Learning objectives
Students are able to work ona problem from the field of psychologyscientifically under supervision using standard methods of the subject. To this end, they will apply working techniques acquired in previous study sections, which will enable them to research relevant literature, use it as a basis to record and present the theoretical background of a selected psychological question and derive corresponding hypotheses or questions. In addition, they are able to select and evaluate suitable approaches and methods to clarify these questions, to use them for data collection and evaluation and to present and critically discuss the results found in their own surveys or in existing studies in an informed and linguistically appropriate manner.
Bachelor's theses will also often be empirical. Under the given framework conditions, however, care should be taken to ensure that the research question is clearly defined, the design is predetermined and the material is available or can be obtained quickly. For example, a questionnaire study with a readily available sample (students) or an experimental study with material that has already been provided would be possible. It is important that the data collection can be completed within 2 weeks. There should be no "cut corners" when it comes to sample size: an experiment with 60 test subjects can also be carried out within 2 weeks - assuming good planning. Another option is to assign the same topics to several students and "accumulate" test subjects in this way.
The PO stipulates (§ 23, para. 6) that a question can be assigned to two people at the same time. It is important that the responsibilities are precisely agreed and documented beforehand. It should be made clear that both persons are responsible for the success of the overall work and must contribute to a comparable extent. In addition, the individual contributions must also be made clear in the work and acknowledged accordingly when grading. Here, too, 3 months is quite short, so that such a tandem question should only be assigned if the question is already clearly defined and the design and materials are already available. For example, it could be the - in this case first - replication of a previously conducted study.
Many members of the department still have data from previous studies that have not yet been analyzed or not sufficiently analyzed for time or other reasons. If the task is clearly delineated and the objective clearly defined, students could be entrusted with the evaluation of this data as part of their Bachelor's thesis.
As part of an empirical internship, students work in groups of five on a given question in the 3rd and 4th semesters. This work can be used as a preliminary study for a BSc thesis. Empras supervisors should therefore specifically draw attention to opportunities for further work and, if necessary, directly approach people from the groups who appear to be particularly interested in the research question.
As part of a research internship, students work on a given research question, but may also work on their own. The modalities of a research internship have not yet been precisely clarified. As in the diploma course, however, it can be assumed that not the entire internship period can be completed as a research internship, but only a maximum of 50% and thus presumably six weeks. This work can also be used as preliminary studies for a BSc thesis, as can work completed as part of the empirical internship.
The Bachelor's thesis does not necessarily have to be an empirical thesis; it can also be a theoretical thesis. It is conceivable, for example
- a summary of recent studies on a specific theory or question (e.g. current findings on Allport's contact hypothesis in the context of real intergroup conflicts),
- the theoretical classification and discussion of a series of empirical findings in a limited area (e.g. to what extent do models of working memory need to be extended or modified in the light of recent findings?)
- a critical discussion of a newer (or older) theoretical approach (e.g. to what extent is the theoretical classification of aggressive forms of action into "proactive" and "reactive" theoretically meaningful and justified?)
- a critical methodological discussion of existing studies on a specific theory or issue (e.g. methodological problems of media effects research)
In our opinion, it is also important here that the assigned topic is one that contains a "real" gain in knowledge and not - as is sometimes the case with term papers - a mere summary of a chapter from the secondary literature. It should also be made clear that theoretical work places high demands on the ability to analyze and process theories and/or research findings with regard to specific objectives and questions, and usually also requires good methodological skills in order to be able to assess the significance of research results.
Detailed information & frequently asked questions
BSc theses are usually supervised by lecturers from the Department of Psychology who are approved as examiners. According to §23 paragraph 4 of the examination regulations, university lecturers from other universities can also supervise the thesis upon request. In this case, the second supervisor must belong to the Department of Psychology and be accredited there as an examiner in accordance with Section 10 (2) of the Examination Regulations.
Your first task is to find a first supervisor. You will usually clarify who will be responsible for the second supervisor with the person responsible for the first. If you do not do this, the examination board will appoint a person from among the authorized examiners who will later write the second opinion on your thesis.
To avoid any misunderstandings:
- A good relationship with the people who supervise you does not automatically mean a good grade!
- Intensive / frequent supervision does not mean that the result will be "perfect" (i.e. 1 or 2)!
- Even a thorough review of individual parts by the supervisor does not mean that the result has to be "perfect" (i.e. 1 or 2)!
The thesis can also be carried out externally. The external institution must be a university or unique research institution or the thesis must be supervised by a psychologist in the organization. Theses abroad are also possible under the same conditions.
In the case of external theses, one of the supervisors must also come from the Department of Psychology. The supervisor from the external organization must be recognized by the examination board. For this purpose, the external reviewer must fill out this form and submit it to the examination office if he*she does not yet have an examination authorization at RPTU in Landau.
Based on 12 ECTS points and an associated workload of 360 hours, the examination regulations stipulate a three-month processing time. This roughly corresponds to a daily working time of six hours (excluding weekends) and is of course only a rough guide.
It is assumed that you have discussed your research question with your supervisor and submitted an exposé. You should allow sufficient time for this preparatory work and therefore start taking concrete steps towards your BSc thesis by the beginning of your final year of study at the latest.
The three-month processing period begins with the admission of the BSc thesis by the University Examination Office. It is an upper limit, so it is not a problem if a thesis is submitted before this deadline. Therefore, only submit your application for admission when you can foresee that you will be able to meet the three-month deadline, as an extension is not possible according to the examination regulations!
The work units of the Department of Psychology provide information on their respective websites about topics offered and supervised by their members. Section 23 (7) of the examination regulations stipulates that the topics, tasks and scope of the Bachelor's thesis must be limited by the supervisors in such a way that the deadlines set for completion can be met.
However, you can of course also contact the lecturers in the department with your own ideas.
The suggested topics for final theses are published by the work units or areas under the following links:
- Developmental Psychology and Educational Psychology
- Diagnostics, differential psychology, methodology and evaluation
- Cognitive Psychology and the Experimental Psychology and Personality Research Unit
- Social, environmental and business psychology
- Biopsychology, clinical psychology and psychotherapy(of adulthood & childhood and adolescence)
- Institute for Communication Psychology and Media Education
Finding and formulating a topic can be quite time-consuming. You should therefore contact potential supervisors in good time and clarify the details with them. We recommend that you start looking for a topic at the beginning of your final year of study at the latest.
In an initial meeting with the supervisor, the topic and approach will be determined. You should then prepare a short synopsis containing at least the following points:
The research question to be addressed.
A description of the planned research and evaluation methods
A timetable of the work schedule.
A first draft of the synopsis is submitted to the supervisor. After agreeing on the content, design and timeline of the thesis, the final version of the exposé is submitted to the supervisor.
This does not constitute formal admission of the thesis! This is done by the University Examination Office. From the time of admission, the 3-month processing time specified in the examination regulations then applies.
According to §23, paragraph 6, a BSc thesis can also be written in the form of a group thesis. This requires that, in addition to the aforementioned outline points, the synopsis must specify exactly which work steps are to be carried out by which person and which sections are to be worked on by each participant. sections are to be worked on by each participant.
The topic of your BSc thesis is considered assigned when the synopsis has been agreed with the persons supervising your thesis. If this has been done and you can foresee that you will have the thesis ready for submission within three months at the latest, you must submit an application for admission to the BSc thesis in accordance with §23 of the examination regulations.
You can obtain the application for the topic of the Bachelor's thesis directly from the University Examination Office, provided that the necessary requirements are met. It must be completed and submitted to the Examinations Office. After processing by the Examinations Office, you will receive written confirmation of admission to the BSc thesis.
You will discuss the procedure and the exact structure of the supervision with your supervisor. As a general rule, however, you should meet with your supervisor at regular, not too short intervals to report on the current status of your thesis and clarify any questions you may have.
There is no generally valid rule for the desirable overall scope. In any case, quality is more important than quantity! A guideline is 40 to 60 pages (plus cover page, bibliography and appendix). This refers to a font size of 12pt Times New Roman with 1 ½ line spacing.
The current guidelines for manuscript design of the German Psychological Society apply to the design of the paper (citation style, bibliography, figures and tables). For an overview, we recommend the script "Merkblatt zur Erstellung empirischer Forschungarbeiten" (see download list).
Structure: >> Note: Details in the leaflet, therefore not all listed here again
- Cover sheet
- Brief summary (abstract)
- Theoretical background
- Derivation of the research question and hypotheses
- Methods (main part for theoretical work)
- Results (main part for theoretical work)
- Discussion, critical reflection and outlook
- Bibliography
- Appendix
- Affidavit
The thesis must be submitted to the University Examination Office by the deadline. The thesis must be submitted there bound in triplicate and additionally on CD as a file in pdf format. The University Examination Office will then send two of the bound copies to the respective supervisors.
As a general rule, the person supervising the work should be regularly informed about the progress of the work, any delays compared to the work plan and any difficulties. Regular contact makes it possible to react to difficulties at an early stage.
However, if difficulties arise that cannot be resolved together with the supervisor, you can contact the person in charge of the department in which your work is located. Other contacts in the event of difficulties are the members of the examination board and the respective liaison lecturers.
The examination regulations also stipulate that the topic can be returned a maximum of once within one month of admission.
The examination regulations stipulate that the BSc thesis is usually assessed by your supervisors within a period of two months. They will prepare written assessments. The arithmetic mean of the grades of the first and second assessment forms the grade of your BSc thesis, which is included in your final grade with double weight alongside the module examinations.
If the Bachelor's thesis is assessed as "insufficient" by only one of the two assessors or if the grades of the two assessors differ by two whole grade levels, a third assessment must be obtained from an examiner to be determined by the Psychology Examination Board.