Tim - let me clarify my thinking I was thinking about a specific student. High GPA. Full academic scholarship. Very bright. She ended up dropping the course because having to choose an answer that she could not be sure was 100% correct was so anxiety provoking that she could not complete an exam. Psychology, by its nature and the topics it discusses, raises more questions than absolute answers - thus ambiguity.
I also have students - much more common - who are cognitively so concrete and literate, that if the question does not use the exact same wording as the text they cannot get it right on an exam. They also are the ones getting into the "But what is the RIGHT answer" arguments in class over things like "how can you tell if someone is clinically depressed. Since there are many right answers, they easily become confused and anxious. They still think mostly in terms of black and white. Getting critical thinking and moving them to an occasional gray is a real accomplishment. I am thrilled when I hear a students say "it depends!" Since we are essentially open admission, I also have students reading at a 6th grade level, unable to do basic arithmetic (how they got their high school diploma I will never know) and at the same time dealing with problems such as dyslexia, drug addiction, full time employment, a family and a full course load, no money to buy the text, no transportation to classes or a 30 mile drive, low self esteem, and about everything else you can imagine. Many want an answer to their own problems or to be able to help a family member or friend based on what they learn in my course. The section on nature/nurture upsets the evolutionists. The section on learning insults the corporal punishment folks. IQ tests are a way that authorities try to put their kids down. Alcoholics are just bad people or have no will power. Kids are just small adults. (I am sure you have heard this all before in one class or another.) In my over 25 years of teaching I think I have tried almost anything and everything to improve student learning and understanding. We spend a lot of class time on study skills and things they need that they didn't learn elsewhere. Many do very well and go from factory workers with very poor self esteem to community leaders. They learn a lot about themselves and each other and begin to pick up some of the language of the discipline. They tell me how amazed they are that they can get their kids to behave without hitting them. They apply what they learn. My overall conclusion...for many students, introductory psychology is a very difficult course. It requires a lot of thinking about things that do not fit students expectations and there is a LOT of content. If they survive it they are really ready for more complex thinking in the field. Suzi Susan J Shapiro Associate Professor, Psychology Indiana University East 2325 Chester Blvd Richmond IN, 47374 (765) 973-8284 [EMAIL PROTECTED] -----Original Message----- From: Shearon, Tim [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, January 13, 2008 3:06 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: RE: [tips] Why psychology is hard Susan- I don't agree with your conclusion that it is the ambiguous answer that gives them problems. I think it is going toward application in a multiple choice format that my own in test analysis has shown to be a problem. As to their levels of anxiety on those questions, it is an interesting hypothesis but I personally don't see that. I think it has more to do with something like a cognitive set or test taking strategies (i.e., I think they are just kind of stuck strategically- I work with some on this and have had good success with improving their scores across the semester- but not everyone can do that with class sizes being what they are). _______________________________ Timothy O. Shearon, PhD Professor and Chair Department of Psychology The College of Idaho Caldwell, ID 83605 email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
