Giving Psychology Students Independence and Empowerment in a Statistics Module Roger Watt, Elizabeth Collins, Carole Harmon, Francesca Worsnop Psychology, Natural Sciences, University of Stirling Enhancement Themes conference, Thursday 9 June 2016 John McIntyre Conference Centre, Edinburgh

A Micro-study of Transition out of University via Developing Independence In Stirling Psychology The final year undergraduate programme is engineered as a tool to develop independence It was awarded the inaugural British Psychological Society Prize for Innovation in Academic Programmes

Developing Independence Independence is based on Confidence Confidence is based on owned Success Owned Success depends on +ve Feedback - the student experience +ve Feedback Predictable Random low uncertainty high uncertainty Self-efficacy Learned helplessness

Teaching Examining Grades The traditional process Staff Student Learning Examining Student reality We don’t feel any space or time to do and reflect. We become obsessed with grades. Personal Reflection Grades Staff Feedback

Teaching Examining Grades The traditional process owned Success Staff Student Teaching Learning owned Success → emulate teacher Examining Student reality We don’t feel any space or time to do and reflect. We become obsessed with grades. Personal Reflection Grades Staff Feedback

The active student learner   Peer Feedback Staff Feedback Learning Doing Thinking Outcome Personal Reflection Starting Grades Staff Student The active student learner

The active student learner   Peer Feedback Staff Feedback Learning Doing Thinking Outcome Personal Reflection Starting Grades Staff Student The active student learner owned Success → self-monitoring

The active student learner   Peer Feedback Staff Feedback Learning Doing Thinking Outcome Personal Reflection Starting Grades Staff Student The active student learner owned Success → self-monitoring

The active student learner   Peer Feedback Staff Feedback Learning Doing Thinking Outcome Personal Reflection Starting Grades Staff Student The active student learner owned Success → self-monitoring Is my behaviour being reinforced? +ve feedback: I can do this. Learning to succeed. -ve feedback: I cannot do this. Learning to fail.

Learning to succeed or learning to fail? the psychological process Time →

Learning to succeed or learning to fail? the student experience Time →

A Micro-study of Transition out of University via Developing Independence In Stirling Psychology The final year programme is engineered as a tool to develop independence

A Micro-study of Transition out of University via Developing Independence In Stirling Psychology The final year programme is engineered as a tool to develop independence but Statistics is frequently the most disempowering element of a Psychology degree And it can therefore place a real limit on independence

Statistics: traditionally disempowering 1). Disjointed Although a mathematically minded student may see the patterns that lie behind the formulae etc, Psychology students do not. 2). Error-prone In SPSS, there is 1 million sequences of actions you can make, and only one of them is correct. SPSS rarely warns you. 3). Authoritarian There appears to be no room for critical thinking or creativity If learning is about mastering, then this makes for a lost cause.

BrawStats: designed to be empowering 1). Unified All the minutiae of statistics are completely hidden. Users interact with the same system regardless of incidental details of data form etc. 2). Error-proof In BrawStats there is still many sequences of actions, but they are all entirely valid. 3). Facilitative BrawStats facilitates students learning by experiment. They can be as critical as they wish – at the level of statistics as a system of evaluating results.

BrawStats demo here

A Micro-study of Transition out of University via Developing Independence Principles BrawStats guarantees +ve feedback BrawStats offers owned Success Results BrawStats generates enthusiasm BrawStats generates competence BrawStats generates understanding but Different starting point from trad statistics It doesn’t quickly undo earlier learning of failure It is open, unstructured and rewards independence rather than obedience