oLT3: Igniting interest in psychology research subjects through alumni career successes
While research literacy is essential to students’ academic and professional careers, psychology undergraduates find research subjects uninteresting, irrelevant, and anxiety-provoking. Students’ negative attitudes toward research subjects impact subject engagement and, subsequently, discipline performance and attrition. However, in line with utility-value interventions, highlighting the relevance of research subjects to careers might increase students’ interest in research subjects as well as its perceived value to their careers. This presentation will overview a project that aims to bridge subject content and real-world career success using “alumni spotlights”, created as podcasts showcasing how psychological literacy (specifically, research knowledge) is fundamental to diverse psychology careers. Findings from a mixed-methods case study involving a pre-/post-term survey and individual interviews will be shared. Implications will be discussed concerning the impact of showcasing the utility of psychological literacy via alumni career journeys on students’ interest in, and perceived value of, research subjects.
