Dear Potential Research Assistants,

Aspects of the social and internal (personality) learning contexts has been an interest of mind since I was a graduate student.  As a teacher/professor in training, I wanted to learn ways of identifying what students learn, how learning can be improved, and the practical application of "pre-tests" to better determine what concepts may need to be repeated in later classes.  The projects become stem from these earlier interests, some of which relate directly to my dissertation research and my experiences with being an Assistant Director in the Office of Assessment at Kansas State University.  Below is a list of current and recent research projects:

  1. Multi-method assessment in the Research, Design & Analysis sequence of courses (started in fall 2008)

  2. Multi-method assessment in Social Psychology (e.g., social terminology, understanding of diversity, mock interview performance, and enhancement of learning through repeated and spaced testing).

  3. Understanding of diversity -- cross sectional comparison in freshmen and junior level psychology courses

  4. Multi-method assessment in the Systems of Psychology (capstone for the major) course (e.g., self-report, tracking and link performance from core courses to performance on the ACAT exit exam, written skills, knowledge of APA style, tracking stability of the scientist and/or practitioner orientations from freshmen to senior year, tracking improvement in mock interviewing skills, etc.)

  5. Vocabulary Study -- examining changes in vocabulary knowledge after undergoing an web-based training program.

  6. Assessing and examining reactions to student learning outcomes (SLOs)

This list does not include student directed studies which I supervise.  A brief description of each project is provided below, along with recent publications/presentations associated with each project (* intakes where students were co-authors).

If you are interested in joining one of these projects, please click on:  How do I become a Research Assistant?

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Project 1:  Research, Design & Analysis (RDA) Study

This project consists of using multiple methods to assess student preparation for and performance in the combined research methods and statistics two semester sequence course.  Students are assessed on their basic math and APA style skills, self-efficacy toward scientific research, preferences the scientist and/or practitioner orientation, and background questions. Performance on course exams are also examined.  Tracking of students to their senior year has started to link their performance on the Research Method and Statistics portions of the ACAT (Area Concentration Achievement Test) exit exam. As of fall 2009, we started the second year of data collection in the RDA courses.

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Project 2:  Social Psychology

This project consists of sets of studies that examine student learning within the third year in college and the psychology major.  (1) Students' self-perceptions of knowledge and understanding of social psychology concepts is collected pre and post and connected with actual performance on test questions used in the course.  Currently (fall 2009), self-perception data are being collected from another 3000-level required course in the major to more fully explore whether actual changes are occurring in students knowledge (e.g., actual attitude and eventually actual performance changes).

(2) Understanding of diversity (e.g., social categories, attitudes, knowledge) has been collected in a variety of ways.  We use survey responses, written performance on a socio-historical issue regarding various concepts regarding race, segregation, ethnocentrism, and currently are using a revised diversity rubric to evaluate the level of diversity understand expressed in the written assignment.  Changes across the semester within social psychology are examined.

(3) Performance on mock interviews that students participate in with Career Services is providing a baseline from which to compare majors and non-majors, across cohorts from semester to semester, and comparison with seniors in the major (see research study with Systems of Psychology/Capstone).  Currently (summer and fall 2009), a student is exploring an intervention where students write out answers to challenging interview questions before they undergo the mock interview.  The intervention is intended to improve performance, and the student researcher is planning to follow-up 2-4 months later on actual interviews and associated success.

(4) Enhancement of student learning has been and continues to be examined in different ways.  For the last two years (4 semesters) data have been collected on the impact of field observations (an observation study and written assignment) has on student performance on exams.  Currently (fall 2009), the multi-test and spacing methods are being examined to see what impact they have on student learning.  For example, 4 quizzes are used within a 4-chapter unit.  Each quiz contains items from all 4 chapters, with different proportions of items presented depending on the chapter.  By the end of the forth quiz in the unit, students have received approximately 50 items per chapter but the test has occurred over 4-5 weeks.

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Project 3:  Assessing Student Learning Related to Diversity and Multiculturalism

This project involves the use of existing measures of diversity (e.g., awareness, attitudes, multiculturalism, etc.) to assess student knowledge, skills and attributes.  Data entry, helping to coordinate data collection in multiple classes, and analyses will be the major tasks for this project.  Additional tasks (once data are entered) include further development of the survey such as item analysis, factor analysis, and potentially follow-up focus groups.

Presentations

Marsh, P. A., & Twigg, J.*  (2009, May).  Cross-sectional examination of college students’ diversity perspectives.  Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Council of Teachers of Undergraduate Psychology, Chicago, IL.

Marsh, P. A.  (2008, January).  Historical parallels with human injustice:  Assessing student understanding of self and others.  Poster presented at the 30th Annual National Institute on the Teaching of Psychology (NITOP), St. Petersburg Beach, FL.

Marsh, P. A., & Lemen, K*.  (2007, May).  Survey refinement and cross institutional comparison of changes in diversity awareness, knowledge, and behavior within general psychology.  Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Council of Teachers of Undergraduate Psychology, Chicago, IL.

Marsh, P.A., & Herrera, V*.  (2007, May).  Improving early childhood literacy by increasing the frequency of reading at home.  Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Midwestern Psychological Association (MPA) Conference, Chicago, IL.

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Project 4:  Assessing Learning within Systems of Psychology (the Psychology Capstone Course)

This research connects measures of learning with the expected outcomes for the Psychology major at UCM.  Comparisons are made between student and faculty perceptions of where the learning outcomes are addressed in the curriculum; knowledge of APA style (assessed through a pre/post test and written assignment); knowledge of psychology and the history of psychology (ACAT exit test and course exams); perceptions of the department's role in students' preparation as they enter and leave the capstone course; etc.  Eventually this research will make connections with assessments performed earlier in the degree program, as well as connections with follow-up surveys of students who have completed the program (e.g., alumni surveys).

Presentations

Marsh, P. A., & Poepsel, D. L.* (2009, May).  Increasing students’ performance for job and graduate school interviews.  Poster to be presented at the annual Association of Psychological Science Convention, San Francisco, CA.

Marsh, P.A., & Poepsel, D. L.* (2008).  Perceived usefulness of learning outcomes predicts ratings of departmental helpfulness.  Teaching of Psychology, 35, 335-342.

Harrington, L.* (2008, November).  What upper classmen know about APA style.  Poster presented at the annual Missouri Undergraduate Psychology Conference, Maryville.

Marsh, P. A., & Poepsel, D. L.*  (2007).  Creating, molding and refining the experiences within a capstone course.  Oral presentation at the Beginnings & Endings: Best Practices for Introducing and Bringing Closure to the Undergraduate Psychology Major Conference (part of the annual Best Practices in Psychology conference series), Atlanta, GA.

Marsh, P.A., & Poepsel, D*.  (2007, May).  Significant relationships between use of capstone learning outcomes and perceived skill development.  Poster presented at the annual Association of Psychological Science Convention, Washington, D.C.

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Project 5:  Vocabulary Study (started in fall 2008)

The purpose of this study is to examine the extent to which an online web based program can enhance students’ vocabulary.  Students will access the study via the department’s SONA system (look for the “Vocabulary Study”). This study will run for 5-weeks in which you will need to come into the research lab on three separate visits; each visit will be for one hour.  There will also be one online survey completed during the study.  During the three visits you will complete a combination of surveys, vocabulary tests, and spend time on the vocabulary training program.  Training involves:

¹      Visit 1: Survey and 30-item vocabulary test (approximately 30 minutes), plus 30 minutes with the program.
¹      Visit 2: 60 minutes with the program.
¹      Visit 3: 30 minutes with the program, and 30 minutes for completing the survey and 30-item vocabulary test.
¹      Online survey/test will take approximately 30 minutes, which can occur any time during the 5-week period.

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Project 6:  Assessing and examining reactions to student learning outcomes (SLOs)

Often embedded in other courses or assessment.  Stemmed from research in general psychology and in the capstone courses (i.e., end points of the psychology major).

Publication/Presentations

Marsh, P. A., Poepsel, D. L.*, & Matthew, E. M.* (2008, May).  Relationships between ratings of progress on learning in the major and students’ self-confidence.  Poster presented at the annual Association of Psychological Science Convention, Chicago, IL.

 

Marsh, P. A.  (2007, July).  What is known about student learning outcomes and how does it relate to the scholarship of teaching and learning?  International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 1(2).  Retrieved July 19, 2007, from http://www.georgiasouthern.edu/ijsotl/v1n2/essays/marsh/index.htm 

Marsh, P. A., & Matthew, E*.  (2007, June).  Student apathy or excitement regarding learning
outcomes:  Do they care or use course expectations to direct their learning?  Poster session to be presented at the annual Association for Instructional Research (AIR) Forum, Kansas City, MO.

Marsh, P. A., & Matthew, E*.  (2007, May).  Comparing student learning based upon responses to issues of importance, progress, and usefulness of course learning outcomes.  Poster session to be presented at the annual meeting of the Council of Teachers of Undergraduate Psychology, Chicago, IL.

Marsh, P.  (2005, May).  Do learning outcomes make a difference:  An empirical study of how knowledge and attitudes toward the learning environment are affected by course-level student learning outcomes.  Paper presented at the annual Association for Institutional Research (AIR) Forum, San Diego, CA.

Mather, P., Marsh, P., & Morrow, T.  (2004, May).  Effective assessment of student learning in introductory psychology.  Poster session presented at the annual meting of the American Psychological Society (APS), Chicago, IL.

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Thinking about Becoming a Research Assistant

Advice: 

Each of the faculty members in the Psychology department at UCM engages in research.  The extent of their involvement with one or more projects does vary, including criteria (e.g., minimum skills) needed before working on a project. 

I recommend setting up a meeting with a faculty member you are interested in working or attending a Psychology Club (or Psi Chi) meeting and ask students about their current involvement with research studies.  Several students work with multiple faculty and/or on more than one research project. 

Some students start slow and gradually and other dive into multiple projects; there's a lot of flexibility within the department.  If you plan to apply to graduate school (master's or doctoral programs), then gaining research experience should be one of your TOP priorities before you graduate.

Gaining research knowledge, skills, and confidence takes time, thus I highly recommend that you start looking into possibilities of joining research studies as soon as possible.

Dr. Marsh's Research Lab/Team

My preferences for anyone who is interested in working with me are: (1) having a high desire to learn about psychology or psychological research and (2) willing to commit at least 2 semesters with me.  I usually have short-term projects which students can join for a single semester, however, most of those duties may be data entry.  Skill level of past Research Assistants (RAs) have ranged from little to no research skill/experience, to students who have finished the RDA or equivalent research design sequence of courses, to those who have completed their undergraduate education. 

As long as students are highly motivated, I am willing to train them on whatever skills are needed for the type of study we are working on.  In other words, I regularly train new members of the research team on:  SPSS, Excel, PowerPoint (when working on presentations), and APA style.  Feel free to email (talk with) students who are currently work with me.

Current Students (as of fall 2009)

Past Students

Students typically volunteer their time when working on one or more research projects.  There are several benefits to being a volunteer research assistant (RA) such as:

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At this point (you may have already reached the point of TOO MUCH information ), if you are still interested in talking with me about joining the research team, please email me the answers to the questions below.  Or you can print this out, write out your responses, and bring it with you when we meet face-to-face.  These questions usually help me to tailor your learning experiences while work on one or more projects.

1.  Your name and email address: 

 

2.  Which projects are you interested in working on?

 

3.  Which semesters are you interested in working: 

 

4.  Estimated number of hours per week you can commit to the project: 

 

5.  Why are you interested in the project or joining the research team?

 

6.  What do you hope to gain from being part of the research group? (What do you hope to gain from working on the projects you have selected?)

 

 

7.  If not part of your response to #5 or #6, are you interested in going to graduate school?  If so, which program or area interests you?