The Science of Us

Through participation in “the Science of Us” module, we aim to:
– develop psychological and scientific literacy skills in transition year students
– showcase psychology as a scientific discipline by discussing the science of human affect, behaviour, and cognition
– develop students’ skills in articulating and challenging misinformation related to psychological topics (e.g., social media influences on mental health)

“The Science of Us” pilot will be evaluated for its effectiveness in developing content expertise in psychology and in developing scientific literacy as related to psychology, using a mixed methods approach. The pilot will be revised with input from stakeholders (students and teachers) from an initial target school identified via the Limerick-Clare Education and Training Board (this LCETB oversees 18 schools in the region). We plan to create open educational resources to support the delivery of the module (i.e., slides, promotional materials, and implementation handbook)., and to trial scaling-up the module in a further 2 schools. Ultimately, we aim to roll out a revised version of “the Science of Us” in several other schools in the Munster region, and potentially nationally. This meets a clear gap in the provision of psychological and scientific literacy identified by the students of the initial target school and by the Department of Education and Skills, in correspondence with the LCETB.