Meaning, nature and scope of educational psychology.
Meaning, nature and scope of educational psychology.
Define Educational Psychology. Discuss the nature and scope of educational psychology.
.png)
Definition / meaning of Educational Psychology :-
According to psychologist Skinner, educational psychology is the branch of psychology that deals with teaching and learning.
C.H. Judd said “ Educational psychology is the branch of science that deals with the changes that occur in children as they move through the different stages of life development.”
Judd also said, educational psychology is the scientific discussion of the various stages of development of individuals from birth to adulthood.
According to Kolesnik, educational psychology is the practice of the theories and principles of psychology that help explain and improve the learning process.
According to Sandiford, educational psychology is a branch of applied psychology that applies the principles of psychology to the field of education.
According to Barnard, educational psychology is a branch of psychology that deals with the teaching and learning process.
Nature of Educational Psychology:-
1. Applied Science :-
The work of educational psychology is to make the educational system effective and improve by applying the theories, principles, formulas etc. of psychology in the field of education, so educational psychology is an applied science. Not only imparting theoretical knowledge, educational psychology wants to make the educational system more effective and efficient by applying the theoretical knowledge.
2. A unique subject :-
Earlier educational psychology was considered a branch of psychology. Now it is recognized as a separate subject. In fact, a practice of knowledge can claim itself as a separate subject to at least three conditions. (a) The scope of the subject shall be sufficiently wide. (b) The matter will have its own problems. (c) The subject will have its own method by which it will be possible to improve the subject by experimenting or researching its problems and specifying the solution. Educational psychology can fulfill all these three conditions.
3. Dynamic subject :-
The topics of discussion in educational psychology are not static, but dynamic. On the one hand, as a result of constant experiments and research on educational psychology, new information theories, policies, and formulas are being discovered and applied; On the other hand, the same old theories and principles and ways of thinking are changing as a result of which educational psychology is becoming richer.
4. Beneficial to individuals and society:-
Educational psychology always focuses on the welfare of the individual and society. That is why it is an ideal science. Educational psychology directly promotes the welfare of individuals by developing their potential. As a result, the welfare of the society is achieved indirectly. As rich and completely developed people are the wealth of the country and society, their role is important in the overall development of the country and society. Educational psychology works to improve the individual's behavior for the betterment of the individual and society.
5. Emphasis on individual autonomy:-
Educational psychology gives special importance to individual autonomy. Educational psychology analyzes its subjects by acknowledging the principle of individual differences.
Scope of Educational Psychology:-
1. Innate Mental Ability :-
Individuals are born with certain mental abilities. For example - intellect, perception, memory, imagination, thinking etc. These capabilities are particularly important in education. Without gaining detailed knowledge about them, it is not possible to know how to control and improve them and effectively apply them to the education system. Educational psychology therefore has a detailed discussion of these innate abilities.
2. Course of Life Development :-
A child's innate abilities develop through interaction with nutrition, exercise and environment. As there is a trend in this development, there is also a trend in creating a favorable environment. Educational psychology discusses the stages of physical, mental, emotional development of the child and outlines the environment that the child needs for proper development.
3. Individualism:-
Individual differences are a natural phenomenon. The scope of educational psychology includes the discussion of what causes individual differences, how to judge important aspects of education based on these differences, such as curriculum, teaching methods, assessment, etc.
4. Theory of learning:-
Learning theory and its application is one of the burning topics in educational psychology. Rather than stimulus response as a traditional learning method, modern more complex behavioral and cognitive theories have proven to be more effective in classroom teaching. Learning in cognitive theory is explained in a constructivist approach which has brought about radical changes in the teaching learning process.
5. Basics of Teaching:-
The basis of learning can be divided into two – cognitive and affective. Intelligence, memory and attention are included in the cognitive foundations. On the other hand motivation, attitude and interest belong to an effective basis. Acquired knowledge and experience are stored in memory, in the sense of need that we recall and apply. Learning is the integration of new knowledge and experience with accumulated experience. Therefore, the teacher needs to know how the material is stored in the memory and how we forget the previously read material when the storage is lost. Without detailed information about the cognitive components other than memory, such as intelligence and attention and the effective components of learning such as motivation, attitude and interest, the teacher is likely to fail in effective teaching.
6. Educational Technology :-
What is educational technology, what kind of technology is effective in education, how to apply technology in education - these are currently important topics of educational psychology.
7. Class Management :-
Recently classroom management has been included in educational psychology. Teaching - Classroom management techniques play an important role in solving various problems that arise in the classroom to make the learning process more effective.
8. Examination and Evaluation:-
An important stage in the learning process is examination and evaluation. How much the student learned through the educational program, whether he was able to reach the expected stage or not, if not, where are his difficulties, what kind of corrective measures can be taken to eliminate those difficulties, etc. are the topics of educational psychology.
9. Specially needed and backward students:-
Thinking about how to identify specially needed and backward students, their psychology, what kind of education system is suitable for them, how they can be taught, etc. is of special significance for a democratic and welfare state. This is discussed in detail in Educational Psychology.
10. Statistics :-
Statistics is increasingly used in all fields of science. In fact, without the knowledge of statistics, proper assessment of students' progress is not possible. Therefore, a basic knowledge of statistics is essential for a teacher.
11. Mental health:-
Mental health is essential for both teachers and students. What is mental health, what are the signs of healthy mental health, how to have healthy mental health, what is maladjustment, what are its causes, what kind of programs can schools take to prevent maladjustment - these are the topics of educational psychology.
12. Adaptation Process :-
Effective adaptation is the goal of education. What is adaptation, how to adapt, what is favorable and unfavorable environment for adaptation, creating a favorable environment in education and preventing unfavorable environment is also a topic of discussion in educational psychology.
13. Instruction of Education :-
What is educational guidance and instruction, the topic of educational guidance, how to collect information about students, how to prepare educational plans for students - etc. and what is the teacher to do in that case, all the information is included in education and guidance.
0 comments