Teaching Psychology At Undergraduate Level: Rethinking What We Teach And How We Teach It

Traditionally undergraduate psychology has maintained an allegiance to a positivist scientist-practitioner model and has focussed on building a solid theoretical foundation. The development of skills and self-awareness has typically been the domain of postgraduate study. It is argued that in the pr...

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Main Author: Sonja Goedeke
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Tuwhera Open Access Publisher 2007-04-01
Series:New Zealand Journal of Teachers' Work
Online Access:https://ojs.aut.ac.nz/teachers-work/article/view/485
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author Sonja Goedeke
author_facet Sonja Goedeke
author_sort Sonja Goedeke
collection DOAJ
description Traditionally undergraduate psychology has maintained an allegiance to a positivist scientist-practitioner model and has focussed on building a solid theoretical foundation. The development of skills and self-awareness has typically been the domain of postgraduate study. It is argued that in the process of trying to justify itself as a ‘science’, psychology has lost many of the aspects that first attracts people to its study: the desire for greater understanding of self, others and social phenomena. This article reflects on the experience of offering an undergraduate degree that integrates theory and a valuing of personal and vocational development. A less positivist-dominated formulation of the scientist-practitioner model may offer a constructive way in which to unite the ‘human’ and ‘scientific’ sides of psychology.
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institution Kabale University
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publisher Tuwhera Open Access Publisher
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series New Zealand Journal of Teachers' Work
spelling doaj-art-5fcde7dba9f840018dd1f732bcc0c0112025-08-20T03:24:35ZengTuwhera Open Access PublisherNew Zealand Journal of Teachers' Work1176-66622007-04-014110.24135/teacherswork.v4i1.485Teaching Psychology At Undergraduate Level: Rethinking What We Teach And How We Teach ItSonja Goedeke0AUT University Traditionally undergraduate psychology has maintained an allegiance to a positivist scientist-practitioner model and has focussed on building a solid theoretical foundation. The development of skills and self-awareness has typically been the domain of postgraduate study. It is argued that in the process of trying to justify itself as a ‘science’, psychology has lost many of the aspects that first attracts people to its study: the desire for greater understanding of self, others and social phenomena. This article reflects on the experience of offering an undergraduate degree that integrates theory and a valuing of personal and vocational development. A less positivist-dominated formulation of the scientist-practitioner model may offer a constructive way in which to unite the ‘human’ and ‘scientific’ sides of psychology. https://ojs.aut.ac.nz/teachers-work/article/view/485
spellingShingle Sonja Goedeke
Teaching Psychology At Undergraduate Level: Rethinking What We Teach And How We Teach It
New Zealand Journal of Teachers' Work
title Teaching Psychology At Undergraduate Level: Rethinking What We Teach And How We Teach It
title_full Teaching Psychology At Undergraduate Level: Rethinking What We Teach And How We Teach It
title_fullStr Teaching Psychology At Undergraduate Level: Rethinking What We Teach And How We Teach It
title_full_unstemmed Teaching Psychology At Undergraduate Level: Rethinking What We Teach And How We Teach It
title_short Teaching Psychology At Undergraduate Level: Rethinking What We Teach And How We Teach It
title_sort teaching psychology at undergraduate level rethinking what we teach and how we teach it
url https://ojs.aut.ac.nz/teachers-work/article/view/485
work_keys_str_mv AT sonjagoedeke teachingpsychologyatundergraduatelevelrethinkingwhatweteachandhowweteachit