A Curricular Approach to Developing Research Skills Within a Psychological Need Satisfaction Framework

Background Maximizing the value of introductory courses that both support student wellbeing and develop scientific thinking is increasingly important in the post-COVID-19 context. Objective In an introductory psychology course framed by psychological literacy, the aim was to explicitly support the satisfaction of students’ academically related psychological needs (thus supporting well-being) in the context of acquiring foundational research skills. Method Innovative teaching and assessment strategies for scaffolded collaborative research skill acquisition are described. Students were invited to complete an evaluation survey. Results The hypothesis that students would indicate that the course contributed to (a) satisfaction of their psychological needs, (b) intrinsic motivation, (c) well-being, and (d) development of psychological literacy was supported. The hypothesis that psychological need satisfaction would predict both intrinsic motivation and well-being was supported. The hypothesis that students would indicate that the course contributed to increased competence in research and experimental design was supported. Conclusion Explicitly framing the pedagogical approach in terms of psychological literacy and the satisfaction of psychological needs, and scaffolding research skill development, is a promising approach in courses emphasizing the value of psychological science. Teaching implications Teachers can readily adapt this approach to their own context, making use of our open course materials.