Putting proverbs to the test: An engaging approach for developing students’ hypothesis testing skills.

Tim Gamble, Julie M. Turner-Cobb, Ian Walker, Nigel Holt

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

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Abstract

Integral to most undergraduate psychology degree programs are research methods courses. Students learn about theory, study design and hypothesis testing, and gain knowledge that is assessed by laboratory reports. We describe a problem-based learning approach with an emphasis on acquisition of study design skills. Working in small groups, students took well-known falsifiable proverbs, developed hypotheses to test them, recruited and assessed participants, analyzed the data, and presented their findings in a poster format. This approach allowed students to develop key skills to systematically experiment with an idea using proverbs as a proxy for theory. We suggest proverb testing as a useful technique to engage student-centered active learning in psychology and in the behavioral sciences more broadly.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)230-235
Number of pages6
JournalTeaching of Psychology
Volume46
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 13 Jun 2019

Keywords

  • Research methods
  • Poster presentation
  • Proverbs
  • Problem-based learning
  • Hypothesis testing

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