Module Overview: In this module you will apply your understanding of learning, attention, memory, and critical thinking to a developmental process that you are all currently engaged in: college education. First, you will watch watch/listen to 2 brief segments from public t.v./radio on the issue of vaccine denial/refusal. You will consider the consequences for all of us when college educated adults do not think critically about issues of great importance. Next, you will watch 2 segments of a talk given by sociologist of education Richard Arum on his work with his colleague Josipa Roksa. In their research they explored three "generic" skills: critical thinking, higher order reasoning and writing skills. Their findings show that these vital "generic" skills are developed best when: 1) faculty hold high expectations for students, 2) students are given challenging reading and writing assignments and 3) students spend greater study time alone, NOT in groups. (The latter finding should remind you of the brief talk by Geoff Colvin who described how "deliberate practice" could lead to extreme growth in skill). Arum and Roksa also followed students over time to illuminate the very real consequences of inadequate college education for their futures and for our entire society. After the successful completion to this learning unit, you will be able to: 1. Identify the likely presence (or evidence) of "pre-reflective" and "quasi-reflective" judgment among college educated parents who refuse to have their children vaccinated. 2. Identify how critical thinking, higher order reasoning and writing skills can be reliably measured and what happens when students fail to develop these generic skills. (Note: Arum will use the term "quintile." This means 20%. So the "top quintile" would be the top 20%, etc.). Before you Begin:The graph below presents the results of a study by King and Kitchener (review Reflective Judgment in your text, Ch. 7) that compared the Reflective Judgment scores of students who were enrolled in high school (10th grade), college (freshmen to seniors), and graduate school (early post-college and after years of Ph.D. training).You will see that, on average, 10th grade students and new college students scored slightly above 3 or at the pre-reflective stage; college seniors and new graduate students scored between 4-5 or within the quasi-reflective stage, and only advanced Ph.D. students scored closer to 6 in the reflective judgment (i.e., critical thinking) stage. The implications of this are clear: on average, college graduates have NOT learned how to think critically and regard the “truth” of particular claims as largely a “matter of opinion.” Said differently, they have not learned how to evaluate evidence to arrive at a more accurate position. Other researchers have reported results that are similar to those above. This leaves us with at least 2 important questions. First: What impact does this have on our society’s ability to deal with issues of critical importance to our nation and our planet? Second: Why do so many college students fail to learn to think critically during college? For example, consider the case (also in Ch. 1 of your text) of parents who insisted that their children’s autism had been caused by the MMR vaccine despite that fact that empirical evidence does not support that claim. As a result of an inability to think critically, some parents have refused to vaccinate their children and diseases, mostly unseen for decades, are now on the rise. As you will hear/see in the Public Radio/T.V. pieces below, outbreaks have occurred in areas with relatively high levels of education. Given the work of King and Kitchener, that should actually not be all that surprising. After teaching for many years I've come to the conclusion that many students do not learn how to think critically for the same reason chronic multi-taskers overestimate their abilities to multi-task and poorly performing students overestimate their test grades: We don't know what we don't know. That is, before they learn how to think critically, most students do not realize that they are not thinking critically. I've made it a point to try to convince my students that most of them have not yet learned to think effectively. You might guess that this would make me pretty unpopular. But that is not what has happened. Instead, many (many!) of my students have made it their mission to learn to think critically and then they do!STEP 1: To successfully complete this learning unit, first review Reflective Judgment in Ch. 7 of your text. Then listen to/watch 2 segments from Public Radio/T.V. Note: At the start of the Marin video, listen very carefully to what the doctor advises about the flu vaccine and how the mother replies. Also, listen carefully to the mother's reasoning behind her resistance to the Chicken Pox vaccine.Marin County Vaccine Refusal (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. and Santa Monica Vaccine Refusal (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. STEP 2: watch 2 segments of a lecture given by sociologist Richard Arum on his studies (with Josipa Roksa) of the causes and consequences of inadequate college educations. Watch the video from: 8:28 until 39:34 and then from 54:45 until the end.Richard Arum Video (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. STEP 3: Write a 250-350 word (maximum) brief report on the issue of inadequate critical thinking/reasoning among college educated persons. In your brief report, address both questions below. Address the following questions: 1. Identify the likely presence (or evidence) of "pre-reflective" and "quasi-reflective" judgment among college educated parents who refuse to have their children vaccinated. What did the parents say that lead you to that conclusion? 2. Identify how critical thinking, higher order reasoning and writing skills can be reliably measured and what happens when students fail to develop these generic skills. (Note: Arum will use the term "quintile." This means 20%. So the "top quintile" would be the top 20%, etc.). Make sure to refer to information presented throughout the audio/videos, that is, your report should make clear that you listened to/watched the audio/video assignments in their entirety. Please don't plarigism.

Final Paper Imagine that you are a researcher and are conducting a study to investigate a community problem. Using behavioral research principles, select a macro systems problem to investigate (there are many suggested in the textbook, e.g. domestic violence, homophobia, sexual abuse, delinquent gangs) and design a study to solve this community problem. The purpose of your Final Paper is to solve this community problem. The Final Paper should be eight- to- ten pages (excluding title and reference pages) that includes the following components: (Please note that for the purposes of offering instruction, examples have been given below about a research study involving the use of financial reward programs to combat truancy. Please make sure that you create a study that does not investigate the same content.) Introduction – This section should include a brief summary of the community problem that will be addressed, as well as the approach that will be used to investigate and solve the problem. Statement of the problem – The purpose of this section is to specify the main research question (e.g., Does enrollment in a financial reward program reduce truancy?) and define the community problem in more depth (e.g., truancy), analyzing why it is a problem. In addition, you will explain the problem-solving method you plan to employ (e.g., enrollment in a financial reward program) and state your main hypothesis. (e.g., Enrollment in a financial reward program is expected to reduce student truancy in the short term, but its long-term effects are difficult to predict.) Literature Review – In this section, research findings pertaining to both the community problem and problem solving method need to be illustrated. (e.g., Relevant articles may include those on the prevalence of truancy, the impact of truancy, previous methods used to combat truancy, and the benefits of financial reward programs.) Methodology – Explain how your Final Paper will investigate the problem. How will the study be designed? How many participants will be involved in the study and how will they be recruited? (e.g., Four classes at a local high school will be given the opportunity to participate in the research study. Two of these classes will be enrolled in the financial reward program.) How will data be collected? (e.g., Truancy data will be collected on all of the participants for the six months preceding the reward program, for the duration of the program, and for the six months after completion of the reward program.) What statistics will be used to evaluate the data? (e.g., Inferential statistics will be conducted to compare the truancy levels of the group of students participating in the program with those of the group of students who are not participating in the program.)  Ethical considerations should be discussed to ensure that no unethical research is suggested. Conclusions – This section should contain concluding remarks about any potential problems that might be encountered in conducting this research study. It should also include speculations on the potential results of the study. Writing the Final PaperThe Final Paper: Must be eight to ten double-spaced pages in length, and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.Must include a title page with the following: Title of paperStudent’s nameCourse name and numberInstructor’s nameDate submitted Must begin with an introductory paragraph that has a succinct thesis statement.Must address the topic of the paper with critical thought.Must end with a conclusion that reaffirms your thesis.Must use at least five scholarly sources, including a minimum of three from the Ashford Online Library.Must document all sources in APA style, as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.Must include a separate reference page, formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.