Teaching of Psychology, Ahead of Print.
BackgroundUndergraduate students have reported low utility for research. Drawing from the literature about motivation and culturally relevant and responsive education, we framed psychological research methods as a social justice tool to enhance learners’ understanding of racial inequality and valuing of course content.ObjectiveTwo instructors infused critical methods content throughout their undergraduate psychological research methods courses to increase students’ perceptions of systemic racism in research, multicultural perspective taking, and motivation toward the course.MethodUndergraduate students’ attitudes were measured at the beginning and end of the semester using an anonymous online survey. The critical research methods content was integrated throughout the semester.ResultsEffect sizes provided marginal support for increased awareness of systemic racism in research and multicultural perspective-taking. Results also indicated that students who more strongly perceived research as a social justice strategy reported greater valuing of research, and those who perceived higher value reported greater intentions to pursue research in the future.ConclusionResults provide proof of concept for critical methods content in facilitating undergraduate students’ critical awareness and engagement with psychological research methods. Teaching ImplicationsTeachers can utilize critical content to support students’ critical engagement and goal setting within their learning contexts.