This resource was written to make the case that psychology should be included as a science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) discipline at the high school level. It includes an executive summary, introduction, overview of psychology as a scientific and cross-cutting discipline, a history and current status of high school psychology, myths and misconceptions about psychological science, a conclusion and recommendations, and resources for teachers and others interested in advocating for high school psychology as science.
This resource was developed by a Working Group on Psychology as Science from the APA Summit on High School Psychology Education (July 2017): Natasha Alston, Suzanne Baker, Bernard Beins, Charles Blair-Broeker, Richard Miller, Annette Nielsen, Daniel Rozanas, Rachel Wang and Kristin Whitlock.
Download the report (PDF, 237KB)opens in new window
Information contained in this report does not represent the official policy of the American Psychological Association.
Executive Summary
This course is an ideal platform for teaching not only scientific content that is relevant to the daily lives of students and of intrinsic interest to them, but also the scientific principles that underlie psychological knowledge. High school psychology students develop a basic knowledge of scientific concepts and learn the skills necessary to evaluate the sources and methods used to acquire information. For some students, a high school course may be their only formal exposure to psychological science. This course also serves as the start of the pipeline into the discipline for those who go on to major in psychology in college or who pursue graduate degrees in psychology.
Psychology is a core STEM discipline because of its direct scientific and technological innovations, as well as its indirect contributions to education and learning in science and technology. (APA, 2010, p. 2)
As we will outline in this report, there are multiple other sources that support the notion that psychology is not only a STEM discipline, but that it is one of critical importance in the 21st century. Considering the role human behavior plays in a number of problems currently facing our society, and the benefit to be gained by introducing young students to psychological science, it is imperative to strengthen the scientific nature of psychology as it is taught in high schools.
However, the perception of psychology as a science is inconsistent among the general public and the other sciences, and this perception is reflected in the standing of high school psychology courses in K-12 education. In addition, high school courses vary in their approach to teaching the science of psychology. Partly to address such inconsistencies, the first-ever APA Summit on High School Psychology Education was held July 9-14, 2017, at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah. The mission of the summit was to create the best future for high school psychology education. A total of 70 psychology educators from high schools, community colleges and undergraduate psychology programs participated in the summit.
APA Summit on High School Psychology Education
The summit focused on three goals:
Value
Delivery & Assessment
Reach
Each summit participant worked in one of eight separate working groups to create specific outcomes related to their assigned focus area. The authors of this document, members of a summit working group on Psychology as Science, met routinely in the year prior to the summit to review, collect data about, and discuss the current state of psychology in the high school curriculum. The authors developed this position paper regarding the role of high school psychology in the sciences while emphasizing the importance this course serves in developing scientific and psychological literacy1. The authors address common misconceptions concerning psychology and provide information to help inform the general public concerning the current state of this science and review the growth of the high school psychology course and make many recommendations concerning the treatment and placement of psychology in the high school curriculum.
This resource was written to make the case that psychology should be included as a STEM discipline at the high school level, and to provide evidence to allow students to earn science credit, possibly as a science elective course, towards high school graduation after taking the psychology course, regardless of the department under which the course is taught.
Introduction
There exists some misunderstanding with regard to the scientific basis of psychological research. This misunderstanding compromises the acceptance of psychological science as a source of fundamental knowledge about thought and behavior and a foundation for solutions to personal, interpersonal, and societal issues that arise from problematic thought and behavior. Furthermore, psychological research can be applied to, and add value and improve outcomes in, a wide variety of areas, such as business and industry, design and engineering, education, law, natural and built environments, sports and technology.
Psychology is science because it uses the scientific method to collect and analyze data. The potential of psychology will be limited until this truth is fully recognized.
Of note, while psychology’s status as a science is sometimes misunderstood, its scientific results are often accepted and applied. Some recognize the utility of psychological research while losing sight of the overarching principle that the findings arose in the context of psychological science. For example, research on the fallibility of eyewitness testimony is being applied to improve the criminal justice system (Wixted, Mickes, Dunn, Clark, & Wells, 2016).
Because of the diversity of subject matter within the field of psychology, some of the scientists who research psychological issues (e.g., cognitive neuroscientists, market researchers, behavioral economists) may refer to themselves by a narrower title that does not actually include the word psychology. Work done by these researchers is more easily recognized as science compared to the work and research done by other psychological scientists.