Background
Psychology educators have a long tradition of adopting and developing evidence-based practice in their teaching. This is evident in all levels of the psychology curriculum, from secondary school psychology (a very popular area of study in Australia) through to professional postgraduate training and higher degree by research candidature. Research in the scholarship of teaching and learning has formed the basis for numerous positive changes to educational practice.
The COVID pandemic has forced profound changes in teaching and learning practice and has both hastened and altered the traditional evolutionary pathway of educational innovation. As with many workplaces, education settings are coming to terms with working alongside the COVID pandemic in a way that looks profoundly different from their pre-pandemic state. Psychology education will need to continue to adapt to these changed circumstances so that students continue to attain the competencies expected of a psychology graduate. Fortunately, many psychology researchers (and particularly those based in Australia) are producing innovative research in the scholarship of psychology teaching and learning, as this collection will illustrate.
In response to the economic changes to the higher education system throughout the 1990s, psychology discipline leaders’ solution was to reduce undergraduate educational outcomes to content knowledge and foundational research skills, with all training in traditional professional psychology practice skills being concentrated at the postgraduate level. The suitability of this solution in the current societal context is being challenged. Moreover, psychology training pathways are unique in that the education of all students of psychology emphasizes the mastery of psychological science before turning to applied practice, most commonly in postgraduate pathways. These pathways to becoming a registered psychologist in Australia have changed markedly in recent years and there is ongoing debate around the merits of the various approaches that have been proposed. One of the goals of this collection is to inform this discussion by providing readers with an accurate and timely consideration of the key issues surrounding this important area for the discipline.
Scope
This series will present a range of papers highlighting the current state of scholarship of psychology teaching and learning in both Australia and the broader global context. In addition to research evaluations of educational practice at all levels of the psychology curriculum, papers will also consider methodological issues and challenges in the area, theoretical frameworks, and policy contexts that impact educational practice, including the current accreditation and regulatory frameworks that guide psychology education.
The Australian Journal of Psychology accepts 'original research', 'review', 'brief report', and 'registered report' article types.
This collection will be of interest to anyone involved in psychology education, including researchers, teachers, opinion leaders, and students of psychology.
