A Skills-Experience Inventory for the Undergraduate Psychology Major

Abstract

Psychology majors develop a number of academic skills during their studies that are valuable in future careers and other domains. However, assessment of experiences related to skill development can be quite difficult and resource intense. We present results of 2 studies using a skills-experience inventory to assess academic skill exposure. In the first study, graduating senior psychology majors reported greater exposure than freshmen in 7 skill-experience areas. The second study showed significant differences in exposure to 5 skill areas among graduating seniors in 4 academic areas. A skills-experience inventory may be an efficient tool for documenting the skills and experiences students encounter when majoring in psychology.