Doctoral Research Training Environments (RTEs): Implications for the Teaching of Psychology

Doctoral-level training in psychology places importance on helping students acquire facilitative research-related attitudes, skills, and interests. Training models in PhD applied psychology programs also value sound teaching of research. We demonstrate how a research training environment can be evaluated using both standardized instruments and exploratory methods that elicit responses to questions concerning (a) what things might have turned students' focus away from research and (b) how faculty facilitated students' interest in research. Results indicated that interpersonal aspects of the environment were most important to this sample of students. Teaching research to graduate students in applied psychology programs might emphasize advisor–student and student–peer relationships as necessary but not sufficient conditions to promote learning.