How to Choose the Best Psychology Textbook for Your Course

Published: 8/8/2024

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Whether you’re teaching Psychology for the first time or looking to replace the outdated textbook you’ve been using for years, choosing a title for your course is a big decision — and one that will have a significant impact on your students’ learning outcomes. Ultimately, the best Psychology textbook for you depends on the specific requirements of your course and your personal teaching style. But to get you started, we’ve outlined the key factors to consider when searching for and evaluating textbooks, so you know what to look for and what to avoid.  

Consider your course requirements

As a first step, you should identify the topics covered in your course and the depth of knowledge required for students to succeed. Some courses may require an in-depth understanding of certain concepts, while others offer a broader overview. It may be helpful to create an outline of concepts you plan to cover so that you can use it for comparison as you evaluate Psychology textbooks.  

Find out what other instructors are using

If you’re teaching a course for the first time, you can ask what textbook other instructors used. For additional guidance, check the syllabi for similar courses on websites of other institutions to find out what their instructors are using. You don’t necessarily want to go with the most popular option, but it can be a helpful starting point.  

Evaluate the writing style and content organization

When you review a textbook, pay attention to the language and organizational flow of the content. Avoid textbooks that are overly technical and full of jargon, especially if they don’t provide examples and illustrations that help build understanding in a way that’s manageable for your students.  

• Is the language appropriate for the level of prerequisite knowledge students typically enter your course with?

• Is the text organized to break down complex concepts in a way students can understand?

• Will the writing style keep students’ attention?

Look for clear, engaging and enjoyable writing — your textbook doesn’t have to be a challenging read to explain challenging concepts effectively.  

Review practice examples, case studies and real-life applications

These elements help students connect theoretical concepts to real-world scenarios, making the subject matter more relatable and easier to understand. 

• Are featured case studies up-to-date and relevant to your students’ lives?

• Do featured examples tie in with the course concepts you want to focus on?

• Do real-life applications reflect what students may encounter beyond the classroom?

As you read through examples and case studies in the text, consider how students will relate and deepen their understanding of course topics through them.  

Check for additional resources and supporting materials

Many Psychology textbooks now offer an interactive eBook that students can access on their laptops or mobile devices. This makes it easy to study no matter where they are, and often saves them money if they don’t have to purchase a physical copy. Some eBooks enable students to highlight, take notes within the text and use keyword search to find topics they need to study. They may also enable you to leave notes for students and even embed videos and links to supplemental materials.  

“The eBook is in a convenient format and the ReadSpeaker, which is a text-to-speech application, made engaging with the textbook more accessible for all students.” – Mitch Harder, Professor of Psychology, St. Charles Community College 

Your students can also benefit from a textbook that pairs with an online learning platform. Online learning platforms can contain multimedia resources, videos, homework assignments, practice problems, exams, discussion boards and simulations. These tools provide a more engaging and immersive learning experience, and they can help boost student performance. 

For example, the online learning platform MindTap comes with many Cengage Psychology textbooks. It offers instructors full control over their course delivery and supports student learning with a variety of customizable features.  

“Discussions were way different in classes where MindTap was required. The students knew more about the subject because they had done the readings and homework.” – Nia Berry, Educational Psychology Student, Texas Southern University 

Some textbooks include additional resources for you, such as PowerPoint presentations, test banks and online teaching guides. You should review these supporting materials as well when you’re deciding what textbook to use in your course.  

Select inclusive and accessible course materials

Implicit biases are unfortunately present across many academic textbooks. While it’s essential to choose course materials that support your teaching approach, it’s also important to check that the content reflects diverse and accurate representation based on race, ethnicity, gender and point of view. Consider how the authors, images and examples within a textbook represent people of different cultural backgrounds and lived experiences. You should also ensure that your course materials are accessible to all students. For example, an eBook should include alt-text that describes images.  

Read reviews and ask for recommendations

When looking for the best Psychology textbook for your course, reviews and ratings from reputable sources can be a great way to check for quality. Look for trusted websites that provide detailed reviews and ratings for college textbooks. These sources often have a team of experts who evaluate textbooks based on content, readability and relevance. 

Another immensely valuable source of recommendations is your colleagues. They can often suggest textbooks that align with course learning objectives. Fellow instructors who have taught the course before may also have insights into which textbooks were helpful and which ones they found less useful. Consider their feedback and ask for specific reasons why they recommend a particular textbook. 

Be mindful of the cost and set realistic expectations

The rising cost of textbooks puts a major financial burden on students. Many of them will delay or forgo purchasing a textbook they deem too expensive, even if they know it will impact their grade negatively. Before you assign an expensive textbook or decide to require multiple textbooks for your course, consider how much of the content is needed. If only a few chapters are necessary, you should try to find an alternative option.  

 

Browse the Cengage Psychology catalog to find a textbook that aligns with your course needs and teaching preferences.