EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY – IT’S MEANING, NATURE AND SCOPE

EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY – IT’S MEANING, NATURE AND SCOPE

In this age of science and technology, psychology has been considered as one of the

youngest, yet one of the most influential sciences. It has influenced education in many

different ways and has give a new turn; a psychological turn to the human mind. For a

skilful teacher in this day and age, a great deal of knowledge of educational psychology is highly indispensable.

The subject psychology has two aspects pure and applied. Pure psychology formulates

techniques for the study of human behaviour, which finds the practical shape in its

applied aspects, i.e. branches of applied psychology like clinical psychology, crime

psychology, industrial psychology, occupational psychology and educational psychology.

Educational Psychology as a Branch of Applied Psychology

As discussed above educational psychology is nothing but one of the branches of applied

psychology. It is an attempt to apply knowledge of pure psychology to the field of

education. It consists of application of psychological principles and techniques to human

behaviour in educational situations. In other words, Educational Psychology is a study of

the experience and behaviour of the learner in relation to educational environment. In

order to develop a clear understanding of the term educational psychology it is necessary

to understand the meaning of psychology and education separately.

Meaning of Psychology

Curiosity in man has led to know his surroundings which mainly conclude nature and

other fellow men. There is always a desire to ‘know’ what ‘one’ is, what is his

background, what is it made of, what are the associated factors and in what way can it be

useful to one self ? Each question will lead to more questions, Psychology forces to

answer many of the questions we have about ourselves, other people and the nature of

human life; why do we feel lonely ? Why do we forget ? How people learn ? What makes

someone creative ? Why do we take drugs ? What makes some one help others ? and so

on.

Psychology had its formal beginning when Wilhelm Wondt established his psychological

laboratory in Leipzig Germany in 1879. But in real sense, interest in psychology as a

discipline dates back to the work of Plato, Aristotle and other philosophers.

Psychology – The Science of Soul

The Greek Philosophers conceived psychology as a science of soul, as early as 400 B.C.

In fact, the term psychology literally means the science of soul. Etymologically, it is

composed of two Greek words “Psyche” and Logos means soul and science respectively.

Goeckel named it as psychologia. Soul is a being which dwells on the body and with the

end of life it leaves the body. Soul is a metaphysical idea. It can neither be perceived on

imagined nor its nature and function can be studied by scientific methods of observation,

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experiment etc. Therefore, definition of psychology as the science of soul has been

discarded by the modern psychologists.

Psychology – The Science of Mind

Some regard psychology as the science of mind. Historically the French philosophers

like Descartes (1596-1650) and the Britisher philosophers like Locke considered

psychology as the science of mind. Descartes tried to understand body mind relationship in terms of their interaction, the study of nervous system, and interest of references as innate actions, etc.

The definition of psychology as the science of mind is not acceptable at present. Mind is

an ambiguous a concept as the soul. It is not at all possible to carry on scientific

observation and experimentation on mind. This definition also does not include the overt

behaviour of man and animal which are also important subject matter of psychology.

Therefore, the definition of psychology as the science of mind has been discarded.

Psychology – The Science of Consciousness

Psychology has also been defined as the science of consciousness. Historically such a

definition has been propounded by the Leipzing school of psychologists led by Withelm

Wundt (1832-1920). Wundt defined psychology as the science of immediate experience

with consciousness being the main subject matter. He postulated that conscious

experience can be reduced in to elements and the primary aim psychology is the analysis

of conscious experience in to its elements.

But the definition of psychology as the science of consciousness is not acceptable. That is because mental life does not consist only of consciousness. There are unconscious and subconscious mental process which influence our behaviour in various ways without our knowledge.

Psychology – The Science of Experience

Titchner (1867 – 1927), the leader of the structuralists defines psychology as the science

of conscious experience which is dependent upon the experiencing person. To give an

example the physicit and the psychologist may be investigating about sound. But whole

the former investigates the phenomena as such, the latter is interested as to how it is

perceived by the observer. The mind is nothing but the sum total of the conscious

experiences as perceived by a person. The subject matter of psychology is the study of

such conscious experience which constitutes mind. The method of study of conscious

experience is through the introspection of a trained observer.

Psychology – Study of Behaviour

Watson (1878-1958), an American brought about a revolution in psychology called

behaviourism. He argued that psychology is to be regarded as a science and as a science

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it is to limit itself to the study and analysis of publicly observable events such as the

behaviour of the subject rather than subjective matters like his private mental states. He

defined psychology as “the science of behaviour.”

Meaning of Science and Behaviour

Science has been defined as “Systematic study of knowledge” concerning the relationship

between the cause and effect of a particular phenomenon. In order to collect the

scientific data and systematised material, science employs various kinds of methods of

enquiry such as observation classification formulation of hypothesis, analysis of evidence

etc. It also organises and develops our knowledge of the word, we live on, Psychology

too aims at same thing. It uses scientific methods to study human behaviour. It also helps

us to understand control and predict human behaviour.

What is Behaviour

Behaviour is classified in three categories according to its content :

a) Cognitive behaviour where it is dominantly knowing or thinking, e.g., solving

questions.

b) Affective behaviour where the dominance is of feeling, e.g., the emotional

experience of anger, fear, jealousy etc.

c) Conative behaviour where the dominance is of motor activity, e.g., cycling, playing

hockey etc.

Definition of Psychology - Some of the well know definitions of psychology are as

under :

i) Definition by Woodworth : Psychology deals with the activities of the individual

in relation to his environment.

ii) Skinner’s definition : Psychology is the science of behaviour and experience.

iii) Munn’s definition : Psychology today concerns itself with the scientific

investigation of behaviour.

iv) Definition by Garrison and others : Psychology is concerned with observable

human behaviour.

Analysis of various Definitions :

If we analyse the definitions of Psychology given above, we shall come to the following

conclusions :

1. Psychology is regarded as a science.

2. It is a positive science.

3. It is a branch of natural science. It is a science of behaviour and not of matter. It

cannot be a pure science like mathematics and chemistry.

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4. It studies memory, imagination, thinking, learning, intelligence and other sensory

experiences.

Meaning of the Term Education

Education is an activity, which goes on in the society. It attempts to develop the

personality of an individual and then prepares him for membership in a society. “Man

with education would still be living just like an animal. It is education, which transforms

man from a ‘two legged animal’ into human. It helps him to behave like a man and

prevents him from behaving like an animal. Any modification brought about in the

behaviour of an individual as a result of his interaction with the environment constitutes

learning.” Thus modification of behaviour of an individual for healthy social adjustment

in the society is education.

Educational Psychology Defined :

1. Crow and Crow : “Educational psychology describes and explains the learning

experiences of an individual from birth through old age.”

2. Charles E. Skinner : “Educational Psychology is that branch of psychology which

deals with teaching and learning.”

3. Trow : “Educational Psychology is the study of psychological aspects of educational

situations.”

4. Stephen : “Educational Psychology is the systematic study of the educational growth

and development of a child.”

5. F.A. Peel : “Educational Psychology is the science of education.”

6. Walter B. Kolesnik : “Educational Psychology is the study of those facts and

principles of psychology which help to explain and improve the process of

education.”

7. Anderson : “Educational Psychology is a subject to be studied, an area or field of

knowledge, a set of application of laws and principles from a wide field of knowledge

to a social process a set of tools and techniques, and a field of research. While

General psychology is a pure science, Educational psychology is its application in the

field of education with the aim of socialising man and modifying his behaviour.”

8. Judd : “Educational Psychology is the science which explains the changes that take

place in the individuals as they pass through the various stages of development.”

Nature of Educational Psychology :

1. Educational Psychology is a Positive and not a normative science

2. Educational Psychology is a Behavioural Science

3. Educational Psychology is an Applied Science

4. Educational Psychology is Human Experimental Psychology

5. Educational Psychology is a Social Science

6. Educational Psychology is a Couselling Psychology

7. Educational Psychology is an Educational Science

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Scope of Educational Psychology

Scope means, the limits of a particular subject in the field of its operation, what is to be

included in its or what subject matter does it contain comes under its scope. Educational

psychology , as discussed so far, deals with the behaviour of the learner in educational

situation only. Therefore, it becomes imperative that educational psychology should limit

itself within the four walls of the teaching learning process and educational environment.

It must try and solve the problems evolving in actual teaching-learning situations and

help the individuals involved in this process.

The psychologists who deal with the problems of education are concerned with what to

teach, when to teach and how to teach. A famous psychologist, Lindgren points out that

educational psychology is concerned with understanding the learner, the learning process

and the learning situation. The scope of educational psychology may be discussed under

the following heads :

1. The Learner (pupil)

2. The learning process

3. The learning situation

4. The learning experience

5. The teacher

1. The Learner : The term learner applies to students who individually or collectively

participate in the educational programmes. These students taken collectively

constitute the class. In fact the behaviour of the class is none other than the behaviour

of the students. There can be no teaching without there being a learner. Therefore, Sir

John Adams once remarked “Teacher teaches John Latin. Teacher must have the

knowledge of John, before he teaches Latin. Since the knowledge of John is

psychology, teacher must study psychology.” The teaching of Latin without the

knowledge of John will not be effective. Johnny (the learner) thus becomes the centre

of the teaching – learning process.

From the psychological point of view Johnny is a child and he should be considered not

as a small man but as a man in the making. His needs, ambitions, fears and other

emotions are not the same as those of an adult. Treat him therefore as a developing

organism which is a unique and not a small model of an adult. Two learners of the same

age differ from one another in a number of ways. When one has a liking for music and

dislike for mathematics and science another may have dislike for mathematics and

science. Hence, while preparing the curriculum for the learners we must take into

consideration the individual differences that exist among the learners.

However, intelligent is a learner may be he cannot become successful in life if he lacks

motivation. Hence motivating the learner is very important in the classroom situation

from psychological point of view. Not only motivation but also the developmental

characteristics, personality, mental health, individual difference and intelligence etc. of

the learner come under the scope of educational psychology.

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2) The Learning Process : Learning is the process by which we acquire and retain

attitudes, knowledge, understanding, skills and capabilities that cannot be attributed to

inherited behaviour patterns or physical growth. Capacity for learning is related to innate

physiological factors. Rate of learning depends on both inherited and environmental

factors.

Each type of learning goes by a different name :

a) Affective learning has to do with feelings and values and therefore influences our

attitudes and personalities.

b) Cognitive learning is achieved by mental processes such as reasoning, remembering

and recall. It helps in problem solving, developing new ideas and evaluation.

c) Psychomotor learning has to do with the development of skills which require efficient

coordination between our brains and muscles, as when we read or write or carry out

physical skills such as balancing, skipping or juggling.

There are two main ways of learning :

a) Deductive learning : This describes the process by which a learner is presented with a

hypothesis or general principle and applies a number of tests to it to discover whether

it is true or not.

b) Inductive learning : This describes the process which is the reverse of deductive

learning. In it, the leaner examines related matters to see whether any general

conclusions can be drawn.

A number of theories have been put forward to explain how we learn. All of them have

conceived of learning as a process that progresses in stages.

3) The Learning Situation : It is difficult to imagine any period of our lives

situations, when we are not learning something, even though we are not always

aware that we are learning. While walking down a street on any ordinary day, we

continually modify our behaviour (Learning is commonly refers to the

modification of behaviour through experience) in response to environment. Thus

learning situation covers all life experiences that modify our behaviour.

From academic point of view learning situation refers to the classroom setting,

which is composed of pupils, a teacher and a room. All have unique

characteristics. In addition to these features, we also have the behaviour of

teachers and pupils. Behaviour includes not only overt physical activity such as

talking and doing, but also cognitive processes like cognizing, thinking and

evaluating. In the classroom and the school, the teacher is to help bring about

desirable changes in pupil behaviour. Through the teacher’s interaction with

students and students’ interaction with one another, many desired interests,

motives, social skills, and many outcomes in the cognitive and the psychomotor

domains are acquired more efficiently than if there were no partial interaction.

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4) The Learning Experience : Although Educational psychology does not connect

itself directly with the problem of what to teach or connect itself directly with the

problem of what to teach or what learning experiences are to be provided for the

learner yet it has the full responsibility of suggesting techniques of acquiring the

learning experiences. Once the task of Educational Philosophy to decide the

aims and objectives of a piece of instruction at a particular stage is finished the

need of educational psychology is felt. At this stage, educational psychology

helps in deciding what learning experiences are desirable at what stage of the

growth and development of the learner so that these experiences can be acquired

with a greater case and satisfaction. In this area Educational Psychology has the

subject matter which deals with the knowledge and principles of psychology

which facilitates the selection of the desirable learning experiences for the

learner.

5) The Teacher : It is not enough for a carpenter to be good at sawing planning and

polishing wood, because every kind of wood has different characteristics and

behaves in different ways under his tools. The skilled carpenter needs to know

about trees, their variety, their characteristics and how to make the best use of

them. So is with the teacher. Teaching skills alone are not sufficient. He must

understand the children as learners. He must try to recognize those characteristics

that are of significance in helping each child to learn more effectively.

Any teacher who knows anything about learners is aware that growing up is more

than growing bigger. Children are not little adults nor are adults big babies. It is

essential, therefore, that teachers who are closely concerned with children during

that period in life when some of the most important developments take place

should know as much as possible about the process of growing and developing.

One of the first things we notice when we try to understand the learners is how

differently they are : how each develops at his own pace and along his own path

of progress. No child is typical; each one is in his own way unique. Yet, like the

doctor who must learn to recognize which symptoms are serious and which are

trivial among his patients’ complaints, so the teacher must learn to distinguish

between those variations that are normal and those that may indicate a child in

need of special attention.

Understanding the learner from psychological point of view is an attempt to find

out as much as possible about a particular learner by spending some time with

him and learning about his physical, mental and personality characteristics and

relevant facts about the environment in which he is growing up. Recording such

child studies is important so that the information can be used in wider studies or,

where necessary, for helping a child with problems.

6) Positive Science : Education psychology is a positive science of human

behaviour. In the role of science its function is to describe, control and predict

human behaviour.

7) Applied Science : Education psychology is one of the applied branches of

psychology. It is an applied behavioural science. It studies the behaviour of the

educand (learner) in relation to learning.

8) Scientific Approach : Educational psychology adopts scientific approach. It uses

scientific methods.

Obviously, the nature of Educational Psychology is scientific but this statement

must be analysed to discover the nature of science and its characteristic features.

9) Problem of behaviour : Education psychology studies the behaviour of the

learner in learning situations. It studies the psychological as well as the

physiological behaviour of the learner. Psychological basis of behaviour are

instincts, emotions, sentiments, suggestion, sympathy, imitation and play etc.

Physiological basis of behaviour are nervous system and glands etc. Educational

psychology studies all these psychological basis of behaviour.

10) Problems of individual differences : Educational psychology studies individual

differences and suggests ways and means to provide education to all types of

pupils. No two individuals are alike. Individuals differ physically and

psychologically. Individual differences are caused due to differences in capacities

and capabilities, potentialities and propensities, abilities and intelligence,

attitudes and aptitudes, interests and sentiments, temperaments and traits, age and

sex etc. It must be noted that individual differences are mainly caused by heredity

and environment. Hence educational psychology studies all these areas.

11) Developmental stages : Educational psychology studies the nature of growth and

development and general characteristics of physical, mental, emotional and social

development at the various stages i.e., at the stage of infancy, late childhood and

adolescence.

12) Personality and intelligence : Educational psychology also studies nature,

development and assessment of personality and intelligence. Adjustment

problems with special reference to gifted, backward, handicapped, problem and

delinquent children are also studied by educational psychology.

13) Measurement and evaluation : Measurement and evaluation is another

important field of educational psychology. It gives new and new techniques and

tests for measuring intelligence, personality, aptitudes, interests and

achievements etc. It is educational statistics which helps us in measurement and

evaluation.

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14) Guidance and counselling : It is only after successful study of educational

psychology that a teacher can discharge his duties successfully. The teacher has

to guide and counsel the students at every stage. Rousseau was of the opinion that

a child is like a book whose every page has to be studied by the teacher. The

impact of the saying is that the teacher should give educational and psychological

guidance and counselling to the pupils.

15) Group Dynamics and group behaviour : Educational psychology studies group

dynamics and group behaviour in classroom teaching learning. It studies

importance and effect of group on the individual. It also considers how an

individual can modify the group life. It emphasizes the role of groups in the

education of children. It is on this basis that now in the school, the formation of

healthy groups and providing of a healthy environment is considered most

desirable and essential.

16) Research : Educational psychology deals with the latest techniques of

experimentation and research. We can control direct and predict the behaviour of

students on the basis of research studies in classroom teaching. The teacher can

take up action research which he can easily carry for his personal satisfaction and

immediate solution for his difficulties

REFERENCES

A manual of Educational Psychology – J.S.Wallia

Fundamentals Educational Psychology- R.A. Sharma

Fundamentals Educational Psychology- S.P. Chaube

Educational Psychology – (A.B, Meenakshi, Bhatnagar

A Manual of Psychology- J.S.Wallia

Advanced Educational Psychology-S.S.Chauhan

Advanced Educational Psychology- B. Kuppuswamy

Advanced Educational Psychology-M.Dash, Neena Dash

Advanced Educational Psychology- Kuppuswamy, B.