Perceptions of the Thesis Program in Psychological Science at Carthage College — Presentation Detail — Celebration of Scholars

Instructions

Student presentations must have a faculty sponsor.

Abstracts must include a title and a description of the research, scholarship, or creative work. The description should be 150-225 words in length and constructed in a format or style appropriate for the presenter’s discipline.

The following points should be addressed within the selected format or style for the abstract:

A clear statement of the problem or question you pursued, or the scholarly goal or creative theme achieved in your work.
A brief comment about the significance or uniqueness of the work.
A clear description of the methods used to achieve the purpose or goals for the work.
A statement of the conclusions, results, outcomes, or recommendations, or if the work is still in progress, the results you expect to report at the event.

Presenter photographs should be head and shoulder shots comparable to passport photos.

Additional Information

More information is available at carthage.edu/celebration-scholars/. The following are members of the Research, Scholarship, and Creativity Committee who are eager to listen to ideas and answer questions:

Jun Wang
Kim Instenes
John Kirk
Nora Nickels
Andrew Pustina
James Ripley

Perceptions of the Thesis Program in Psychological Science at Carthage College

Name: Patrick Engle
Major: Psychology
Hometown: Belvidere, IL
Faculty Sponsor: Leslie Cameron
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: Independent research

Abstract

At Carthage College a requirement for graduation is the completion of a senior thesis project. This is a demanding and resource-intensive requirement, which relies on substantial time and support from faculty members. In Psychological Science, the project consists of a research proposal, although a data collection project can be completed during a second semester if a student wishes to attempt honors in the major.

Motivation for the present study came from a desire to understand student perceptions of the thesis in psychological science program and the concern that course requirements are not broadly understood by majors.

Eighty-two Psychology majors responded to an online survey including questions pertaining to students’ ideas and knowledge about how a thesis project is completed and what preparation is necessary.

Results indicated that awareness about what classes are necessary to complete before starting the project, what the project consists of, and general preparedness increasing over time. Additionally, some concerns were expressed among students regarding the organization and communication involved in the program.

These results support the initial suspicion that there is some confusion and lack of knowledge amongst students regarding the process of completing the thesis project. This, along with the concerns expressed by some students, provides further rationale to continue to develop the program.

Poster file