Educational psychology
Educational psychology is the study of how children and adults learn, the effectiveness of various educational strategies and tactics, and how schools function as organizations. Although the titles "educational psychology" and "school psychology" are often used interchangeably, researchers and theorists are likely to be identified as educational psychologists, while practitioners in schools or school-related settings are identified as school psychologists. While educational psychology deals with all types of learning, some psychologists and researchers focus on specific areas such as learning disability, Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and mood disorder.
Psychology is as much a science as it is an art, therefore educational psychology is even more an art than a science – thus goes the argument. And although not very many psychologists dispute it, there is hardly any reflection of this “belief” in the main stream of “normal” science that is overwhelmingly occupied by quantitatively empirical research. If, on the other hand, one doesn’t want to believe in both, the presence of an art and a science in psychology in general, one could at least subscribe to William James notion that psychology is a science, but teaching is an art, thus educational psychology could not be anything less than a synthesis of art and science.
History of Educational Psychology
- John Dewey (1859-1952)
- Edward L. Thorndike (1874-1949)
- Charles H. Judd (1873-1972)
Theoretical Influences
Several perspectives have been established within which the theories used in educational psychology are formed and contested. These include Behaviorism, Cognitivism, Social Cognitivism, and Constructivism. Theorists who have had a major influence on educational psychology include:
- Albert Bandura 1925
- Alfred Binet 1857-1911
- Benjamin Bloom 1913-1999
- Jerome Bruner 1915
- Robert Gagné 1916-2002
- Lawrence Kohlberg 1927-1987
- Jean Piaget 1896-1980
- Carl Rogers 1902-1987
- Herbert Simon 1916–2001
- Burrhus Frederic Skinner 1904-1990
- Charles Spearman 1863-1945
- Lev Semenovich Vygotsky 1896-1934
Social, Moral and Cognitive Development
- Developmental psychology
- Erikson's stages of psychosocial development
- Kohlberg's stages of moral development
- Piaget's theory of cognitive development
Individual Differences and Disabilities
- Autism
- Cerebral palsy
- Intelligence (trait)
- Giftedness
- Hearing impairment
- ADHD
- Learning disability
Learning and Cognition
- Operant conditioning
- Observational learning
- Memory
- Problem solving
- Situated cognition
- Cognition and Metacognition
- Self-Regulation
Learning and Affect
- Perception and Affect
- Memory and Affect
- Performance and Affect
- Decision Making and Affect
- Emotional Intelligence or Intelligent Emotionality?
Motivation
- Motivational Theory
- Maslow's hierarchy of needs
- Interest Theory
- Goal Theory
- Motivation and Emotion
Applications in Teaching and Learning
- Classroom management
- Cooperative learning
- Instructional design
- Special education
- Affective Teaching and Learning
Careers in Educational Psychology
A person is generally considered an Educational Psychologist if he or she has completed a graduate degree in educational psychology or a closely related field. Universities usually establish educational psychology graduate programs in either psychology departments or faculties of education. Psychologists that work in a k-12 school setting are usually trained at either the masters or doctoral (PhD or EdD) level. In addition to conducting assessments, school psychologists provide services such as academic and behavioral intervention, counseling, teacher consultation, and crisis intervention.
See also
- Important publications in educational psychology
- WikEd is a MediaWiki operated by the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
Credits
New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:
The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:
Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.
