Background: American Psychological Association Guidelines for Undergraduate Education (2013) encourage workforce preparation among undergraduate students, and the field of psychology has implemented this recommendation in various ways. Objective: The present study investigated what sources undergraduate psychology students use to find information…

Background: Transfer students are a growing population of undergraduate psychology majors who are academically at-risk but often underserved by 4-year institutions. Objective: We describe a transfer learning community (TLC) for entering psychology transfer students and report its impact on participants social and academic integration and success.…

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an abrupt transition from in-person to online learning in Spring 2020. Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify the impact of the transition on undergraduates during the period following the campus closure. Method: 131 psychology undergraduate students completed an online survey of how the…

Background: Case studies are often used to supplement lecture material to students of psychology. Recent research on the use of online support forums has been shown to be more effective in increasing student attainment of course learning objectives than the use of case studies. Objective: The current research replicated two studies on the use of…

Background: Research suggests growth mindset interventions can support student achievement, particularly among students at risk of academic struggle, but it remains underspecified which at-risk populations will benefit from such interventions. Objectives: This study aimed to experimentally evaluate whether highly (vs. moderately or minimally)…

Background: Undergraduate teaching assistants (UTAs) are associated with increased student performance and belongingness. Yet, when given a choice, not all students leverage UTA-facilitated opportunities equally. Objective: This study explores motivational and contextual factors that underlie individual differences in students' willingness to…

Background: Encouraging students to adopt a mastery goal orientation can help increase learning and motivation. However, the effect of mastery goal orientation interventions specifically in upper-division online elective psychology courses has not been studied. Objective: The purpose of this replication study was to examine the effects of a…

Background: Students with marginalized identities report a lack of cultural competence among faculty in higher education classrooms. Identity safety cues (ISCs) signal to minority group members that their identities are valued and respected. Objective: The purpose of this study was to test for differences in students' perceptions of their…

Background: Reading comprehension and writing ability are critical to students' success in introductory psychology. However, these generally are not prerequisites. There is conflicting evidence with regard to the effectiveness of remedial reading and writing classes for students with low placement exam scores. Objectives: To explore whether…

Background: Psychology courses provide a good opportunity for instructors to teach students effective learning strategies integrated with content. Objective: This replication and extension study explored changes in students' self-reported use of learning strategies before and after a term paper assignment and examined the relationships between…

Background: First-generation (FG) college students have been a popular subpopulation to study within educational literature as these students experience many unique challenges in their academic careers causing them to drop out within their first year. This gives courses with high first-time freshman numbers such as introductory psychology courses…

Background: With in-person instruction, many undergraduates look at screens during lectures. Because screens can distract, attempts to curb this behavior through screen policies are increasingly common but understudied. Objective and Method: Two quasi-experimental studies (Study 1: N = 412; Study 2: N = 179) in the same Psychology class explore…

Objective: How do learning communities influence academic performance in Introductory Psychology? Method: The present research examines the relationship between participation in first-year students learning communities and academic performance across a variety of course requirements (midterms, finals, papers, and class participation) in…

Background: Researchers suggest benefits for cooperative learning, but often fail to control for choosing to engage cooperatively, ACT scores or early course performance. Objective: To observe the effects of choosing cooperative work on exam performance in an Introduction to Psychology Course, while controlling for early exam performance and ACT.…

Peer leader programs train students in supporting introductory learners in traditional classrooms via instructional sessions of peer-to-peer learning. Assessments of these programs typically focus on benefits to learners rather than leaders, with any gains for leaders shown via self-reported growth measures. This study examined benefits to leaders…