Psychology faculty perceptions of abnormal psychology textbooks.

摘要

The problem. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the perceptions and opinions of psychology professors regarding the accuracy and inclusiveness of abnormal psychology textbooks. It sought answers from psychology professors to the following questions: (1) What are the expectations of the psychology faculty at a private university of the contents of abnormal psychology textbooks in terms of (a) accuracy and (b) inclusiveness, scope, or coverage? (2) What are the perceptions of psychology faculty at a private university in regards to the contents of abnormal psychology textbooks in terms of (a) accuracy and (b) inclusiveness, scope, or coverage? (3) Is there a significant difference between the expectations and the perceptions of faculty at a private university of the contents of abnormal psychology textbooks? (4) Is faculty perception related to age, number of years of teaching, and gender?;Method. An online questionnaire was the main instrument used to collect information from the participants. The questionnaire consisted of 19 items that employed a Likert-type response format. It obtained information on demographics, expectations, and perceptions.;Results. (1) Faculty expected abnormal psychology textbooks to present facts and theories accurately. They also expected these textbooks to include opposing viewpoints on the topics presented. (2) The questionnaire included 11 statements from psychology researchers who published articles in professional journals on the contents of psychology textbooks. Faculty agreed with the following four statements: textbooks exclude viewpoints that oppose the DSM, they exclude unconventional viewpoints, they exclude feminist knowledge, and they are wrong about an alleged connection between parental behavior and the development of schizophrenia in children. (3) Statistically significant differences were found between respondents' expectations and perceptions of the contents of abnormal psychology textbooks regarding accuracy and inclusiveness. (4) Respondents perceptions of abnormal psychology textbooks were not related to age, number of years teaching, or gender.