Chapter 1
Introduction to Educational Psychology
Defination
According to Skinner (1958), “Educational psychology is the branch of psychology that deal with teaching
and learning”. Educational psychology deal with behavior of human being in educational settings. This means that
educational psychology is concerned with the study of human behavior or human personality, its growth,
development, guidance under the social process of education.
Scope of Educational Psychology
The followings are included in the scope of Educational Psychology:
1. Human Behaviour: It studies human behaviour in educational situations. Psychology is the study of
behaviour and education deals with the modification of behaviour and hence, educational psychology runs
through in whole field of education.
2. Growth and Development: It studies growth and development of the child. How a child passes through
various stages of growth and what are the characteristics of each stage are included in the study of educational
psychology.
3. Learning Process: It studies the law of learning: learning is a major phenomenon in education. It studies
how learning can take place most effectively and economically.
4. Heredity and Environment: To what extent heredity and environment contribute towards the growth of the
individual and how this knowledge can be used for bringing about the optimum development of the child, form
an important feature of the scope of educational psychology.
5. Personality: Educational psychology deals with the nature and development of the personality of an
individual. In fact, education has been defined as an all-round development of the personality of an individual;
personality development also implies a well-adjusted personality.
6. Individual Difference: Every individual differs from another and it is one of the fundamental facts of
human nature, which has been brought to light by educational psychology. This one fact has revolutionized the
concept and process of education.
7. Intelligence and its Measurement: The scope of educational psychology includes the study of the nature of
intelligence as well as its measurement. This is of great importance for a teacher or an educator.
8. Guidance and Counselling: This is one of the most important fields of study included in the field of
educational psychology. Education is nothing but providing guidance to the growing child. Thus, guidance forms
an important aspect of educational psychology.
9. Learner: The subject matter of educational psychology is knitted around the learner. Therefore, the need of
knowing the learner and the techniques of knowing him well. The topics include- the obvious, secret, conscious
as well as unconscious behaviour of the learner.
10. Special Education. The scope of educational psychology in special education is quite broad. Educational
psychologist play a crucial role in assessing and identifying the unique learning needs of students with disabilities
or special educational [Link] provide support and guidance to teachers in implementing effective instructional
strategies and accommodations.
11. Teaching and instructional Strategies. The scope of educational psychology provide valuable insights and
expertise to help teachers develop effective teaching methods and instructional strategies.
12. Assessment and Evaluation.
13. Classroom Management
14. Relationship between Teacher and student
15. Educational policies
16. Research
17. Relationship with other fields
Historical Background of Educational psychology
The origin of educational psychology can be traced back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. During this
time, there was a growing interest in understanding how individuals learn and how educational practices can be
improved.
Wilhelm Wundt. One of the key figures in the development of educational psychology was Wilhelm Wundt, a
German psychologist who is often referred to as the "father of experimental psychology." Wundt's work focused on
studying human consciousness and perception, and he believed that these processes could be applied to educational
settings. Herbartian psychology led to the founding of Wilhelm Wundt's laboratory in1879. Wundt extended Herbart's
theory of apperception into a theory of consciousness, whereby he sought to explain associations among mental
processes.
Edward [Link]. One of Wundt's students, Edward Bradford Titchener (1867- 1927) was one of the first
eminent Educational Psychologists to practice in America. He was director of the psychology laboratory at Cornell
University, and he regarded the study of the generalized mind to be the only legitimate purpose of psychological
investigation. He focused on such higher mental processes as concept formation and argued that introspection is a
valid form for interpreting great variety of sensations and feelings.
John Dewey. In 1896, John Dewey launched an attack against Titchener and his ideas. Dewey argued that a
stimulus and the response it elicits constitute a reflex arc, and that that arc should be the minimal unit of analysis, and
its function should be the basis for understanding it. Dewey believed that individuals address aspects of their
environment, not because these features possess the qualities of being interesting, but because they are viewed
instrumentally as ways of realizing a purpose. This belief gave rise to the theory of "functionalism". Functionalism
encouraged developments in mental testing, investigation of individual differences and studies of adaptive behavior.
Edward Thorndike. Another influential figure in the origin of educational psychology was Edward
Thorndike, an American psychologist who conducted extensive research on learning and [Link]'s work
emphasized the importance of individual differences in learning and the use of scientific methods to study the
individuals psychological capabilities. He agreed with functionalism, but preferred to be identified as a
"connectionist" because he sought to explain learning in terms of stimulus-response connections. He is credited with
establishing the "Law of Effect" to account for the strengthening or weakening of connections as a result of
experience. In 1914Thorndike completed the three volume series, Educational Psychology. For nearly fifty years the
field of Educational Psychology embraced the theory of associationism without question
