School and Educational Psychology

What are School and Educational Psychology?

School Psychology and Educational Psychology are used more or less interchangeably, although strictly speaking they are slightly different. Educational psychology refers to the experimental science of learning and effective education – someone who studies human behavior in educational contexts is an educational psychologist. School psychology, on the other hand, usually refers to those practitioners who apply the insights of educational psychology in real-world situations. They are school counselors, teachers with psychological training, etc. These two areas are very closely linked, however, and so it makes sense to talk about them as a single field of study.

The basic questions of educational psychology include: how do people learn? What instructional methods are the most effective? How do individual differences in aptitude and personality affect the learning process, and how can classrooms accommodate these individual differences? What are learning disabilities, how can they be diagnosed and treated? Educational and school psychologists also deal with the social, cognitive, and developmental aspects of the school environment. As any parent or teacher knows, school is not only a place where children go to learn about reading and math – it is also where they develop their social skills and learn to be independent. Educational psychology is therefore closely related to the fields of social and developmental psychology. The most effective practitioners of educational psychology are those who have a broad background and can apply knowledge from various areas of psychology to the classroom.

Who Should Study School and Educational Psychology?

Educational psychology is both an exciting theoretical field and an important area of applied psychology. Some of the most exciting new frontiers in behavioral and cognitive science – such as learning, memory, and moral development – are the purview of educational psychologists. School psychologists take these fascinating theoretical developments and think about to use them to improve students’ lives and educational outcomes. If education is the backbone of society, then school psychologists have a major role to play as cultivators of tomorrow’s leaders and thinkers.

A degree in school psychology can also lead to a career as a school counselor, a field that many practitioners find to be extremely rewarding and challenging. Like clinical psychologists, school counselors must be compassionate and dedicated to helping guide students through difficult periods – the emotional turmoil of adolescence makes the task of middle school and high school counselors one of the most difficult jobs a psychologist can take on. But for those who are interested in working with young people and who want to help those in need, a career in school psychology is often the ideal choice.

Students and professionals interested in school and educational psychology should be aware that there is a specialized Doctoral degree specifically for people who want to use their knowledge of psychology in applied educational contexts. The Ed.D in Psychology is the most advanced degree available in school psychology, and is tailored toward practical application more than the research-oriented Ph.D in Educational Psychology.

The History of School and Educational Psychology

Prior to the birth of psychology in the late 19^th century, educational theory was primarily the domain of philosophers. Thinkers as early as Aristotle and Plato developed ideas about the educational process in ancient Athens, and Confucius was particularly interested in the subject. Every civilization that has had a formal education system had philosophers who argued about how that system should be changed and improved. Their ideas form the basis for many theories in educational psychology today.

The fusion of psychology with educational philosophy was largely accomplished in America in the first decades of the 20^th century. American educational theorists such as John Dewey and William James emphasized the importance of the school as a place of social and personal growth, and believed that students should be treated as more than mere receptacles for information.

Today, educational and school psychologists are actively engaged in a number of interesting research questions. As school districts across America desperately search for ways to improve student performance, educational psychology is turning toward problems of school and curriculum design, not just issues of instruction and pedagogy. What is the value of standardized testing? Is it productive to separate students by aptitude, or to hold all students to the same high standards? What kind of instruction will prepare students for the rapidly changing world of the 21^st century? These are the kinds of questions that school and educational psychology will have to continue to grapple with into the future.