New York Times in theIntroductory Psychology Classroom

Michael Gurtman, Jeffrey Gagliardi, & Katie AbbottUniversity of Wisconsin-Parkside

Participants . The procedures were first reviewed by the university’s IRB. Participants were students enrolled in my introductory psychology (PSYC 101) section during the Spring 2012 semester. Approximately, 90% of the students (N=41) signed informed consent forms allowing their data to be included in the analysis. Most students were first- and second-year undergraduates.

Data Collection . Students are expected to contribute 10 papers over the course of the semester; for this analysis, the first 8 papers were included. Papers were submitted online through a d2l dropbox linked to the course. Of the approximately 320 papers submitted during the course of this study, 80 were randomly selected for analysis. Students also voluntarily completed an end-semester survey evaluating the NY Times Project.

Analyses . Our main interest is in how students’ understanding of the science of psychology and their critical thinking skills evolve over the course of the semester. As part of the project, the reader/graders independently rated the relevance of the students’ cited NY Times article to psychology. They also developed a critical thinking rubric on the basis of the textbook examples, which was then applied to each paper. They also nominated exemplary papers.

METHODThe introductory psychology course is a gateway course for many students new to the college experience—and one that challenges students on a number of levels. The class tends to be large and, to some extent, impersonal. It is reading intensive and requires critical thinking. It is both theoretical and practical. The class has obvious connections to our day-to-day lives; but students often need help linking psychology research and topics to the word around them.

The NY Times in the Classroom project is designed to address some of the challenges faced in the traditional course through specific reading and writing activities that are closely integrated with class content. Students are required to find a psychology-related article in the NY Times (paper version, available free on campus) during 10 weeks of the semester, and write a 300-word reflection piece on the article that also applies critical thinking skills. The writing assignments form a part of their grade for the course (15% of total points available). As part of the project, two advanced psychology majors serve as readers/graders.

INTRODUCTION RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

CONCLUSIONS

Sample of Articles Chosen by StudentsCarey, B. (2012, January 25) Grief Could Join List Of Disorders, Uproar Over Effort to Redefine Depression. The New York Times, pp. A1, A21

Hoffman, J. (2012, February 24). Trying to Find a Cry of Desperation Amid the Facebook Drama. The New York Times, pp. A1, A3.

Reynolds, G. ( 2012, January 24). Exercise May Throw Up an Alzheimer’s Roadblock. The New York Times, pp. D5

Nugent, B. (2012, February 1). I had asperger syndrome. Briefly. The New York Times, pp. A25

Gorman, J. (2012, January 24). Survival’s Ick Factor. New York Times, pp. D1, D4.

Zuger, A. (2012, January 31. In Search of the Elusive Definition of Heterosexuality. The New York Times, pp. D5

Brody, J. (2012, March 27). Forging Social Connections for Longer Life. The New York Times, pp. D7.

Blakeslee, S. (2012, April 3). Mind Games: Sometimes a White Coat isn’t Just a White Coat. The New York Times, pp. D3.

Murphy, K. (2012, April 17). In Blur of A.D.H.D, Sleep Troubles May Be a Culprit. The New York Times, pp. D5.

Bhanoo, S. (2012, April 17). Following the Crowd Isn’t Just for Teenagers. The New York Times, pp. D3.

Critical Thinking Criteria

Analysis

•Makes judgments regarding validity.•Determines value of presented evidence.•Identifies misleading or false claims and biases.•Identifies missing elements.•Scrutinizes information source.•Recognizes that correlation does not prove causation.

Comprehension

•Generalizes findings/conclusions to other situations or events.•Discussion of related topics.•Relates findings to existing literature of knowledge.•Proposes alternative explanations.•Seeks to clarify issue with additional information.•Integrates material from class into discussion.

Application

•Identifies practical uses for data/conclusions.•Explores implementation of information into existing psychological practices.•Considers whether phenomena are universal or cultural.•Identifies limitations of theory or data.

Examples of Critical Thinking in Exemplary Papers

“This article does not provide income figures of those who were working 40 hour weeks. It also doesn’t suggest any correlation with depression between those who make higher and lower number salaries.” (Analysis)

“Therapy requires some kind of interaction; therapy is not an experiment. By definition, therapy is, ‘any act, hobby, task, program, etc. that relieves tension.’” (Comprehension)

“Even if people have similar symptoms it needs to be remembered that each person is different and their condition should be addressed in a case-by-case manner...You can voice your concerns and build a relationship where it becomes a safe haven and a form of support.” (Application)

“This article [is related] to the retrograde and anterograde amnesia we have discussed in class…[explanation].” (Comprehension)

“For example, since the thumb is prone to arthritis, we could block the pain stimulus caused by arthritis to produce a sensation of painlessness.” (Application)

“…this was just an assumption that she couldn’t provide further evidence for, nor does she have qualifications to be making assumptions without credible sources to back up her statements.” (Analysis)

“If the results of this study prove true, then we could catch learning issues at a young age and attempt to correct them with social stimulation.” (Application)

“If a person is working long hours at the office they aren’t spending time with their family that they need…to connect with their support system.” (Comprehension)

Sample Papers Utilizing Critical Thinking Categories:Grader#1 Grader#2

Analysis - 25% Analysis – 21.3%

Comprehension – 52.5% Comprehension – 67.5%

Application – 22.5% Application – 31.3%

Sample Papers by Article Relevance:1(Very Relevant) – 77.2%

2(Somewhat Relevant) – 16.8%

3(Not Relevant) – 6.1%

The results of our analysis of the relevancy of articles chosen by students indicated that there was no correlation between the week the article was submitted and article relevancy. Though most of the students had little trouble finding articles that were at least partially relevant, the variability in availability of articles in the New York Times forced some students to search past editions for articles. It is recommended that future assignments of this nature include a wider range of periodicals or sources from which students may obtain articles for examination.

Analysis of critical thinking skills using the rubric developed for this study indicated that over 40% of the papers sampled from the pool of papers submitted included evidence of critical thinking from two or three of the categories in the rubric. Of the three critical thinking categories, “analysis” was found least frequently in student papers, suggesting students focused more on demonstrating an understanding of the article (comprehension) than questioning the article’s validity or value. Due to the short duration of this study, it is difficult to determine clear advances in critical thinking skills by the Introductory Psychology students, though the feedback provided to students each week has resulted in papers that have shown qualitative improvement compared with papers submitted at the beginning of the study.

A possible variable in our study that could have affected the results was the nature of the assignment, which required a minimum of 300 words for acceptance. It is possible that this threshold discouraged additional elaboration on the chosen article once it had been met. Also, because the critical thinking rubric was used in the process of grading student papers, it was difficult to create a measure that preserved inter-rater reliability while allowing for a variety of expression in the reflection papers.

The results of the end of semester survey suggest that the New York Times in the classroom project was well received by students. The majority of students in this study agree that the articles they chose for this assignment helped them understand how Psychology could be applied to everyday life. On average, students also agreed that the assignment stimulated their interest, helped them stay in touch with world events, and that they would recommend the assignment for future students.

•Most of the undergraduate students in this study had little trouble identifying articles relevant to the topic of psychology. 94% of selected students were able to find articles that were somewhat or very relevant.

•Though the majority of students included elements of critical thinking in their paper as required by the assignment, the variety and quality of this critical thinking was limited. Student’s critical thinking tended to focus on article comprehension rather than article analysis. Proper feedback and criticism can lead to greater quality of submitted assignments.

•Students approved of the New York Times assignment and found it helpful in understanding how Psychology is applied in everyday life.