge, gain insight, take positions on issues, creatively develop new ideas; venture into content areas related to but beyond the material covered in class and assigned readings; organize thoughts and make scientific arguments 12

13 Appendix E: Survey responses to barriers to writing Core Courses (n=9 respondents) Inadequate grasp of the scientific method (4 instructors) Problems with English as a second language (4) Inability to distinguish opinion from evidence (3) Insufficient understanding of background material (2) Inadequate college level literacy (2) Insufficient appreciation for basic science (2) No problems (2) Inability to interpret quantitative information (1) Other: Inadequate experience with writing research proposals; Problems with attention to detail in use of APA style; lack of motivation Laboratory Courses (n = 7) Insufficient understanding of background material (5) Problems with English as a second language (2) Inability to interpret quantitative information (2) Inadequate grasp of the scientific method (1) Inability to distinguish opinion from evidence (1) Inadequate college level literacy (1) (1) Insufficient appreciation for basic science (1) No problems (1) Other: organization of paper: put too much faith in statistics rather than looking at data for patterns; labs are too cookbook Elective Courses (n = 19) Inadequate college level literacy (10) Problems with English as a second language (5) Insufficient understanding of background material (5) Inability to distinguish opinion from evidence (4) No problems (3) Inability to interpret quantitative information (3) Inadequate grasp of the scientific method (2) Insufficient appreciation for basic science (2) Other: time pressure from other classes; spring-quarter senioritis; drawing inferences from matter to integrate across sources; lack of motivation; personal problems outside class 13

14 Appendix F: Survey responses to what you liked best about the writing assignment Course What did you like best? 303 It got them to thinking about important issues to study in personality, and had them thinking critically about the issue. It also encouraged them to think empirically about the issue. I did receive some excellent proposals. 305 Students were able to apply knowledge gained in course to a case example. This assignment also allowed students to cite original research in their writings. It further exposed students to APA citation and reference page style. The case study enabled students to see how cases of these disorders are far more complex and complicated than a list of symptoms in a textbook. The historical paper helped students to see the bigger picture in terms of where abnormal psych has come from and in what directions it appears to be going. It forced them to think a little more critically about this, and to be less likely to take issues at face value. It increased class participation by students. 306 Students had an opportunity to discuss the topic (should parents be banned from spanking their children) as part of a debate that was held in section. They then had to present both sides of the argument and come to some conclusion. This exposed students to ideas that were in opposition to their own personal beliefs and helped them to understand how scientists need to put aside their own biases to evaluate the scientific evidence. It encourages students to evaluate evidence and use it in a real-world situation 333 Gives students a chance to synthesize information from multiple sources and write about a topic in which they are interested. 345 It enables students to read original material and gives them a greater appreciation of the scientific method. 330 This *is* science. It's not on a grand scale, but it's still real. The students have a lot of trouble with that, because they're not generally expected to do science. They want an answer key and for there to be a right answer. I don't have one, because there may not be one. They have to collect the data and think about it, and decide for themselves. 331 I like that it demands that students take their experiment and build a paper that centers around it, in the way that psychology values. It causes forces them to think in ways that they are unaccustomed to thinking, and offers them the opportunity to use their knowledge about research methods and statistics. I enjoy the different perspectives taken from the same material. Writing a full empirical report encourages the use of so many diverse skills that I can't imagine a more efficient way of doing things. All of the goals you listed above are important, and this assignment manages to provide opportunities for students to work on all of these things. 14

15 Course What did you like best? 331 provides opportunity for students to demonstrate their level of understanding of their experimental results 332 Writing an APA-style paper for the first time challenges students. While they do not typically enjoy the process the first time, the progress they make from this first assignment to writing subsequent papers and a poster presentation is truly amazing. They tend to be very proud of their progress at the end of the quarter. 335 Allows students to use human factors concepts directly in an analysis of a workplace (often their own current or prior workplace). Students give a spoken presentation as well as write the written report. The report is in the form of a briefing and encourages clear concise writing. Students also need to decide what parts of the written report belong in the spoken presentation. 357 Provides students an opportunity to think about controversial topics in the field and consider their own position on the topic. Give practice writing. 406 Student independence from me, cooperation (groups write papers cooperatively). 407 Demonstrated students knowledge of the material (I found it satisfying that students were learning a great deal) and gave them something to further develop later in the course. For the stronger students it gave them a project to creatively explore. 414 It allowed students to explore their own interests. 415 many students (seniors) said it was the first time they've written a paper for a psychology course -they felt empowered by doing it. 419 A poster presentation teaches a number of new skills (PowerPoint, marketing an idea in a concise way) for most students. Combined with the research proposal and other writing assignments, this exposes them to a variety of scientific writing styles. This assignment develops from two other earlier assignments that they receive feedback on from the instructor, so the students tend to be more confident in this assignment and they show pride in the professional-looking posters that they present at the Woodland Park Zoo for the keepers, collection managers and curators. 426 It got the student to read the article before class discussion. In that way they were prepared to discuss issues. 428 This short review paper gives students a chance to practice describing, evaluating, and pulling together four research articles related to the class. The students first provide a pre-paper with topics and potential references. They then do a draft of the first half; then a draft of all but the summary conclusion; then the final paper. 435 Students get detailed help with writing and bring new and interesting areas to the attention of me and the class. 443 Requiring the students to compare and contrast different theories' accounts for the same phenomenon. 445 Students do a lot of writing in 445. I think the final paper allows them to see the connections between various social psychological theories. 15

16 Course What did you like best? 448 Helped students: 1. organize material about a topic 2. present the material in a logical and coherent fashion 3. gave the students writing practice they desperately need 462 Gave student practice reading and digesting primary source material. Integrating material and drawing inferences from it. Organizing knowledge on a particular topic. Expressing themselves in scientific writing style. 470 Gives students a chance to investigate and write about a topic that interests them. 471 students learned about applying cognitive psychology to the real world and how to use naturalistic techniques. 489 It forced them to think critically through some issue pertinent to clinical psychology, whether to propose research or to address a controversial issue. 16

17 Appendix G: Survey responses to what you liked least about the writing assignment Course What did you like least? 303 Some if not many students had not had experience with writing research proposals. I thought with all the prerequisites that they would be able to perform this assignment, but that hasn't been the case. While they had some good ideas, many had no idea how to format a proposal. 305 Grading the papers. It is difficult to devise an objective grading rubric that is consistent across graders. It is also difficult to objectively grade writing style. Nothing really. I enjoy reading these papers very much. Lots of grading every week. 306 Some students did not follow the detailed instructions about how to write up the assignment - a little frustrating given how much effort I put into structuring the assignment so that everyone knew what was expected. 333 Grading takes a long time. 345 I like it all. 330 It's a *lot* of work. 331 Not enough scaffolding of the conceptual and writing skills necessary to the task. Not enough time to develop ideas. Not enough low-stakes preparatory writing. Timeline of course makes students select a project before having the opportunity to do a thorough literature review, which affects their ability to form a solid argument. I do not like that the students who put the least amount of effort seem to be the ones whose papers take the longest to grade. I don't have solid complaints about the assignment. Literally, I least liked the time it took to grade them, and the ubiquitous problem of grading criteria. But these issues exist in every context. too much focus on APA style 332 Teaching APA format, which is probably necessary for psychology majors, but sometimes tedious. 335 I ask students to look for articles and/or web pages that relate to topic. These are difficult to find and students have trouble sorting out what is and is not appropriate. 357 Grading it. 407 I liked the frequent short one page reaction papers better than the long papers. The long paper seemed to work for the 'good writers' but was hard for the less experineced writers. The shorter papers seemed to work well for most everyone. 415 variability in the quality of the papers; take a long time to grade 419 I wish it was less expensive to print display posters. 426 I thought it was good. No dislikes. 17

18 Course What did you like least? 428 There are some students (perhaps 20%) who are not engaged. A number of students complained about not getting help from the peer review. 435 Length of time it takes to provide feedback and grade and the fact that, given students' work in other classes, if I want their best effort I have to accept assignments very late. This causes time management problems for me and leaves me with little time to work on the last papers. 445 I like it all. 448 grading it. Poor writing requires really intense work. Good papers are easy 451 Nothing really. It is at times time consuming to read over and give individual feedback to each student, but it is also very rewarding to do so. 452 It comes too late to help them integrate what they are learning in class on an ongoing basis. 462 reading (most of) the papers and listening to the complaints. Bad writing is very difficult to read. 470 Grading is labor-intensive. 489 Nothing really. I'm pleased with this assignment. 18