Individual Differences in Psychology Undergraduates’ Development of Research Methods Knowledge and Skills

TY - JOUR

T1 - Individual Differences in Psychology Undergraduates’ Development of Research Methods Knowledge and Skills

AU - Balloo, Kieran

AU - Pauli, Regina

AU - Worrell, Marcia

PY - 2016/2/1

Y1 - 2016/2/1

N2 - Not all psychology undergraduates appear to benefit from participating in research methodology classes. This longitudinal study tracked how students’ knowledge of research methods developed throughout their three-year undergraduate psychology degree. Card sorting procedures measuring knowledge of research methods terminology were repeated at four time-points across three years then analyzed using multidimensional scaling. There was no significant improvement in students’ research methods structural knowledge after a year, but there was by the end of students’ second year. Knowledge did not improve after students’ final year of study. Various metacognitive and motivational variables were significant correlates of research methods knowledge and research skills. Structural knowledge of research methods terminology appears to be developed from formal methodology training and is not improved upon after completion of a final year research project dissertation. Improving metacognitive skills and increasing motivation for methodology classes may be linked to better development of research methods knowledge and research skills.

AB - Not all psychology undergraduates appear to benefit from participating in research methodology classes. This longitudinal study tracked how students’ knowledge of research methods developed throughout their three-year undergraduate psychology degree. Card sorting procedures measuring knowledge of research methods terminology were repeated at four time-points across three years then analyzed using multidimensional scaling. There was no significant improvement in students’ research methods structural knowledge after a year, but there was by the end of students’ second year. Knowledge did not improve after students’ final year of study. Various metacognitive and motivational variables were significant correlates of research methods knowledge and research skills. Structural knowledge of research methods terminology appears to be developed from formal methodology training and is not improved upon after completion of a final year research project dissertation. Improving metacognitive skills and increasing motivation for methodology classes may be linked to better development of research methods knowledge and research skills.

KW - Research Methodology Training

KW - Knowledge Development

KW - Motivation

U2 - 10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.02.147

DO - 10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.02.147

M3 - Article

SN - 1877-0428

VL - 217

SP - 790

EP - 800

JO - Procedia -Social and Behavioral Sciences

JF - Procedia -Social and Behavioral Sciences

ER -