ESPLAT 2025 conference: Scientific thinking in challenging times

The understanding of research methods, and the ability to critique scientific research, are central to psychology education. These are also attributes that will support students of psychology as they navigate the current challenges in the world, including science denial and mistrust in experts. Therefore, it is crucial that the teaching and learning of research methods and analytical techniques is accessible to, and inclusive of, all learners. Students who have disabilities or who are neurodiverse can experience barriers in the accessibility of this area of psychology education. These can include anxiety related to statistics, communication difficulties affecting asking for help in student-led research classes, social challenges affecting groupwork involved in research projects, and specific learning difficulties affecting research learning due to the impact upon information processing and arithmetical skills. Further, students with disabilities may not be eligible to take part in some of the studies within research participation schemes due to exclusion criteria.

This roundtable discussion will first consider what the needs and challenges are in terms of accessible and inclusive research methods and analysis teaching and learning. This will cover the teaching and learning of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research approaches.

The discussion will then consider how universal design principles can be applied within the design of research methods and analysis teaching, as well as reasonable adjustments that can support students who are neurodiverse or have disabilities. We will consider what works and what does not work, drawing upon the experience and expertise of everyone in the room to share examples from their practise. Finally, we will build upon this to envision different forms of what could work.

Ideas and examples generated within the discussion will be collected within an online platform, and attendees can choose to receive a copy of these afterwards.