Educational Psychology

Educational psychology is a branch of psychology that applies psychological principles and methods directly to education.

Characteristics

In educational psychology, the field of education deals with unpredictable classroom environments, while psychology focuses on controlled laboratory settings. Psychology is the scientific study of human behavior and aims to explore the rules of human mental life, making it closely related to education, which directly aims to shape individuals.

 

Educational psychology can be more precisely defined as the study of problems that arise in educational settings and solving them using psychological principles and methods. It is a scientific field that describes and explains an individual's learning experiences from birth to adulthood, and it addresses questions like “how” and “when” in the context of educational activities. Therefore, educational psychology is based on two key components: the problems posed by education and the principles and methods provided by modern psychology. Those who study educational psychology need to understand both the current educational challenges and the psychological principles and methods needed to address them.

 

Educational psychology is closely related to personality. A person’s personality can be influenced by their environment, and their thoughts on education can change based on their personality.

 

Development

If we define educational psychology as a field that provides insights and skills for effective education, then we can consider pioneers like Johann Amos Comenius, who proposed the "staged education system" and created the first illustrated textbook "Orbis Pictus" to lay the foundation for children's language and audiovisual education. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, author of "Émile," and Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi also made significant contributions. However, Johann Friedrich Herbart was the first to treat educational concepts psychologically.

 

The true foundation of educational psychology from a scientific perspective was laid by Wilhelm Wundt, the father of modern psychology. Educational psychology has also benefited greatly from the development of child psychology, which studies the mental development of children and seeks to understand developmental principles. Child psychology was first attempted in the United States by G. Stanley Hall, who adopted a developmental psychological approach, incorporating biology and anthropology. His work on moral and religious education for children laid the groundwork for educational psychology.

 

German psychologist Ernst Meumann contributed to educational psychology by combining psychology and education. He categorized his research into areas such as:

1. Mental and physical development of children
2. Development of children's mental abilities
3. Individuality of children
4. Innate individual differences
5. School life of children
6. Learning activities in various subjects
7. Teachers’ activities, learning guidance, school systems, and teaching methods

These areas helped shape the academic framework of educational psychology. Another pioneering achievement in educational psychology is the study of individual differences. This research began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with pioneers like Francis Galton, who published works like "Hereditary Genius" and "Inquiries into Human Faculty." James McKeen Cattell in the United States measured human abilities using objective methods and applied them practically. His mental tests for Columbia University freshmen in 1893 marked the beginning of intelligence testing.

 

Research on early childhood education also developed significantly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The foundation for kindergarten education was established by Friedrich Froebel, and many studies on children were conducted following the work of Wilhelm Preyer, known as the father of child psychology. Thus, the origins of educational psychology are not simply the result of the intersection of psychology and education but stem from a deeper connection between the two fields.

 

Scope and Content

Educational psychology covers a broad range of topics related to the psychological aspects of educational phenomena. If we view educational activities as interactions between learners and educators within society, then educational psychology includes:

• The social changes in the educational environment (social psychology)
• The psychological development of learners, such as children and students (developmental psychology)
• Techniques for effective and efficient teaching (learning psychology)

B.F. Skinner categorized the field into:

1. Growth and development
2. Learning
3. Personality and adaptation
4. Measurement and evaluation
5. Teaching and guidance

Gates and others divided it into:

1. Development
2. Learning
3. Measurement and evaluation
4. Personality and adaptation

Lee J. Cronbach focused on all behavior processes from a learning perspective. This article covers the following areas of educational psychology:

 

Developmental Psychology

If the goal of education is to promote desirable development in learners, then this field encompasses the comprehensive study of the physical and mental development of children and adolescents. It examines the relationship between various behavioral patterns, the function of maturation and learning, behavior changes and declines, and the emergence of new behaviors from an educational perspective.

 

Learning Psychology

The core of educational activities is learning. In educational psychology, the study of learning focuses on how learning progresses in relation to educational goals, how students in schools, as educational environments, engage in activities to achieve these goals, and what the best conditions for learning are. Issues such as learning principles, types of problem-solving, learning effectiveness, and transfer are central topics, and significant advancements have been made since Edward Thorndike.

 

Mental Health and Guidance

Understanding how individuals achieve emotional stability and participate in social life through their interactions with society is crucial from a mental health perspective. Addressing the needs of students who are not well-adjusted requires deep understanding and insights from educational psychology. Issues related to the mental health of students and teachers, as well as the teachers' qualifications, personality, and competence, are important areas of study.

 

Evaluation

Evaluation involves terms like measurement, test, assessment, and evaluation, each with distinct meanings. Measurement quantifies certain characteristics of an object and can be direct or indirect. For latent characteristics like personality, motivation, and beliefs, indirect measurement is used. Assessment involves collecting and evaluating information needed for decision-making. Evaluation serves various purposes, including:

• Providing feedback to design and improve teaching and learning processes.
• Allowing teachers to diagnose and understand students' developmental and ability levels for appropriate decision-making.
• Helping students confirm what they have achieved in the learning process.
• Influencing students' motivation positively or negatively.
• Providing parents with information to understand their children better.

 

Group Psychology

The psychological tendencies of a group result from the personal interactions of its members, who learn group living methods through their relationships. Recently, the field of group dynamics has emerged, focusing on the psychological relationships that arise during the formation and changes in groups. In educational psychology, understanding group composition, cohesion, morale, and stability helps guide group interactions effectively.

 

Research Methods

The field of educational psychology is broad, as human functions are constantly influenced by the environment. As a science dealing with human behavior, educational psychology requires accurate and objective research methods conducted by skilled researchers. Combining laboratory experiments with educational field experiments is beneficial for maintaining control and flexibility.

 

Key research methods in educational psychology include:

• Observation: Natural observation, experimental observation, introspection.
• Survey: Questionnaire, diagnostic checklist, interview.
• Testing and Measurement: Standardized tests, projective tests, rating scales.
• Clinical Research: Anecdotal records, autobiographies, work analysis, case studies.
• Educational Statistics.

New approaches in educational psychology research can be classified as follows:

• Normative Approach: Focuses on the averages and typical changes in specific groups, using cross-sectional and longitudinal research methods.
• Descriptive Approach: Concentrates on describing phenomena that occur during development and identifying key causes of developmental changes.
• Natural Approach: Observes and describes repetitive behaviors in real-life settings.
• Manipulative Approach: Controls the environment or human behavior according to the research purpose.
• Simultaneous Approach: Studies the relationships between two or more current realities.
• Historical Approach: Focuses on finding the roots of current behavioral characteristics in past experiences.
• Atheoretical Approach: Focuses on investigating and describing human psychological characteristics without theoretical assumptions.
• Theoretical Approach: Tests hypotheses derived from established theories.