Can sharing alumni career success stories improve psychology students’ perceived interest in research subjects?

Despite its importance for academic and professional success, research literacy remains a significant challenge in psychology education, with undergraduates consistently reporting research subjects uninteresting, irrelevant, and anxiety-provoking. Students’ negative attitudes toward research subjects impact subject satisfaction and engagement, and subsequently, discipline performance and attrition. However, in line with utility-value interventions, explicitly connecting the relevance and importance of research skills to clinical careers might increase students’ interest in research subjects as well as their perceived value to their careers. Therefore, a pilot project has been initiated featuring an innovative podcast series, accompanied by written alumni spotlights, integrated into an undergraduate research methods and statistics subject. The series showcases diverse psychology professionals articulating how psychological literacy (specifically, research knowledge) is fundamental to, and directly informs, their daily practice and career progression. The present mixed-methods case study aimed to investigate the impact of this pilot project. Analyses using data from a pre-/post-term survey and individual interviews are underway. Findings will be shared, focused on the impact of showcasing the utility of psychological literacy via alumni career journeys on students’ interest in, and perceived value of, research subjects. Implications for teaching and learning practices and future directions for strengthening the research-practice connection in undergraduate psychology education will also be discussed.

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AusPLAT 2025: Australia Psychology Learning and Teaching Conference: Fostering Wellbeing and Sustainability in Psychology Education

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