WASHINGTON — For the first time in more than a decade, the American Psychological Association has revised its National Standards for High School Psychology Curricula, with an increased focus on the scientific underpinnings of the field and the importance of incorporating diversity into understanding psychological science and mental health.
“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,” said Tina Athanasopoulos, who chaired APA’s National Standards for High School Psychology Curricula Working Group, which revised the standards.
The revised standards promote the scientific nature of psychology by making scientific inquiry and research methods the foundation for content across all units in high school psychology courses, including biology, cognition, development and learning, social psychology and personality, and physical and mental health.
The revised standards were accepted by APA’s governing Council of Representatives at its meeting February 25.
The 2022 standards also emphasize seven overarching themes consistent with APA’s Introductory Psychology Initiative that should be infused throughout the course content:
- Psychological science relies on empirical evidence and adapts as new data develop.
- Psychology explains general principles that govern behavior while recognizing individual differences.
- Psychological, biological, social, and cultural factors influence behavior and mental processes.
- Psychology values diversity, promotes equity and fosters inclusion in pursuit of a more just society.
- Our perceptions and biases filter our experiences of the world through an imperfect personal lens.
- Applying psychological principles can change lives, organizations, and communities in positive ways.
- Ethical principles guide psychology research and practice.
An APA task force of psychologists and psychology educators created the original standards in 1999 to enhance curricula, express learning goals, and promote high-quality high school introductory psychology courses. To ensure the standards continue to reflect best practices for teaching psychology, APA has engaged national working groups to review and propose updates and modifications that reflect the evolving body of psychological knowledge. The first revision was adopted in 2005 and a second revision in 2011.
This current third revision is based in part on recommendations first developed at the APA Summit on High School Psychology Education held in Utah in 2017 with over 70 psychology educators from high schools, community colleges, and undergraduate psychology programs who met to discuss ways to strengthen the teaching of high school psychology. One of the outcomes of that meeting was a report that explained why psychology should be taught as a science (PDF, 133KB)opens in new window. This and other recommendations were taken into account by the most recent working group as it revised the standards.
The introductory high school psychology course is often the first, and possibly only, exposure to the science of psychology students receive. “High school psychology courses continue to be popular and are growing in number. These courses are 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,” said Athanasopoulos, who also heads the division of social science and world language at Prospect High School in Mount Prospect, Illinois.
California passed a law in January requiring all school districts that offer health classes to include mental health as part of the curriculum by 2024. As more states adopt similar laws, high school psychology is a science-based course that can addresses some of the required mental health content, according to Athanasopoulos.
“Psychology courses play a role in promoting mental health through topics such as emotion, substance use, stress and coping, resilience, psychological disorders, and evidence-based strategies that promote mental health and wellness,” she said.
While the standards are not compulsory, APA urges all state departments of education to adopt or adapt them to ensure that psychology is taught with the same rigor expected of other sciences at the secondary school level. Likewise, APA encourages all school districts and psychology teachers to use the standards in course planning.
APA is committed to the teaching of psychological science at the high school level, notably through its support of the APA Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools (topss). topss, which celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2022, provides curricular resources such as lesson plans, professional development opportunities, and other resources for all high school psychology teachers, and provides opportunities for students and teachers to be recognized for excellence. All high school psychology teachers are invited to join topss as affiliate members of APA.