Educational Psychology & Philosophy
Educational Psychology
What is Educational Psychology?
Educational psychologists live, as Robert Glaser (1973) said over 30 years ago, with one foot in the laboratory and one foot in the classroom. They do basic research on reasoning, comprehension, and expertise, for example, and apply their findings to improve schooling. Contemporary educational psychology is the study of underlying cognitive and affective mechanisms of learning, development, motivation, and instruction. Educational Psychologists work in colleges, universities, research centers, private foundations, hospitals, school districts, state and national government agencies, and private corporations-where ever people learn, teach, and develop. Educational Psychology is Division (15) of the American Psychological Association.
Core Areas of Study: Doctoral Programs
Students are expected to demonstrate basic knowledge in the core areas in Educational Psychology listed below. General examinations will be given over each of these areas and students will ordinarily take courses from each area.
- Human Development
- Learning, Cognition, and Instruction
- Statistics, Research Design, and Measurement
Areas of Specialization
In consultation with their advisors, students complete their major courses according to their professional and research interests. Specialties include:
- Self-Regulation and Motivation
- Affective and Social Contexts of Education
- Teacher Knowledge and Beliefs: Joint teacher education and educational psychology
- Philosophy and Psychology: Joint philosophy and educational psychology
Research Requirements
- Introductory course: "Philosophical Issues in Educational Research."
- At least a 3-course sequence in quantitative methods
- At least 1 (preferably more) in qualitative methods
- The above must include at least 4 courses in the methodology of the dissertation research.