During this April 2013 presentation with psychology instructors Dana Dunn and Elizabeth Hammer as they explore ways that teaching about adjustment can promote psychological literacy among students.
Hammer and Dunn will be covering:
• Predictive factors for happiness
• Defining Psychological Literacy and its importance to education in psychology.
• Defining Adjustment, its scope and relevance for contemporary psychology education.
• Identifying connections between these topics and the characteristics of today's students.
• Presenting ways to teach adjustment topics that promote psychological literacy.
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Cengage Learning Webinar, Psychology of Adjustment: Teaching Our Students to Become More Psychologically Literate
1. Psychology of Adjustment: Teaching Our
Students to Become More Psychologically
Literate
Elizabeth Yost Hammer
Xavier University of Louisiana
Dana S. Dunn
Moravian College
2. Starting points
. . . psychology is second only to basic English
composition as the most frequently taken course by
college graduates, and our potential to affect our
future citizenry is enormous.
-- Cynthia Belar
Happiness comes from . . . Some curious adjustment
to life.
-- Hugh Walpole
4. Which Factors Predict
Happiness?
Income Physical Attractiveness
Education Race
Social class Ethnicity
Intelligence Having Children
Age Climate
Gender
Teaching poll
5. Which Factors Predict
Happiness?
Zero or low (< +.30)
Income Physical Attractiveness
Education Race
Social class Ethnicity
Intelligence Having Children
Age Climate
Gender
6. Which Factors Really Predict
Happiness?
Moderate (+ .30 - + .50)
Marriage Recreational
Number of close activities
friends Physical health
Religiosity
7. Positive Predictors
Individual Circumstance Individual differences
Being employed Ability to express
Frequency of gratitude
sexual intercourse Being optimistic
Frequency of Self-esteem
positive affect
9. Goals for this Talk
Defining Psychological Literacy and its importance
to education in psychology
Defining Adjustment, its scope and relevance for
contemporary psychology education.
Identifying connections between these topics and
the characteristics of today’s students.
Presenting ways to teach adjustment topics that
promote psychological literacy.
11. Defining Psychological
Literacy
Coined by Thomas McGovern and
colleagues (2010)
A way to synthesize scholarship on
teaching and learning in psychology
Focus on discipline-based learning
outcomes in US, Australia, and
Europe
12. Defining Psychological
Literacy
Linked to liberal education, a key skill
similar to writing, ethics, math,
information literacy, technological
literacy, scientific literacy, and critical
thinking
Defining quality for the over 90,000
psychology majors graduating every
year
13. Defining Psychological
Literacy
Psychological vocabulary
Value intellectual challenges requiring
psychological reasoning
Amiable skepticism
Application of psychological principles
to improve personal, social,
community connections
14. Defining Psychological
Literacy
Ethical behavior
Recognize and respect diversity
Use and evaluate information
technology
Engage different audiences using
different modes
Reflect on self and others’ thinking
and behavior using psychological
theory
15. Implications
A psychologically literate person should do (or be
able to do) these things as a result of his or her
education in the discipline.
Even brief exposure should be beneficial
(Introductory psychology in high school or college)
Prolonged exposure (as a psychology major) is
better still
Of course, assessment studies of both will be
helpful.
16. Psychologically Literate
Citizens
Goal: For students to use their
knowledge of psychological science
for problem-solving where:
Self
Others
◦ Family
◦ Workplace
◦ Community
◦ Chat Question
17. Psychologically Literate
Citizens
Keeping in mind very important points:
(1) Despite the popularity of the psychology in high
school, most college bound students do not major
in psychology.
(2) Despite the popularity of psychology as a
college major, most majors do not pursue graduate
study in psychology.
(3) Students choose the major out of interest and a
belief that it will teach them skills for entering and
succeeding in work and daily life.
18. Principles for Quality Undergraduate
Education in Psychology (APA 2011)
Students are responsible for
monitoring and enhancing their own
learning.
19. Quality Principle 1
1. Students should know how to learn.
2. Students should assume increasing
responsibility for their own learning.
20. Quality Principle 1
3. Students should take advantage of the
rich diversity that exists in educational
institutions and learn from individuals who
are different from them.
4. Students are responsible for seeking
academic advice (e.g., courses, major,
general education) and for career planning
(realistic and tailored to talents, aspirations,
and life situations).
21. Quality Principles
For more detail, go to:
http://www.apa.org/education/undergr
ad/principles.aspx
22. Whither Psychological
Literacy?
To some extent, psychological literacy
is like calculus—great to learn, but of
little use unless opportunities to apply
it exist.
Where and how can students learn to
apply psychological knowledge?
24. Adjustment
Refers to the psychological processes
through which human beings cope
with the demands, challenges, and
frustrations of everyday life (Dunn, Hammer, &
Weiten, 2011)
25. Adjustment
Psychology of Adjustment covers
some topics associated with
Introductory Psychology (e.g.,
personality, social psychology, gender,
abnormal psychology)
26. Adjustment—navigating modern
life effectively—focuses on
Stress and coping Interpersonal
communication
Friendship and love
Sexuality
Marriage and intimacy
Careers and work
Physical health
Mental health
Study skills
Time management
27. Adjustment
Similar to Psychological Literacy, the
psychology of adjustment applies empirical
knowledge towards making sense of
experience and taking beneficial action.
Where Psychological Literacy is often
other-focused, Adjustment is primarily
self-focused.
28. Adjustment
Peaked as a course in the 70s (Lux &
Daniel, 1978)
Still among the 30 most popular
courses in the psychology curriculum
(Perlman & McCann, 1999)
Decline is ironic given psychology’s
desire to emphasize discipline’s
practical relevance (Klatzky, 2009; Zimbardo, 2004)
29. Why Teach Adjustment
issues?
(1) Can be very useful (3) Great venue for
in demonstrating the stimulating self-
nature and value of reflection and self-
the scientific method understanding.
to students (i.e., a
―hook‖). (4) Well-suited for
fostering self-
(2) Provides excellent improvement
opportunities for (motivation as well as
debunking myths behavior change).
related to psychology
while enhancing
critical thinking.
Teaching poll
30. Why Adjustment Now
(Again)?
On the One Hand: On the Other:
Economic hardship Students are seeking
continues direction
Concerns about an Research clearly
uncertain future are shows that
salient happiness/well-being
Concerns about is not based in money
career, jobs, or material goods (all
employment post- else being equal)
college Work/career must be
Emerging adulthood more than monetary
31. Adjustment & Psychological Literacy:
Connection and Comparison
Learning to apply Learning to apply
psychological psychological
theory and theory and
research to one’s research to
own life improve self, other,
Acquisition and and community
refinement of Acquisition and
various life skills refinement of
Requires critical various of
thinking psychological skills
Requires critical
thinking
32. Adjustment & Psychological Literacy:
Connection and Comparison
Personal Educational
Self-help focused Self as well as
other focused
Course-based
Curriculum-based
33. Adjustment can be construed to be a
form of psychological literacy, one
linked to adapting to daily life.
35. What are we—and they—up against
where adjustment is concerned?
36. Consider:
Arum & Roska’s (2011) Academically
Adrift
Assessed critical thinking, complex
reasoning, and writing at start of freshmen
year and end of sophomore year
(instrument: Collegiate Learning
Assessment).
3 semesters of college do not improve
these skills much (on average, .18 SD,
37. Consider (Arum & Roska, 2011):
Related key factors
Selectivity of institution
Socioeconomic background of family
On average, 12 hours per week out of
class studying (35% of sample
reported less than 5 hours per week)
38. Consider (Arum & Roska, 2011):
A break point for Arum & Roska
involves reading and writing (i.e., more
is better):
Students scored higher on the CLA when they had a course
where they (a) read more than 40 pages per week and (b)
wrote more than 20 pages over the semester.
At time 2 on the CLA, only 42% reported a class the previous
semester meeting both criteria.
Some good news: Both are more likely to be found in
humanities/social sciences classes than others (e.g.,
business, engineering/computer science)
39. Consider (Arum & Roska, 2011):
Many students lack purpose or
direction (Damon, 2008)
Sociologists describe them as
―motivated but directionless‖
65% in Arum & Roska’s sample have
on or off-campus jobs
41. Other Data
Higher Education Research Institute
(HERI) and the Cooperative
Institutional Research Program (CIRP)
at UCLA
The American National Freshman: National Norms
Fall 2010
Normed data based upon 201,818 first-time, full-
time students at 279 four-year colleges
42. First Year Students Fall 2010
Self-rated emotional health is at the lowest point
since HERI began asking the question in 1985
Those who indicated ―Highest 10%‖ or ―Above
Average‖ accounted for only 51.9% of respondents
- 48.1% were average or below.
Lower ratings on emotional health linked with
frequent reports of depression in high school, less
likely they think they will be satisfied in college.
43. First Year Students Fall 2010
At the same time emotional health is declining, self-
rated academic ability and the drive to achieve are
rising.
These data are expectation based—the students
complete the HERI survey prior to college
matriculation.
The pressure to succeed, a cloudy economy, and
declining emotional health point to the adjustment
challenges students currently face.
44. First Year Students Fall 2010
As high school seniors, 29.1%
reported being frequently
―overwhelmed by all I had to do‖
Men – 17.6%
Women – 38.8%
45. First Year Students Fall 2010
6.6% felt depressed ―frequently‖ in the
past year.
9.7% expect to seek personal
counseling during college, an all time
high since the question was first asked
in 1971.
46. First Year Students Fall 2010
53.9% ―frequently‖ or ―occasionally‖ failed
to complete homework on time.
Yet 66.4% predict there is a ―very good
chance‖ they will ―make at least a B
average.‖
48.4% predict there is a ―very good chance‖
they will ―get a job to help pay for college
expenses.‖
47. Other Factors
Helicopter parents
Technology of entertainment
The freedom college represents
Financial aid pressures
Less resiliency for coping with daily
life (e.g., roommate issues, time
management)
Struggles with college-level work
Chat Question
48. Issue
How can an understanding of
psychological literacy be brought to
bear on students’ psychological
adjustment?
50. Psychological Literacy and Adjustment
Faculty should craft activities and
exercises in introductory, intermediate,
and advanced courses that promote
use of psychological literacy toward
matters of adjustment.
Capitalize on students’ self-interest
and self-focus.
51. Where?
AP Psychology or HS Psychology
Introductory Psychology
Psychology of Adjustment (surprise!)
Service Learning Oriented psychology
courses
Applied courses
Capstone courses (where skills
learned earlier can be integrated
toward some topic or project)
52. How?
As writing/reflection exercises
As critical thinking exercises (e.g.,
debunking popular psychological
myths; Lillienfeld et al.)
As a self-improvement or self-
modification project
53. Activities and Exercises
Stress Diary – at same time, record
day’s emotional tone and track time,
place, and nature of stressors.
Patterns across time may identify flash
points and suggest coping responses.
54. Activities and Exercises
In Class Coping Strategies –
Pennebaker’s work on the benefits of
writing about stressful events.
Instructors can adapt instructions from
studies and have students take time
during class to write, perhaps linking
practice to emotion-focused coping
(e.g., Pennebaker, Colder, & Sharpe, 1990).
55. Activities and Exercises
Time Management
◦ Controlling one’s Internet trolling and TV
watching by documenting time on these
versus other activities.
◦ Keeping track of lost time during normal
week and identifying ways to combat the
problem.
56. Activities and Exercises
Book Critique/Review – Have
students review key assertions from a
self-help or popular psychology book
in light of theory and data from the
discipline.
57. Activities and Exercises
Self-Modification Project – a staple
of the adjustment course; students
create a behavior modification project
from start to finish.
Topics – studying, smoking, dieting,
exercise, nervous habits, alcohol,
assertive behavior
58. Activities and Exercises
Explore Vocational Interests and
Career Planning – how can
psychological literacy be put to work to
identify employment options?
59. Activities and Exercises
Campus Problem Solving – Have
entire class identify common problem
on campus (HS or college) and
formulate ways to address it using
psychological theory and data;
perhaps create an intervention or draft
a report to administration;
alternatively, work with community
group to address problem.
61. Student Learning Outcomes
Students should be able to define and describe the
concept of psychological literacy (and not in a fuzzy
way, as they are likely to define ―liberal education‖).
Adjustment should be recognized as an ongoing
concern across one’s life (although it may seem
most relevant in the 18 to 30 age range).
62. The Future?
Promoting a psychologically literate
citizenry
A curriculum designed to promote
psychological literacy should equip students
with the intellectual tools necessary to
becoming ―socially responsible problem
solvers‖ (McGovern et al., 2010, p. 20).
63. Coda
Undergraduate psychology is as a pipeline to a
psychologically literate public as well as to graduate study in
psychology. Indeed, the skills in critical thinking,
communication, information and technological literacy, and
scientific reasoning promoted in psychology are essential to
an educated citizenry and useful in many careers other than
psychology. So is an understanding of psychology’s topics
that are fundamental to everyday life, such as conflict
resolution, parenting, learning, decision-making,
discrimination, emotions and behavior change in areas as
diverse as health habits, safety and environmental protection.
-- Cynthia Belar