EDUCATION PSYCHOLOGY

Chapter 1

EDUCATION PSYCHOLOGY

The Chapter at a Glance

What is Educational Psychology?

Scope of Educational Psychology.

Some Distinctive Fields of Study.

Relation with Educational Philosophy.

Educational Psychology

During the normal course of his development from birth to maturity an individual comes across a number of people, faces a variety of situations and undergoes varied experiences. Throughout his life he is subjected to a varying and continuous process of change, adjustment and learning though these experiences which contribute towards his mental and physical growth. Broadly speaking, this process of growing up and maturing is known as Education.

Educational psychology is a science which studies the processes and factors involved in the education of human beings. It is a systematic study of the change that takes place in an individual at various stages of his development. It describes, explains and analyses the learning experiences of the individual as he progresses in his educational development of the learner. On the basis of his studies an educational psychologist is able to formulate certain laws and principles. These principles are then utilized to improve the process of teaching and learning. They prove equally useful in organizing and administering educational institutions.

Scopes of Educational Psychology

Educational psychology is major branch of applied psychology. The educational psychologist utilizes the laws and principles discovered by General Psychology in order to bring about an improvement in the teaching, curriculum and organization of educational intuitions.

Educational Psychology, however, is not merely an applied general psychology. It is a science in its own right. As an independent science it has its own:-

(1)               Body of principles or fundamental truths.

(2)               Objective and verifiable facts or data, and;

(3)               Workable and precise techniques of study, research and experimentation.

     

This will become increasingly clear as the reader progresses in the reading of this book. It will also be found that educational psychology endeavors to discover and to interpret the following:-

(1)               The nature of the learning process.

(2)               The contribution of heredity and environment to learning.

(3)               The factors that influence learning.

(4)               Teaching procedures and learning outcomes.

(5)               The development of a better understanding of the educational process.

(6)               Evaluation of the educational outcomes.

(7)              Promotion of a scientific attitude towards educational practice and procedures with a view to bringing bout change or improvement in the learning process.

Some Distinctive Fields of Study     

It is quite true that Educational Psychology is relatively new science. It draws largely from psychology. It has borrowed heavily from a number of related sciences, e. g, Philosophy, Sociology, Psychiatry, Anthropology, Medicine, etc. It may, however, be noted that it is rapidly developing its own content or distinctive fields of investigation. Some of the significant fields of investigation elaborately studied by educational psychology are mentioned below:-

(1)               Methods and techniques of teaching various school subjects.

(2)               Special difficulties encountered by the teachers and the pupils in various types of school learning.

(3)               The unique needs of physically and mentally handicapped, defective and exceptional children and the specialized techniques of meeting them.

(4)               The effect of various modes of pupil classification upon the personality and achievement of the learner.

(5)               Methodology of teaching by motion pictures radio and other audio- visual aid media.

(6)               Dynamics of the teacher- pupil relationships.

(7)               Techniques for studying and guiding group thought and behavior.

(8)               Counseling on problems of personal adjustment.

(9)               Aptitude analysis and vocational guidance.

Educational psychology has thrown a flood of light on these and a host of other significant problems. As a result of distinctive studies, research and experiments on these problems the entire school instruction and organization is undergoing a dynamic evolution. This is making the task of education easy, pleasant and effective both for the teacher as well as the taught.

Relation with Educational Philosophy

The nature and scope of Educational psychology may be still further clarified if we compare it with that of Educational philosophy. Educational philosophy formulates theories regarding the purpose of life and of education. Its function is to establish the aims and goals of education. It is concerned with such issues as the following:-

What should be the purpose and function of a school?

What should be the relation of the school to society?

What should be the nature of the school curriculum?The educational psychologist, on other hand is more directly concerned with such questions as:How to establish and promote a vital relationship between the school and the community it serves?What are the various methods and the techniques which are best suited for class room instruction etc?Whereas Educational philosophy is primarily concerned with the question of what should be done in schools, Educational psychology endeavors to answer the questions of how it can be done. The former is interested in the ends; the latter is mainly concerned with the means. An educational philosopher, for instance, might suggest that the aim of education should be the development in the learner of a cheerful, creative and a socially useful personality. The educational psychologist should then be able to recommend ways and means of incorporating these traits in the thought and behavior of the learner.

Both Subjects are Inter Dependent 

It should not be inferred from the foregoing that the function of educational philosophy and educational psychology are mutually exclusive or that they do not influence each other. This is an utterly incorrect impression. Both of these subjects are inter dependent. Many of the theories of the philosophers have been tested by educational psychologists. Similarly, the findings of psychologists have led the philosophers to modify their theories. How the children learn and what they can actually learn at various stages of their development can help the educational philosopher to formulate such goals and theories of education as are realistic and practicable. Both of these subjects therefore are closely associated. In fact, to some extent a teacher has to be both a philosopher and a psychologist. He must be able to have a clear cut purpose of education in his mind. He must also be able to guide the learner to realize that purpose through an effective system of instruction.