Getting Advanced Placement Psychology Students “Ready Through Research”

Background Recent changes to Introductory Psychology curricula emphasize the importance of building research skills, but instructors may need additional support. Objective This paper examines outcomes of the Ready Through Research (RTR) program in which research mentors from local universities guide Advanced Placement (AP) Psychology students to design, conduct, analyze, and present their research projects. Method Studies 1 ( N = 72) and 2 ( N = 124) compare changes in students’ research skills and science/psychology persistence self-efficacy and examine student perceptions of RTR outcomes across two program iterations. Results RTR students’ research skill self-efficacy grew significantly in both studies. Further, RTR students in both studies reported that the program made them more interested in pursuing research and psychology in the future. In Study 1, students’ science persistence self-efficacy did not change over time, but in Study 2, RTR students’ psychology persistence self-efficacy increased. Conclusion RTR programming benefits AP Psychology students’ research understanding, skills, and persistence, but students may not consider psychology a science discipline. Teaching Implications To meet new curriculum standards, teachers should engage students in psychological research and emphasize that psychology is a science.