Scholarship in Psychology: A Paradigm for the Twenty-First Century

Numerous changes in higher education (e.g., the demand for accountability, threats to tenure, new modes of instruction) and discontent with narrow definitions of scholarship have created the need for a broader and more precise definition of the nature of scholarship in psychology. The 5-part definition that we propose includes (a) original research (creation of knowledge), (b) integration of knowledge (synthesis and reorganization), (c) application of knowledge, (d) the scholarship of pedagogy, and (e) the scholarship of teaching in psychology. Scholarly activities require high levels of discipline-specific expertise, are innovative, can be replicated, are documented, can be subject to peer review, and have significance. This broader conceptualization of scholarship will benefit all stakeholders in higher education-students, faculty, colleges and universities, the community, and society at large.