Abstract
Competence in assessing mental health concerns, such as Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), is essential for psychologists. However, students can learn to use assessment tools in many ways, and students’ preferences and satisfaction with various instructional techniques may predict the extent to which they learn and gain confidence in their ability to apply such learning. The current study was an experiment designed to test how to best teach graduate students to assess ADHD. An instructional paper, a PowerPoint presentation with an included voiceover narration, and a case study applied example were each created to teach students how to administer and interpret the Test of Variables of Attention (TOVA), a psychometrically valid measure of ADHD (The TOVA Company, 2020). All participants were randomly assigned to one of these three conditions. After engaging with their materials, participants then completed a survey designed to assess their satisfaction, confidence, and learning to determine which instructional techniques were most effective. It was found that participants indicated general agreement with the benefits of training across all three conditions. While the overall benefit of training did not significantly differ by condition, further analysis revealed that the PowerPoint condition had the highest general ratings, while the case study condition had the lowest. These results will not only help inform specialized student training in ADHD assessment, but have also directly contributed to the development of a campus-based ADHD assessment clinic expected to launch in Summer 2026.
Recommended Citation
Slade, Emma R.
(2026)
"Pedagogical Strategies for Training Psychology Graduate Students: Examining Graduate Students' Satisfaction, Confidence, and Learning Across Three Approaches for Teaching a Standardized Assessment,"
Ramifications: Vol. 4:
Iss.
1, Article 3.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.wcupa.edu/ramifications/vol4/iss1/3
