PSYC 004 Psychology in Schools (SC)

Welcome to the research guide for Psychology in Schools. This guide is a starting point to find sources on various topics related to your op-ed assignment which includes evaluating the psychological literature to inform your research question, finding supporting sources, and writing an op-ed. 

When starting out, it helps to get some basic information on a topic and to be familiar with how it is discussed in the literature with the scientific terms currently in use. Reference books and online reference portals (such as those in the Encyclopedias & Handbooks tab) are excellent for getting down fundamental concepts in short order.

For journal articles, use ProQuest Social Sciences, PsycINFO or Google Scholar.

Finishing up your paper will require proper documentation of your sources. The Citing Sources tab has example for citing the major types of sources: journals, books, websites.

The final project includes working in small groups to tackle a controversial topic in schools, namely suggested policies that can impact school climate. Conduct research to support one side. This project culminates in an op-ed.

What is an op-ed? According to the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, an "op-ed piece derives its name from originally having appeared opposite the editorial page in a newspaper. Today, the term is used more widely to represent a column that represents the strong, informed, and focused opinion of the writer on an issue of relevance to a targeted audience."

• A = Author and accuracy
  • Who wrote or otherwise created the material? Is s/he an expert in the field? What are his or her credentials? Does s/he work for an organization? Is it reliable? 
  • Are there any glaring factual errors? Grammatical or spelling errors?
• B = Bias
  • People create materials for various reasons: to provide information, to push an opinion, to sell something, or just to be funny, to name a few. What is the purpose of this material, and does that tell you anything about possible bias? Does the author present a balanced point of view? Are there any obvious conflicts of interest? Is the tone objective, or is it emotional?
  • Recognize your own bias, too! Do you believe what you're seeing/hearing/reading simply because you want to? Because it fits in with your preconceived notions?
• C = Currency, coverage, and credibility
  • How current is the material? What is an acceptable date range for your topic area?
  • Is coverage of the topic in depth, or is it shallow? Does information seem to be missing?
  • For research studies, is the methodology sound? What does that say about the credibility of the findings?
• D = Documentation and duplication
  • Does the author cite his or her sources? Are they credible? 
  • Can you find the same information in any other source? If you read it first on social media, can you also find it on the news or in a journal article? If research findings, have they been replicated?

Healthy skepticism is a good thing.

If you can't answer these questions, investigate!

You must determine what is appropriate for your topic area or assignment.