Topics of course work on psychology. How to write a term paper on psychology

In obtaining higher professional education in the field of psychology, the standards of each university are written and protected course works. They show the level of mastering discipline by a student and are a good practice for systematizing the knowledge gained. It is important to understand that the choice of topic on psychology and the further organization of research is a serious stage in professional development. In the process of writing a work, you can not only demonstrate your abilities in a selected scientific field, but also successfully use them in practice.

Coursework in psychology: choice of topics

Training at the Faculty of Psychology involves the writing and protection of coursework in different special fields. It is necessary to understand the stages of research and the requirements for this type of work. If you learn how to properly organize your research activities, you can very easily reach the final stage of training and easily protect the final qualifying work. And, with the advance selection of specialization and the topic of the final qualifying work (thesis project), you can carry out different research projects, but in one vector. In this case, they will become the stages of the development of the diploma and will affect the depth of the study of the material and the quality of the research.

It will not hurt for a successful beginning to decide on a supervisor who will oversee your research. He will help at an early stage to analyze the themes of coursework on psychology and formulate the problem to be investigated. Since the student does not always have sufficient information on the field of scientific activity.

The choice of the topic is determined by the author's interest in the subject. The topic should be relevant, that is, demanded by society from a practical point of view. To determine the degree of study of the topic, you should familiarize yourself with specialized sources of information, reference books and monographs in recent years. For example, the journal "Questions of Psychology" or "Psychological Studies", almanacs of universities, will help to outline the prospects of the author of interest, the field of psychological knowledge.

Once the theme of the work is defined, you can proceed to the next stage: developing a work plan.

Work plan

At this stage, a working version of the study of the topic of psychology, which in the process of its study will be changed several times, is created. The plan helps to build a sequence of work and give a general idea of its content. Acquaintance with theoretical sources will make it possible to understand the problem and the ways to solve it. It is better to consider in detail the content of the experimental part and focus on theoretical sources, confining ourselves to the specifics of the practical material. This will help avoid the danger of "drowning in information". Coursework in psychology should have the following sections:

• Content.
• Introduction.
• Theoretical chapter of the research on the topic.
• Practical part of the work.
• Analytical material revealing the purpose of the work.
• Conclusion, with conclusions throughout the study.
• Bibliography.
• Applications.

All parts together form the logic of the topic and must consistently disclose tasks to achieve the research goal.

Rationale for the relevance and purpose of the study

The content of the work is written at the very end, including a list of sections with an indication of the corresponding work page.
It can differ in volume and number of partitions, but the logical structure remains unchanged.

Introduction - that part of the work that reveals the problem of psychology, to be investigated.

Relevance and Purpose. It is determined in the process of a brief review of the studied material, justifies the formulation of the problem and its relevance for the purposes of scientific research.

Based on the relevance, the goal of the research is formulated . It, in fact, is the theme of the course work. If, for example, the social psychology of the individual is subject to study , and the theme of the work "Self-assessment of the individual", the goal of the study is to identify the social factors that influence this process.

Tasks. To disclose the goal, the course on social psychology should contain specific research tasks. A list of theoretical, practical and analytical tasks determines the nature of the chapters of the work that answer the questions posed in the introduction. Usually the number of chapters corresponds to the number of research tasks and determines its scope. If the social psychology of the individual is studied, the following tasks are legitimate:

• Theoretical study of the influence of society on man.
• Practical study of the factors influencing the formation of personality.
• Analysis of the results of the study with recommendations for their practical application.

Definition of the subject, object and hypothesis of scientific work

It is important to correctly limit the subject and object of research. The subject is what is studied in the work. The object is the research base. If the course work on social psychology is written, then the subject of the study may be, for example, deviant behavior of adolescents, and the object is students of grades 5-7 of secondary school.

Hypothesis. This is a definite postulate that appears in a hypothetical form and requires practical proof. If the child's developmental psychology is studied, then the hypothesis is the judgment: conflicts in the family affect the level of the child's anxiety.

If the subject of the study is children's practical psychology, then usually an experimental study is conducted on the basis of a child's preschool institution. And the results of the experiment can be the basis for creating a practical methodology. In this case, the real significance of the work has a pronounced result.

At the end of the introductory part, the logic of the structure is substantiated and a list of the basic scientific points of view on which the research is built is given.

Theoretical part of the course work

The first chapter of the course work is a theoretical study of the problem. It consists of three sections:

• Definition of a category device. In this part of the work, a conceptual research tool is defined. The interpretation of the basic terms, definitions and concepts that will be used in the work is given.
• Analysis of theoretical views on the problem. The task of this part of the study is to show the level of development of the topic, the existing schools and approaches, and the history of the problem formation.
• Determination of the author's position. In conclusion of the theoretical part, the author's position is based on the study of theoretical material on the research topic. It is desirable to rely on classical materials on psychology. If the psychology of the upbringing of children is studied, without reference to the work of LS Vygotsky. not enough. Knowledge of classical works testifies to a qualitative approach to the study of the topic.

Practical research: stages and purpose

This is the experimental part of the work. Depending on the subject of the study, it is organized on a specific object that meets the research objectives. A large number of experimental studies are organized at the bases of general education, pre-school institutions, in social institutions and organizations. These are the natural social conditions for the formation of personality. Experimental studies of social groups and become an empirical basis for verifying the truth of hypothetical judgments.

The experimental part of the course work confirms, or refutes the hypothesis of the project, demonstrates the author's ability to use the conceptual apparatus. Allows to apply the results in practice.

The experimental part includes obligatory paragraphs, the number of which depends on the research tasks. In this chapter, three stages of organization of scientific work are envisaged:

• Determination of the purpose and tools of the organization of the experiment.
• Making actual data obtained as a result of the experiment with explanations, in graphs, figures, diagrams.
• Statement of conclusions about the results of the experiment, confirming or refuting the hypothesis.

The experimental part carries the main semantic load of research, therefore it serves as the basis of work. It is permissible and appropriate to start writing with the experimental part. The psychology of the upbringing of children is effectively studied in the kindergarten, at the stage of primary socialization of the child. A study based on comparing the experimental data of two groups, in one of which an experiment is carried out, and the other is used to compare the results, easily reveals the level of reliability of the hypothesis.

Analytical chapter of the work

In this part, there is a return to theory. But this theory is based on actually reliable data obtained during the experiment. The third chapter contains in itself both the theoretical material of the first part and the conclusions from the experimental part. It is important here to show how fundamental the moments of the theory are developed. What place can the studied problem take in the course, which is studied by general psychology? Topics of course work contain a problem that requires a practical solution. Therefore, in the analysis it is necessary to confirm the significance of the study for the practice of application. For example, based on the data obtained in the study, develop a methodology or practical recommendations for possible applications in life.

Conclusion and conclusions

The conclusion should answer the questions posed in the introduction. Each task of the study is given a capacious and concrete answer, which is in the corresponding section of the work. The logical sequence of answers to tasks leads to the disclosure of the topic and the fulfillment of the research goal. It should be concluded in conclusion about the level of relevance of the work and confirmation or refutation of the hypothesis. Coursework in general psychology may contain Not a hypothesis, but a general judgment that formulates the author's view of the work on generally accepted approaches in the context of a new historical reality.

The conclusion is a summary of the main ideas of all chapters of the work. It is appropriate to use in it quotations from classical works. Those, whose theoretical principles were used in the course work. Quotations give emotionality and a certain artistic flavor to the work.

Bibliography and Applications

The list contains a list of sources that reveal topics of course work on psychology. The design of the bibliographic list requires strict compliance with the requirements that are given in the methodological developments of the university, on the basis of which the work will be protected. The bibliographic list must contain materials of the last three years, specialized sources, reference books, publications in professional publications, monographs and articles. Required links to online resources when using them. It is advisable to test the work on plagiarism, now this is one of the requirements for the protection of course work.

In the application, research tools (questionnaires, descriptions of technologies), demonstration material (images, tables, graphs) that are not included in the material of the chapters are taken out. They are designed strictly according to the requirements of the university. The number of applications should correspond to the scope of the work and serve as evidence of the results of its experimental part.

Useful tips for writing and protecting the course

• A speech for defense should disclose your logical path in the process of achieving the goal. It should not be voluminous. Do not exceed ten pages of text without taking into account materials for the demonstration, which is called a handout and is prepared in several copies for the members of the commission.
• The choice of the theme of term papers on psychology should have a strategic goal - preparation for the protection of the final qualifying work. All coursework should from different directions reveal the area of professional interest. This achieves the maximum concentration on the subject of research and the effectiveness of learning in general.
• The right choice of a supervisor will help you to quickly advance in scientific search. If the look at the problem under study does not coincide with the approach of the leader, this will be an excellent chance in preparing for defense, the leader in this case will act simultaneously as an opponent.
• Topics of term papers on psychology can be general and highly specialized. Narrow specialization requires depth, wide - volumes of research.

Successful and fruitful work.