Exploring the Perceptions of Undergraduate Psychology students towards Online Engagement in English for Specific Purpose Classes

In today’s global world, online teaching and learning have become an important part of the education system. In Pakistan, Covid-19 has revolutionized the teaching methodology from traditional face-to-face classes to online classes due to the closure of educational institutes. Despite various efforts made by HEC, universities, and teachers, yet students face problems in online classes. Therefore, the present study aims to explore the perceptions of undergraduate psychology students towards online engagement in ESP classes using self-determination theory (SDT). For this purpose, a qualitative study has been utilized and data has been collected in two stages using sociolinguistic profiles and interviews. The data was collected using a purposive sampling size from 35 psychology students enrolled in ESP online course. The data from the sociolinguistic profile has been analyzed using frequency analysis and interview data has been codified for thematic analysis. The findings suggest that both extrinsic and intrinsic motivation play an equal part in online learning. Besides this, the learners reported that learning can happen within online classes, depending on the teacher’s methodology and strategies in online classes. The results are effective for higher education institutes in determining the level of motivation and perceptions respondents have while taking ESP courses online, which can be made interactive by developing outcome-based courses with the integration of technology to fit the needs of modern education in the post-Covid-19 world.

Using Personal Statements in College Admissions: An Investigation of Gender Bias and the Effects of Increased Structure

Personal statements are among the most commonly used instruments in college admissions procedures. Yet, little research on their reliability, validity, and fairness exists. The first aim of this paper was to investigate hypotheses about adverse impact and underprediction for female applicants, which could result from lower tendencies to use agentic language compared to male applicants. Second, we examined if rating personal statements in a more structured manner would increase reliability and validity. Using personal statements (250 words) from a large cohort of applicants to an undergraduate psychology program at a Dutch University, we found no evidence for adverse impact for female applicants or more agentic language use by male applicants, and no relationship between agentic language use and personal statement ratings. In contrast, we found that personal statements of female applicants were rated slightly more positively than those of males. Exploratory analyses suggest that female applicants’ better writing skills might explain this difference. A more structured approach to rating personal statements yielded higher, but still only ‘moderate’ inter-rater reliability, and virtually identical, negligible predictive validity for first year GPA and dropout.

Understanding the Role of Student Stress, Personality and Coping on Learning Motivation and Mental Health During a Pandemic

The aims explored associations between stress ratings and influences on coping on student mental health and motivation and compared defensive-pessimism against optimism as a strategy for learning motivation. Most research construes stress as distress, with little attempt to consider positive ‘eustress’ experiences. Undergraduate psychology students (N=162) were surveyed on student and pandemic-related stressors, personality, support, control, mental health and learning motivation. Overall, lack of motivation and procrastination were acute. Uplifting ratings of teaching and optimistic thinking were associated with good mental health, but context control was key. Hassle ratings of teaching lowered learning motivation. Support and conscientiousness bolstered learning motivation, with the latter an important buffer against hassle experiences on motivation. Openness was associated with the stress involved in learning. For those anxious-prone, defensive-pessimism was as effective as optimism was for those not anxious-prone, in stimulating learning motivation. Developing context control, support and strategies linked to personality could bolster student resilience during and post Covid-19.

Teaching Behavior Analysis in Brazil: An examination of syllabus in undergraduate courses

The aim of this research was to examine the teaching of Behavior Analysis (BA) in undergraduate Psychology courses in Brazil. For this purpose, syllabus of course units related to BA, provided by federal universities with Psychology courses or higher education institutions that had postgraduate programs in the area, were examined. 82 course units related to BA were identified in the 52 undergraduate courses examined (average of 1.6). The results indicated that the average class hours of the BA course units (116h) represents a small portion (2.9%) of the minimum class hours of the undergraduate courses in Psychology (4,000h). Regarding the syllabus description items, an emphasis on basic concepts and the experimental method was identified. In relation to learning objectives, a high frequency of "false learning objectives" was identified. These results reaffirm long-standing concerns about the limited access to BA in undergraduate Psychology courses.

Conceptual replication study of fifteen JDM effects: Insights from the Polish sample

We conducted pre-registered replications of 15 effects in the field of judgment and decision making (JDM). We aimed to test the generalizability of different classical and modern JDM effects, including, among others: less-is-better, anchoring, and framing to different languages, cultures, or current situations (COVID-19 pandemic). Replicated studies were selected and conducted by undergraduate psychology students enrolled in a decision-making course. Two hundred and two adult volunteers completed an online battery of replicated studies. With a classical significance criterion (p < .05), seven effects were successfully replicated (47%), five partially replicated (33%), and three did not replicate (20%). Even though research materials differed from the originals in several ways, the replication rate in our project is slightly above earlier reported findings in similar replication projects.

CORRELATES OF EXAM PERFORMANCE IN AN INTRODUCTORY STATISTICS COURSE: BASIC MATH SKILLS ALONG WITH SELF-REPORTED PSYCHOLOGICAL/BEHAVIORAL AND DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES

This study investigated whether basic mathematics skills are associated with undergraduate psychology statistics course performance while simultaneously considering self-reported psychological/behavioral and demographic variables. Participants (n = 460) completed a Math Assessment for College Students (MACS), which included questions ranging from calculating percentages to graphical interpretation. The researchers used a discriminant correspondence analysis to reveal differences in course performance evaluated as the average of three exam grades. For the variation in the average exam scores accounted for by our model, the MACS scores provided the largest contribution. Other variables associated with better exam grades included white ethnicity, non-transfer status, lower year in school, and low procrastination. The researchers discuss the implications for helping instructors identify areas of basic mathematical deficiency and strength.