Professional Development Benefits of Publishing in the Psi Chi Journal of Undergraduate Research

Jennifer Thomas
Emporia State University
Kirsten L. Rewey, Ph.D.
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
Stephen F. Davis, Ph.D.
Emporia State University

This study examined professional development experiences among students who had or had not published in the Psi Chi Journal of Undergraduate Research. Although both groups of students indicated that research-related activities were important for professional development, only students who had published in the Psi Chi Journal of Undergraduate Research mentioned the importance of publishing to their own professional development. In addition, faculty advisor comments support the importance of research and publication. In fact, most faculty advisors reported that publishing in the Psi Chi Journal of Undergraduate Research was beneficial not only to their students but to themselves as well.

Ducheny, Alletzhauser, Crandell, and Schneider (1997) define professional development as an ongoing process through which an individual derives a cohesive sense of professional identity by integrating the broad-based knowledge, skills, and attitudes within psychology with one's values and interests" (p. 89). Some universities meet the growing professional development expectation by providing opportunities for undergraduates to attend professional conventions, providing mentors for students, allowing students to participate in research and field experience, and a variety of other activities (Marston, 1993).
     Studies show that graduate selection committees value students who have conducted research and then published that research (Huss, 1996; Keith-Spiegel, Tabachnick, & Spiegel, 1994; Purdy, Reinehr, Swartz, 1989). Huss (1996) points out that students who apply to graduate school often have very good grade point averages, high Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores, and strong letters of recommendation. Those students who have been involved in research "stand out from the rest of the pile" (Huss, 1996, p. 6) and have an admissions advantage over students who have not been involved in research.
     Mentors also are important for the professional development of students. They use their advanced experience and knowledge to provide support to further their proteges' careers. Mentors help their proteges through coaching, protecting the protege from adverse forces, providing challenging assignments, and increasing the protege's exposure and visibility. Mentors also enhance the protege's sense of competence, self-efficacy, and professional development through providing counseling, giving respect and support, and serving as role models (Kram, 1985).
     Although it is clear that students benefit from the mentor-protege relationship, mentors also benefit (Cronan-Hillix, Gensheimer, Cronan-Hillix, & Davidson, 1986). For example, faculty members may gain a sense of satisfaction when they help their proteges succeed. In addition, faculty members with proteges tend to be more productive and publish more often than faculty members without proteges. Last, mentors tend to gain status via their proteges' accomplishments.
     Although researchers agree that being involved in research through presenting and publishing is a good way to develop professionally, undergraduates have limited opportunities to publish in professional journals. The Psi Chi Journal of Undergraduate Research (Psi Chi Journal) is dedicated to publishing the work of undergraduate students. Publishing in the Psi Chi Journal may be an excellent way to encourage students to develop their own professional identity.
     This study evaluated student authors who had published in the Psi Chi Journal in terms of their perception of their professional development. These students' perceptions were compared to the perceptions of students with similar characteristics who had not published. The students' mentors also commented on the professional development of their students.

Participants
     Although researchers agree that being involved in research through presenting and publishing is a good way to develop professionally, undergraduates have limited opportunities to publish in professional journals. The We sent surveys to all first authors of articles published in the Psi Chi Journal since its inception in 1996 through the Winter 2000 issue. We also asked the faculty advisors of these published students to contact a comparable group of nonpublished students.
     Although researchers agree that being involved in research through presenting and publishing is a good way to develop professionally, undergraduates have limited opportunities to publish in professional journals. The The sample of students who published in the Psi Chi Journal (n = 34) consisted of 9 men (26.5 %) and 25 women (73.5%). Their ages ranged from 21 to 47 (M = 26.86). The academic classification of participants was as follows: seniors (14.7%), first year of graduate school (23.5%), second year of graduate school (14.7%), third year of graduate school (14.7%), fourth year of graduate school (14.7%), and not continuing their education (17.6%). The majority of participants were Caucasian (94.1%).
     Although researchers agree that being involved in research through presenting and publishing is a good way to develop professionally, undergraduates have limited opportunities to publish in professional journals. The The sample of students who had not published (n = 22) consisted of 5 men (22.7%) and 17 women (77.3%). Their ages ranged from 20 to 58 (M = 24.32). The classification of participants was as follows: sophomores (4.5%), juniors (9.1%), seniors (68.2%), first year of graduate school (9.1%), second year of graduate school (4.5%), and fourth year of graduate school (4.5%). The majority of participants were Caucasian (90.9%).
     Although researchers agree that being involved in research through presenting and publishing is a good way to develop professionally, undergraduates have limited opportunities to publish in professional journals. The The sample of faculty advisors (n = 42) consisted of 19 men (45.2%) and 23 women (54.8%). The ethnic background of participants was as follows: Caucasian (85.7%), African American (2.4%), Asian American (2.4%), and Hispanic (2.4%). The faculty members advised an average of 8 Psi Chi students per year and had supervised an average of 2.1 student publication submissions.

Materials
      We developed two questionnaires for this study. The student questionnaire consisted of 10 questions that addressed various aspects of the student's professional development. Sample questions included, "As an undergraduate, what were the three most important experiences you had that influenced your professional development as a psychology student/psychologist?" and "What impact did the professional experiences you described have on your current professional activity/job?" The questionnaire also requested demographic information such as age, sex, classification, and ethnic background.
     The faculty questionnaire consisted of nine questions that addressed professional development issues. Some sample questions included, "Do you believe the process of publishing in the Psi Chi Journal was beneficial to the student(s) you have supervised?"; "Was the process of supervising a student publication for the Psi Chi Journal beneficial to you?"; and "Did publishing in the Psi Chi Journal enhance your student's chances of being accepted to a graduate program?" The questionnaire also requested demographic information such as sex, ethnic background, and the number of students advised per year.

Procedure
      The researchers contacted all participants through the mail. Students who had published in the Psi Chi Journal received a cover letter, student questionnaire, and a self-addressed stamped envelope. Faculty advisors received a cover letter, student questionnaire(s), faculty advisor questionnaire, and self-addressed stamped envelopes. The cover letter asked the faculty advisor to distribute the student questionnaire to a comparable Psi Chi member who had not published in the Psi Chi Journal. We also requested that the faculty advisor forward a student questionnaire to published students for whom we did not have an address. All correspondence was kept confidential, and no identifying marks were used. We sent two mailings to maximize participation.

Student Responses
      The student survey was qualitative in that most questions required students to provide a narrative response. The following comments are representative of the combined student sample responding to the question on the importance of professional development activities.

• Publications were a great source of motivation to conduct research, and then see the fruits of your efforts in print.
• Really good instructors also motivated me to learn more and strive to be a more involved and competent researcher.
• The honors thesis helped me understand the process of doing an independent study from conception to publication.
• Participating in conferences taught me presentation skills and allowed me to interact with others in the field.
• The experience that initially piqued my interest in the field of psychology is the exposure to the content of the field itself and the dynamic presentations and lectures of my instructors. It was the high-quality teaching and caring nature of my professors that inspired me to pursue graduate studies.
• I developed a love and passion for research and statistical methods.
• They gave me real-life experiences actually "doing" what I had learned in classes.
• The internship was important as it provided me with a real worldview and application of what I was learning in the classroom.

Student Results
      Through the process of visual inspection, the experimenters developed a set of categories for each of the open-ended questions. The experimenters subsequently assigned responses to these mutually exclusive categories.
      Identifying professional development activities. On the student surveys participants listed the three most important experiences that influenced their professional development as a psychology student (see Table 1). Participants listed experiences such as course work, internships, conducting and presenting research, publishing research, and relationships with mentors. The most common response for both groups involved conducting and presenting research (44.34% for published students and 34.33% for nonpublished students). For the group who had not published, other common responses included course work (14.96%), internships (13.43%), and relationships with mentors (13.43%). For students who had published, the remaining common responses included publishing (35.29%), relationships with mentors (18.56%), course work (11.34%), and internships (9.28%).
      For the purposes of data analysis, all non-research-related activities such as course work, internships, mentor relationships, and so forth were combined into one category ("other"). Chi-square analysis indicated the distribution of research-related activities and other activities for the nonpublished students was significantly different from the expectation of an equal distribution of activities, _X²(1) = 6.58, p = .01. In other words, nonpublished students reported more non-research-related activities than research-related activities. For the published students, chi-square analysis indicated the distribution of research-related activities and other activities was not significantly different from the expectation of an equal distribution of activities, _X²(1) = .01, p = .92. This result suggests that published students reported research-related activities at approximately the same rate as other activities.
      Perhaps the most telling result from our survey was the fact that 35.29% (n = 12) of the published students and none of the nonpublished students indicated that publishing research fostered their professional development. Recall that the primary difference between the published and nonpublished students was whether or not they had published in the Psi Chi Journal. Although the students who had not published in the Psi Chi Journal were not excluded from publishing in other journals, none of these students listed publishing as an important activity.
      Impact of other professional development activities. Students indicated the impact of professional development activities on their current activities (undergraduate work, graduate work, career). Chi-square analysis indicated there was no significant difference between the distributions of the impact of the professional development activities on these three areas of current activities of students who had published and students who had not published, _X²(2) = 1.72, p = .42. This result suggests that being involved in professional development activities impacted both samples similarly.
      The most common response from both samples was that the experiences prepared them for graduate school or enhanced their acceptance into graduate school (see Table 2). Participants also mentioned that their experiences prepared them to enter the job market. Some less common comments included increased knowledge base, enhanced confidence, and developed skills.
      Psi Chi assistance. Finally, participants indicated how Psi Chi could help implement additional professional development experiences. The most common response for both the published students (48.78%) and the nonpublished students (35%) was that Psi Chi should continue to encourage students to conduct, present, and publish research. Other less common responses included offering internships, matching mentors with students, and publishing material about careers and graduate schools.

Faculty Responses
The faculty advisor survey was also highly qualitative, and faculty provided illuminating narrative responses. The following comments are representative of the faculty advisor sample indicating how publishing is beneficial to students.

• It is good experience to respond to reviewer comments, and publication looks good on a student's record.
• Student had to revise the paper for an audience other than myself. He had to explain complex theoretical issues for a general psychology audience.
• The experience required refinement of his paper to a degree he would not otherwise have achieved.
• The student who published was admitted to several graduate programs, despite low GRE scores. Further, I think the entire experience honed her writing skills and her knowledge of APA style.
• The students took great pride in their publication.

The following comments elaborate on the benefits to faculty advisors for supervising undergraduate publication.

• Helping facilitate student growth is one of the richest rewards in teaching.
• My own knowledge of APA style was improved. Further, I think that I developed a closer relationship with the student.
• There is more of a "colleague" relationship between teacher and student in this context which I find very gratifying.
• It looks good on my vitae, and I enjoy working with students completing research projects.

      Student publications and graduate school. The experimenters assigned responses to this question to the mutually exclusive categories of "helps" and "does not help." Chi-square analysis of the responses revealed that a significant number of faculty advisors believed that publishing as an undergraduate enhanced their students' chances of being accepted to a graduate program, _X²(1) = 15.12, p < .001. In fact, the majority of the faculty advisors felt publishing helped their students get accepted into graduate school (see Table 3). The remaining faculty advisors reported: (a) their students had already been accepted when the article was accepted for publication, (b) being published had no bearing on whether students were accepted to graduate school, or (c) were not sure if publishing had an effect.
      Student benefits from publishing. On the faculty advisor survey, participants described how publishing in the Psi Chi Journal was beneficial to their students (see Table 4). Faculty advisors regarded experience with the publication process (39.34%) as the most common benefit from publishing in the Psi Chi Journal. Specifically, many faculty advisors responded that experience with the peer review process was beneficial. In addition, faculty advisors indicated that publishing in the Psi Chi Journal enhanced their students' attractiveness to graduate school selection committees (22.95%).
      Faculty benefits from student publications. We also asked the faculty advisors if the process of supervising a student publication for the Psi Chi Journal was beneficial to them (see Table 5). The most common response centered on facilitating their students' growth (46.65%). Many participants specifically mentioned that their students gained skills in conducting and publishing research. Participants also indicated that their departments looked favorably on faculty who sponsored student publications (19.57%). Other responses included that the work was gratifying (19.57%) or that the amount of work involved in undergraduate publication overshadowed the benefits (8.7%).
      Impact of student publications on graduate school selection committees. Faculty respondents also indicated if they served on graduate school selection committees and, if so, whether or not publications enhanced a student's application. Only one third of the faculty advisors serve on a graduate school selection committees. All of these respondents felt that publications increased a student's chances of being accepted into their graduate program.
      Additional professional development activities. Finally, faculty advisors listed any other professional development activities they felt were important for undergraduate students (see Table 6). The most common response was presenting research at conferences (47.46%). Conducting research (16.95%) and internships (13.56%) were also frequently mentioned as important activities for professional development. Additional activities included community service, networking, and being involved in professional organizations.

     The emphasis placed on research (by both groups of students) and publication (by the published students) is in agreement with previous reports (see Huss, 1996; Keith-Spiegel et al., 1994; Purdy et al., 1989). The admissions advantage accorded published students by the faculty who have served on PhD admissions committees highlights this emphasis further.
     The perceived importance of publishing to student professional development is evinced by two findings: the substantial number of students who cited the importance of this factor and the complete lack of this factor in the nonpublished students' list of important factors. Because "nonpublished" only referred to publications in the Psi Chi Journal, the nonpublished students did have the opportunity to publish elsewhere. Their lack of publications in other journals strongly suggests that the Psi Chi Journal is making a genuine contribution to student professional development.
     Students were not the only respondents with positive views of publishing in the Psi Chi Journal: The faculty advisors also felt that publishing in the Psi Chi Journal facilitated student professional development in a number of ways. They mentioned that students had a better grasp of the publication and research processes. Additionally, the faculty advisors reported that publishing in the Psi Chi Journal enhanced their students' graduate school applications; a substantial number of the faculty advisors believed publishing in the Psi Chi Journal helped their students gain acceptance to graduate school. Many of the faculty advisors also felt that supervising a student publication was enjoyable and resulted in several positive benefits for themselves.

Recommendations to Psi Chi
     The student participants had several good suggestions to offer Psi Chi in re-sponse to the question "How can Psi Chi help implement additional professional development experiences?" Several of the participants, both students and faculty advisors, praised Psi Chi's efforts in helping students develop professionally. Some participants specifically mentioned that the Psi Chi Journal made the publication process "user friendly" and was a real learning experience for the students.
     The most common recommendation was to praise current program initiatives and to recommend that Psi Chi encourage and offer more opportunities to be involved in research. Specifically, students wanted to have more Psi Chi student conferences and symposia.
     Additional recommendations included offering information about careers and graduate schools. Some students felt it would be beneficial if Psi Chi would publish a ranked list of graduate schools that includes information about acceptance rates, tuition, and quality of the program. Participants also requested that Psi Chi offer information about careers in psychology for students at all degree levels. It seems that Psi Chi members feel uninformed about their options and are turning to Psi Chi for assistance.
     In conclusion, the results from the present study indicate that publishing in the Psi Chi Journal contributes significantly to a student's professional development. Both students and their faculty advisors identified publishing as an activity that enhanced student growth, knowledge base, and access to graduate schools and careers.

References

Cronan-Hillix, T., Gensheimer, L. K., Cronan-Hillix, W. A., & Davidson, W. S. (1986). Students' views of mentors in psychology graduate training. Teaching of Psychology, 13, 123-127.

Ducheny, K., Alletzhauser, H. L., Crandell, D., & Schneider, T. R. (1997). Graduate student professional development. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 28, 87-91.

Huss, M. T. (1996, Winter). Secrets of standing out from the pile: Getting into graduate school. Psi Chi Newsletter, 22, 6-7.

Keith-Spiegel, P., Tabachnick, B. G., & Spiegel, G. B. (1994). When demand exceeds supply: Second-order criteria used by graduate school selection committees. Teaching of Psychology, 21, 79-81.

Kram, K. E. (1985). Improving the mentoring process. Training and Development Journal, 39 (4), 40-43.

Marston, R. (1993). Developing professionalism at the undergraduate level. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation, & Dance, 64, 36-37, 40.

Purdy, J. E., Reinehr, R. C., & Swartz, J. D. (1989). Graduate admissions criteria of leading psychology departments. American Psychologist, 44, 960-961.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS: Jennifer Thomas received her master's degree in general experimental psychology from Emporia State University in 2001. While at Emporia State University she served as a graduate teaching assistant under Stephen F. Davis. Currently she is working toward her doctorate in educational psychology at the University of Kansas. Her activities at the University of Kansas include serving as a graduate teaching assistant and as a research coordinator for the Learning Generations PT3 grant. Her research interests include student motivation and using technology in education. While not busy with school, Jennifer loves to crochet, read, and spend time with family and friends.

   Kirsten Rewey, PhD, received her doctorate in general experimental psychology from Texas Christian University in 1990. Since then she completed a two-year postdoc at Vanderbilt University and held teaching positions at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Saint Vincent College, and Saint Mary's University of Minnesota. Dr. Rewey can now be found at the University of Minnesota, where she coordinates a large undergraduate research methods class. Her research interests include using technology to facilitate student learning and the teaching of psychology. In her spare time Dr. Rewey enjoys quilting, reading, and finding excuses to go tromping about the woods.

   Stephen F. Davis, PhD, is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Emporia State University. He received his PhD in general experimental psychology from Texas Christian University. His research interests include academic dishonesty, student professional development, student responsibility, conditioned taste aversion learning, and olfactory communication in animal maze learning. Since 1966 he has published 253 articles and textbooks and presented 872 professional papers; the vast majority of these publications and presentations include undergraduate and graduate student coauthors.
   He has served as the president of APA's Division 2 (the Society for the Teaching of Psychology), the Southern Society for Philosophy and Psychology, the Southwestern Psychological Association, and Psi Chi (the National Honor Society in Psychology). In 1987 he received the first annual Psi Chi/Florence L. Denmark National Faculty Advisor Award. In 1988 he received the American Psychological Foundation Distinguished Teaching in Psychology Award, and in 1989 he received the APA Division 2 Teaching Excellence Award. He is a Fellow of APA Divisions 1 (General), 2 (Society for the Teaching of Psychology), and 6 (Behavioral Neuroscience and Comparative Psychology).

   For more information contact: Kirsten L. Rewey, PhD, Coordinator of Introduction to Research Methods and Statistics, Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, N218 Elliott Hall, 75 East River Road, Minneapolis, MN 55455; or Stephen F. Davis, 649 Hideaway Lane East, Lindale, TX 75771-5301 (e-mail: davisste@emporia.edu).

Winter 2002 issue of Eye on Psi Chi (Vol. 6, No. 2, pp. 30-35), published by Psi Chi, The National Honor Society in Psychology (Chattanooga, TN). Copyright, 2002, Psi Chi, The National Honor Society in Psychology. All rights reserved.