Factors Affecting Evaluation of Undergraduate Job Applicants: Urban vs Rural Human Service Delivery Systems

Information about psychology majors' activities after graduation is an important ingredient in the evaluation and renewal of undergraduate programs. In this article, we review the survey research on psychology alumni, analyzing the various survey objectiues, samples, results, and program implementations. Based on this review, we make recommendations about the design of future studies, the role of APA's Educational Affairs Office, and the use of life-span development theory and methodology to refine future alumni research in undergraduate psychology. "When . . . considering an undergraduate major, the college student sometimes rules out psychology on the grounds expressed something like this: 'Well, psychology is very interesting, but what can you do with it after you graduate?' " (King & Kimble, 1958, p. 23). After more than 30 years, little has changed in our need to promote the career prospects of undergraduate majors. This is especially true now that the number of baccalaureates awarded in psychology each year has reached 40,000 (Howard et al., 1986). What has changed is that our concern for these students and their future has insvired sovhisticated assessment methods for their employment and graduate school aspirations and innovative curricular interventions to respond to their needs. The future of psychology at the graduate level depends on the quality of our efforts at the undergraduate level (Bickman, 1985;Howard et al., 1986).In this article, we describe the ways researchers have assessed alumni of psychology programs. Surveys pose common questions. How have graduates fared in their employment situations? What are the alumni's retrospective judgments? How do employers analyze the launching and maintenance of successful careers? Resvonses to the surveys inform faculty, administratclrs, and students about life after graduation. The results can help faculty to design programs that will better prepare students for the future. Readerz interested in career programming innovations will discover that some of the authors mentioned in this article (e.g., Lunneborg) have also written about advising, career planning and placement, and curriculum projects in their departments. W e provide readers with an historical and critical analys~s of alumni studies. We believe that future research requires more sophisticated questions and methodology and that psychologrsts need to conceptualize t h e~r lnvestlgatlons of postbaccalaureate llvea more broadly There 15 a wealth of llterature In h~gher educatlon and m adult development to gu~de such efforts. Uses of the data also need to he expanded. The current zeltgelst, calling tor Increased as sessment, evaluation, and accountab~l~ty of programs (Ewell, 1985, Harr~s, 1985, Marchese, 1985 and the enrollment futures of lnstltutlons In whlch students want to guarantee t h e~r ablllty to pay back lncreaslng loan amounts (Kramer & Van Dusen, 1986), should foster well-des~gned studies.In the following sections, we tlrst descrlhe the samples for representatlve stud~es Second, we c r~t~c...

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confidence: 99%

Carving Out the Niche: A Review of Alumni Surveys on Undergraduate Psychology Majors

McGovern

Carr

1989

Annotated Bibliography on the Teaching of Psychology: 1984

Berry

Daniel

1985

This bibliography continues those shown in the references below, listed in chronological order. Search methods, criteria for inclusion, and other considerations are similar t o those used previously. T h e numbering of items is cumulative. We have included a few pre-1984 items that were not listed in previous bibliographies. Johnson, M., & Daniel, R. S. (1972). Comprehensive annotated bibliography on the teaching of psychology at the undergraduate level through 1972. . Using a personalized system of instruction to improve the writing skills of undergraduates. Teaching of Psychology, 11, 95-98. Comparing first to last papers, significant improvement was found in 12 of 18 criteria of student writing style and clarity. . Faculty andPhD candidates suggest a system and a rationale for this high-anxiety step for which there are few published guidelines. REFERENCES

Psychology Careers Material: Selected Resources

Poe

1990