Developing a shared pedagogical statement for a university psychology teaching department: is it possible?

OBJECTIVE

The Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) requires higher education providers to have a pedagogical statement that describes their collective approach to curriculum design and delivery. The current study describes the process taken by one regional Australian university when attempting to develop such a statement.

METHOD: A multi-stage, embedded mixed-methods approach, incorporating student feedback, staff reflexivity, and dialogic methods were used. Participants' accounts of their personal pedagogy and practices were expected to inform the development of a coherent pedagogical statement, through an inductive approach to thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Despite participants' professional experience and content expertise, we were unable to develop a traditional pedagogical statement due to their limited awareness of the theoretical framework/s that inform their practice. Instead, we developed a values-based teaching statement that described what the team considered professionally important. Participation in the project was reported to improve confidence in discussing and conceptualising pedagogy among staff.

CONCLUSION

Values underpin teacher philosophies and practices and may encourage further reflection, exploration, and communication of relevant pedagogical concepts, including teacher philosophies and practices. Findings from the current research have important implications for the development of pedagogical culture locally, as well as for accrediting bodies, universities, and individual educators more broadly.