Educational Psychology: Meaning & Nature
Educational Psychology is the branch of psychology that applies psychological principles and methods to the field of education — to the study of human behaviour in teaching–learning situations. It is a positive, applied, scientific, and developing science.
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Educational Psychology — true or false?
6 statements · 9s each
Sort the methods by objectivity
Objective or subjective?
0/4Experimental method
Which group does it belong to?
Definitions to remember
- Skinner: "Educational Psychology is that branch of psychology which deals with teaching and learning."
- Crow & Crow: "Educational Psychology describes and explains the learning experiences of an individual from birth through old age."
- Stephen: "Educational Psychology is the systematic study of the educational growth and development of a child."
Nature of Educational Psychology
It is regarded as a science because it is:
| Characteristic | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Positive science | Studies behaviour as it is, not as it ought to be |
| Applied / social science | Applies psychology to real classroom problems |
| Objective & systematic | Uses controlled, verifiable methods |
| Developing science | Continues to grow with new research |
Scope (what it studies)
- The learner — growth, development, individual differences.
- The learning process — how learning occurs, memory, motivation.
- The learning situation / environment — classroom climate, group dynamics.
- Evaluation — measurement of learning outcomes.
Methods of studying behaviour
- Introspection — self-observation of one's own mental states (oldest, subjective).
- Observation — watching behaviour in natural settings (objective).
- Experimental method — controlled cause–effect study (most scientific).
- Case study & clinical method — in-depth study of an individual.
- Differential / survey methods — study of differences across groups.
Why it matters for a teacher
Educational psychology helps a teacher understand learners, choose appropriate methods, manage the classroom, motivate students, handle individual differences, and evaluate learning effectively.
Compare the methods
The exam almost always asks which method is most objective or oldest. Tap through them and the pattern becomes obvious.
Exam tip: Questions frequently ask which method is "most objective" (experimental) or "most subjective/oldest" (introspection), and to match definitions to their authors.