The study of how individuals learn, including teaching techniques, instructional processes, and individual variations in learning, is referred to as educational psychology. The idea is to figure out how people pick up new knowledge and retain it. This discipline of psychology encompasses not just the early childhood and adolescent learning processes, but also the social, emotional, and cognitive processes that are involved in learning throughout one's life.
Educational psychology encompasses a variety of fields such as developmental psychology, behavioral psychology, and cognitive psychology. This article examines some of the various perspectives taken within the area of educational psychology, as well as the issues that educational psychologists investigate and the career opportunities available in this discipline.
Educational Psychology from a Different Perspective
When it comes to solving an issue, educational psychology researchers, like those in other fields of psychology, utilize a variety of approaches. These viewpoints concentrate on certain variables that impact how a person learns, such as learned behaviors, cognition, and experiences.
From a Behavioral standpoint
All behaviors, according to this viewpoint, are taught through conditioning. This school of thought relies heavily on the ideas of operant conditioning to explain how people learn. Teachers could, for example, reward pupils' learning by giving them tokens that can be swapped for desirable objects like sweets or toys. Students will learn if they are rewarded for "good" conduct and penalized for "poor" behavior, according to the behavioral perspective. While behavioral approaches might be beneficial in some situations, they have been criticized for neglecting to account for factors such as attitudes, emotions, and intrinsic drive to learn.
The Developmental Viewpoint
This study looks at how youngsters learn new abilities and information as they get older. One example of an important developmental theory looking at how children grow cognitively is Jean Piaget's phases of cognitive development. Educational psychologists can better grasp what children are capable of at each step of their development by knowing how children think at different stages of development.
This can aid instructors in developing educational strategies and resources that are best suited to specific age groups.
The Cognitive Point of View
The cognitive method has grown in popularity in recent decades, owing to its ability to account for how memories, beliefs, emotions, and motives influence the learning process. This hypothesis backs up the assumption that people learn because of their own drive rather than extrinsic rewards. Understanding how individuals think, learn, remember, and process information is the goal of cognitive psychology. Cognitive educational psychologists are interested in studying how children get motivated to learn, how they retain what they learn, and how they solve problems, among other things.
The Constructivist Methodology
This approach, which is one of the most current learning theories, focuses on how we actively develop our knowledge of the environment. Constructivism tends to pay greater attention to the social and cultural factors that influence how we learn. The constructivist school of thought holds that what a person already knows has the greatest impact on how they acquire new knowledge. This means that new information can only be contributed to and comprehended in terms of what has already been learned. The work of psychologist Lev Vygotsky who established concepts like the zone of proximal development and instructional scaffolding, has had a significant effect on this viewpoint.
From a Personal Perspective
This viewpoint stresses the importance of a person's own life experiences in determining how they comprehend new information. In the same way as constructivist and cognitive views examine the learner's experiences, thoughts, and feelings, this technique does as well. Instead of feeling as though the knowledge doesn't pertain to them, this strategy helps someone to find personal significance in what they learn.
Recap
When studying various themes in educational psychology, diverse viewpoints on human behavior might be beneficial. The behavioral viewpoint, the constructivist approach, and the experiential perspective are only a few of them.
Educational Psychology Topics
An educational psychologist will dive deep into these topics to better understand the learning process, from the materials used by instructors to the specific requirements of pupils. These are some of the topics:
- Educational technology: Looking at how different types of technology can help students learn
- Instructional design: Designing learning materials
- Special education: Helping students who may need specialized instruction
- Curriculum development: Creating coursework that will maximize learning
- Organizational learning: Studying how people learn in organizational settings
- Gifted learners: Helping students who are identified as gifted learners
Educational Psychology as a Career
Educational psychologists collaborate with educators, administrators, instructors, and students to discover new ways to help individuals learn more effectively. This frequently entails identifying kids who may want further assistance, establishing programs for challenging pupils, and even developing novel learning techniques. Many educational psychologists work directly with schools. Some are instructors or professors, while others collaborate with teachers to test out novel teaching methods and build new course curricula for their pupils. You may even work as a counselor, assisting pupils with specific learning difficulties. Educational psychologists that work in research are also available. For example, you may work for a government agency like the United States Department of Education, influencing choices on how children should learn in schools around the country. You might also pursue a career in school or university administration. You'd be able to influence educational approaches and assist pupils in learning in the most effective way possible in any of these jobs. For most jobs in this profession, you'll need a bachelor's degree and a master's degree; if you want to work at a university or in school administration, you'll probably need a doctorate as well.
Recap
Educational psychologists are frequently present in schools to assist students and instructors in improving their learning outcomes. Other experts in this industry do research to better understand the learning process and assess learning methods.
History of Educational Psychology
Educational psychology is a relatively new area that has seen a lot of development in recent years.
Because psychology did not become a separate discipline until the late 1800s, educational psychologists were primarily responsible for early interest in the field. Johann Herbart is widely regarded as the father of educational psychology. Herbart thought that a student's enthusiasm for a subject had a significant impact on the learning outcome. Teachers should think about this while selecting which form of education is best for their students, he believes. Later on, William James, a psychologist and philosopher, made substantial contributions to the topic. "Talks to Teachers on Psychology," published in 1899, is widely regarded as the first textbook on educational psychology. Around the same time, Alfred Binet, a French psychologist, was inventing his famous IQ tests. The tests were created to assist the French government in identifying children with developmental delays and developing special education programs for them. John Dewey had a huge impact on education in the United States. Dewey's beliefs were progressive; he felt that rather than focusing on subjects, schools should focus on pupils. He promoted active learning, claiming that hands-on experience was crucial to the process. Benjamin Bloom, an educational psychologist, recently devised an essential taxonomy to define and characterize various educational goals. Cognitive, emotional, and psychomotor learning objectives were the three top-level domains he mentioned.
Figures of Interest
A number of other personalities have contributed significantly to the development of educational psychology throughout history. The following are only a few of the well-known people:
- John Locke: Locke is an English philosopher who suggested the concept of tabula rasa, or the idea that the mind is essentially a blank slate at birth. This means that knowledge is developed through experience and learning.
- Jean Piaget: A Swiss psychologist who is best known for his highly influential theory of cognitive development, Jean Piaget's influence on educational psychology is still evident today.
- B.F. Skinner: Skinner was an American psychologist who introduced the concept of operant conditioning, which influences behaviorist perspectives. His research on reinforcement and punishment continues to play an important role in education.
Recap
Educational psychology has been influenced by a number of philosophers, psychologists, and educators. Some thinkers who had a significant influence include William James, Alfred Binet, John Dewey, Jean Piaget, and Benjamin Bloom.
Result
Educational psychology contributes to the development of educational strategies and teaching methods by providing vital insights into how individuals learn. Different disciplines of educational psychology investigate the emotional, social, and cognitive aspects that might impact how people learn, in addition to the learning process itself. If you're interested in areas like special education, curriculum development, or educational technology, you might want to seek a career in educational psychology.