20 August 1955 University – Skikda

English Department
Master S3
Educational Psychology
Miss Laiche Sara

Introduction to Educational Psychology

Introduction

Psychology studies the individuals’ development within the educational setting.

Accordingly, human behaviour can be understood, predicted, and directed towards desired
goals by applying the principles of educational psychology. Educational psychology
investigates the different stages an individual goes through as he acquires new knowledge. Its
scope is very wide concerned in the areas of the learner's developmental characteristics,
individual differences, intelligence, personality and mental health. Educational Psychology
takes its meaning from “education”, a social process, and from “psychology”, a behavioral
science. Therefore, before exploring explicitly the nature of Educational Psychology, it is well
to examine the meaning of education and psychology.

Aspects of education

The traditional concept of education emphasizes the mastery of subject matter and
competence in specific study. As now “education is interpreted as the sum of the activities
directed at developing the total behavior of human being toward the fulfillment of himself in
the society.” To live a complete life, we should have education, that is, to know what and
when to do, to control emotion and to understand other’s behavior. In its most psychological
sense, the “aim of education is to develop a person in such aspects as physical, mental,
emotional and social.”

There is both informal and formal education. “The relatively unconscious learning that
is inescapable accompaniments of daily living is called informal education.” “Planned
programmes of study represent formal education, school learning.” It is the latter aspect of
education that people are thinking when they ask about and individual’s educational status.

Schools have been established as definite formal agencies to meet the educational needs
of all age groups. Society has accepted the responsibility for organizing schools, for providing
buildings and equipment, the establishing educational rules and regulations, and for guiding
the training of teachers through setting up minimum standards.

Therefore, Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. In other
words, psychology is the science of human and animal behaviour, it includes the applications
of this science to human problems. An individual’s behavior consists not only of his
observable acts but also of all of his reactions to inner state and to environmental factors of
influence. There are different fields of specializations, such as, Experimental and
Physiological Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Personality Psychology, Social
Psychology, Educational Psychology, Industrial Psychology, Clinical Psychology and so on.

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Educational psychology

“Educational Psychology is the sub-branch of Psychology which is concerned with the

applications of the principles, techniques and other resources of psychology to the solution of
classroom problems.” Educational Psychology is an applied psychology since it applies the
knowledge of psychology to education. It is concerned with understanding, predicting and
controlling human behavior in situations that involve learning, growth and adjustment. It is
concerned with an understanding of:

1. The child: his development, his needs, and his individual peculiarities
2. The learning situation: including group dynamics as they affect learning; and
3. The learning process: by which learning can be made more effective.

Accordingly, educational psychologists attempt to discover the:

1. The extent to which the factors of heredity and environment contribute to learning;
2. The nature of learning process;
3. The relationship that exists between maturational level and learning readiness;
4. The educational significance of individual differences in rate and limit of learning;
5. The inner changes that occur during learning;
6. The relation of teaching procedures to learning outcomes;
7. The most effective techniques for evaluating progress in learning; and
8. The value to school people of a scientific attitude toward education

The purpose of Educational Psychology is to help teachers and prospective teachers to

develop a better understanding of education and its processes. By “better understanding,” we
mean a broader, deeper and more effective understanding.” The principles of Educational
Psychology help teachers in such a way that they can perform their vital tasks more
intelligently.

Educational psychology and teaching

Educational Psychology is the foundation stone in the preparation of teachers. It covers

the entire range of behavior as related to education. A thorough mastery of Educational
Psychology aids the teacher to gain understanding of pupils’ behavior and to provide for their
needs. Teaching is stimulating and guiding the child’s learning to assure his attainment of
socially approved goals in the most effective way possible.

There exist different psychological aspects in actual teaching. The teacher must be able
to (a) direct or guide learning, (b) motivate pupils to learn, (c) helps pupils develop desirable
attitudes, (d) improve teaching techniques and (e) recognize and achieve those personal
qualities that are conducive to successful teaching.

Concept of development
In its simplest definition, development is change. Human development is a particular
type of change. However, three general criteria must be met to classify a given behavioral
change is developmental change.
1. The change is orderly or sequential, part of an organized pattern that appears over time;

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 2. The change results in a permanent alternation of a behavior; and
3. The change results in a new behavior or mode of functioning that is more advanced,
adaptive or useful than prior behavior.
Since development refers to a given change within individuals, it can be determined
according to three major categories:
1. The biological foundations: the heredity or genetic basis for growth and change;
2. The social environments: which include family, peer group, community, neighborhood,
and school; and
3. The interaction between biological foundation and social environment: it is in the form
of an active, growing, and changing human being who is influenced by- as well as
exerts influence on the social environment.

Fundamental Bases of Effective Teaching

In order to ensure effective teaching, consideration is given to the prospective teacher’s
(a) mastery of subject matter to be taught, (b) Physical and health status, (c) personal
attributes and emotional control, (d) understanding of human nature and development, (e)
knowledge of and ability to apply the principles of learning, (f) sensitivity to and appreciation
of cultural, religious, and ethnic difference, and (h) interest in continued professional
improvement and cultural enrichment.

Teaching is an art as well as a skill. Subtle interactions may exert a potent influence
upon the degree of teaching effectiveness. Teaching includes the total influence that the
teacher exerts on his students, both within and outside the school. A superior teacher
possesses the creative proficiency of an artist, the precise attitude of a scientist, and the
perfected skill of a craft-man.