SCIENTIFIC FILMS IN UNIVERSITY TEACHING - GOALS, DETERMINANTS, AND EVALUATION OF USING FILMS IN PSYCHOLOGY COURSES

Scientific films are used in university courses, only if they are judg ed suitable by the teachers. A sample of 242 university teachers of ps ychology were asked which goals lead them to use films in class and wh ich film characteristics play an important role in determining the qua lity of a film. The items were developed on the basis of educational p sychology concepts and research on the impact of media in the classroo m. The results show that stimulating the students and enhancing the cl assroom climate are the most important goal dimensions. The quality an d the suitability of a film is determined, above all, by the scientifi c correctness and by the quality of sound and picture. Based on these findings, items were chosen which can be used to evaluate films for un iversity courses in psychology.