The concept of educational psychology is very important for understanding. But first, it is important to understand the concept of psychology. The meaning of psychology is described differently. The term “psychology” has been taken from the Greek word “psyche,” which means soul, while “logos” indicates science. So the word psychology was initially described as the “study of the soul.”
But since the soul is metaphysical and cannot be seen or touched, scientific experiments cannot be conducted on soul. So this definition was replaced with another definition.
Study of Mind
In 1892, Willium James explained psychology as the “study of mind.” But since the mind of others is just like a sealed book and quite an ambiguous term regarding the nature and function of the mind, this definition was replaced with a modern definition.
Study of consciousness
After psychology as a science of mind, psychology was defined as the “science of consciousness.” Willium Wundt explained that it is the science or study of studying “internal experiences.” This definition focuses only on the conscious level. But it ignores the other levels, i.e., the subconscious and unconscious. Because they ignored these two levels, some psychologists ignored this definition, and as a result, a new definition was proposed.
Study of behavior
So in 1905, William McDugall indicated that psychology is the “science of behavior,” whereas behavior is regarded as those activities that are observed and measured scientifically. This behavior is shaped as a result of experiences. Therefore, in the study of behavior, one must study the experiences as well. So according to B.F. Skinner, psychology is the science of behavior and experiences in human beings.
Educational psychology
Educational psychology is the scientific study of behavior in educational settings. It is the branch of psychology where the results of psychology are applied in education. According to Skinner, “educational psychology deals with the behaviour of human beings in educational situations.”
Peel defined it as the study of education.
It is the science of education in the same way as that of engineering because, just like an engineer, who supplies the knowledge and skills for the completion of a road, In a similar manner, the psychologist supplies all the knowledge and skills necessary for understanding and molding the behavior in a desirable manner, thus making the personality a balanced one.
So educational psychology is the science that understands the process of teaching as well as learning in formal environments. This subject covers topics such as theories of learning, different teaching methods, cognition, motivation, emotional intelligence, social development of the child, parent-child relationships, etc.
Nature
The nature of educational psychology is summarized through the following points:
As science
Like other subjects of science that rely on employing certain objective methods for data collection, this subject also employs objective methods of data collection. This objective approach consists of the process of understanding, predicting, and controlling the behavior of human beings.
As natural science
Educational psychology is considered a natural science as well. It is because like biology, it also collects its information and reaches conclusions in a scientific way.
As social science
This subject is considered social science as well. It is because, like other social sciences such as sociology, anthropology, and political science, it also studies the behavior of human beings along with their ability to be social.
As positive science
A positive science considers the facts as they are; it also studies the behavior of human beings as they are. It is not concerned with how it ought to be. So this subject is a positive science.
As applied science
It applies the principles of psychology in the area of education. In this way, it tries to study and modify the behavior of individuals.
As a developing science
Educational psychology is a growing science. Every day, new research is conducted, leading to the development of new principles and laws regarding this subject. That is why it is considered as a growing science.
Scope
The following aspects are generally considered when the scope of educational psychology is studied:
1. Learner/student:
The content covered in this topic is woven around this subject. The topics include inborn capabilities of the learner, individual differences along with their measurement, characteristics of growth and development, and stages of growth and development of the child.
2. Learning experiences:
It helps in making decisions regarding desirable learning experiences. These experiences are learned with greater satisfaction.
3. Learning process:
The next aspect is the use of laws and principles, as well as theories of learning and theories of Motivation. Additionally, the other items considered in the learning process are observing, thinking, reasoning, problem solving, transfer of learning, etc.
4. Learning environment:
The learning environment consists of the ways of dealing with the environmental situations necessary for the uniform operation of the teaching-learning process. These topics are classroom environment, group dynamics, techniques which assist learning, guidance and counseling, etc.
5. Teacher:
Educational psychology also discusses the important role played by teachers during the process of learning. It not only helps in knowing the students but also helps the teacher to know oneself. For example, what are his conflicts, motivation, anxiety, adjustment, aspiration level, etc.? similarly, it covers topics such as the teacher’s personality traits, his interests, his attitudes, etc.
Along with the above discussion, it can also cover the underlying topics.
Educational psychology investigates a child’s growth and development at different stages. It also studies the different characteristics of each stage.
This subject examines the extent to which heredity and environment contribute to the growth and development of a child.
It investigates the personalities of the individuals as well. Educational psychology deals with the nature as well as the development of the personality.
It examines individual differences as well. How an individual is different from another individual in which aspect is studied by this subject
It also studies the concept of intelligence along with its measurement. Knowledge about this concept is very important for teachers.
It provides help in the guidance and counseling of the students at different levels as well.