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The prevalence of “psychological literacy” in U.K. higher education psychology teaching and learning: A national survey registered report

No Stage 1 found
AuthorsMadeleine PownallOARichard Harris
Year2025
VenueScholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology

Psychological literacy refers broadly to students’ capacity to intentionally and adaptively use their psychology knowledge and skills to achieve personal, professional, and societal goals. Psychological literacy is increasingly embedded in top-down policy about psychology education, particularly in the United Kingdom. However, no empirical work has gathered national perspective on the prevalence of psychological literacy practice in undergraduate psychology programs at a national level. We conducted a Registered Report in which we ran a descriptive, exploratory survey of psychological literacy practice in the United Kingdom, investigating (a) what educators associate with psychological literacy, (b) where psychological literacy features in BSc Psychology programs, and (c) how it is being integrated into teaching and learning practice across the United Kingdom. We surveyed psychology educators from the United Kingdom (N = 84). We found that U.K. psychology educators were generally unfamiliar with the term “psychological literacy,” but provided definitions that extend the existing conceptualization, including a concern for reflection and employability. Educators consistently reported incorporating attributes of psychological literacy into their teaching, predominantly through assessment and feedback practices and teaching content. Educators achieve integration of psychological literacy by emphasizing the real-world relevance of psychology, prompting students to reflect on how this content relates to their own experiences, and evaluating students’ knowledge and skills in authentic, applied ways. Across the data, psychological literacy was also linked to core values and principles that shaped both teaching and assessment approaches, including interactivity, collaboration, and reflexivity. Implications for policy and practice are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)

Item typeJournal Article
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