What do you understand by educational psychology? Express your views regarding its nature.
Answer: Meaning of Educational Psychology:-
Educational psychology is the application of the principles of psychology in the field of education.
In the words of Skinner- 'Educational psychology applies those discoveries in educational situations which are especially related to the experience and behavior of human beings.
Educational psychology is made up of two words- 'education' and 'psychology'. Hence, its literal meaning is 'educational psychology'. In other words, it is the practical form of psychology and is the science that studies human behavior in the process of education. Hence, we can say in the words of Skinner- "Educational psychology derives its meaning from education, which is a social process and from psychology, which is a behavior-related science."
To analyze the meaning of educational psychology, Skinner has pointed out the following facts-
1. The center of educational psychology is human behavior.
2. Educational psychology is a collection of facts obtained from research and observation.
3. The knowledge collected in educational psychology can be given the form of principles.
4. Educational psychology has propounded its own methods to solve the problems of education.
5. The principles and methods of educational psychology provide the basis for educational theories and experiments.
Definitions of Educational Psychology:
Educational psychology not only uses the principles in education but also contributes in solving the problems of education. Therefore, educationists have defined it in the following way for the study, analysis, discussion and solution of problems of education-
Skinner- “Educational psychology includes the entire behaviour and personality related to education.
Crow and Crow- “Educational psychology describes and explains the learning experiences of a person from birth to old age.”
Nol and others- “Educational psychology is primarily concerned with the study of human behaviour which is changed or directed by the social process of education.”
Alice Crow- “Educational psychology presents the use of those principles of human reactions obtained through scientific method, which affect teaching and learning.”
Nature of Educational Psychology:
All educationists have considered the nature of educational psychology to be scientific. It is said that this science uses scientific methods for its various discoveries. Thereafter, it solves the problems of education on the basis of the conclusions obtained from them and makes predictions regarding the achievements of students. Just as a scientist, after observing and testing various facts, draws his conclusions in relation to them and formulates a general rule, similarly, a teacher, after studying and analysing a particular or immediate problem of the class, determines the solution to solve it. In this way, by using scientific methods in its discoveries, educational psychology has been placed in the category of sciences. In support of our statement, we are writing down the views of two scholars, viz.
Sor and Telford- “Educational psychology uses the methods of science as the main tools of its research.”
Crow and Crow- “Educational psychology can be considered as a practical science, because it tries to explain learning according to the principles and facts determined by scientific methods in relation to human behaviour.” "
On one hand, educational psychology emphasizes on the relationship between cause and effect, hence it comes under the category of art because it tries to make human life happy by giving practical form to the use of conclusions.
Scope of Educational Psychology:
Educational psychology is in its infancy due to its birth in the first half of the present century. This is the reason that the boundaries of its field have not been determined yet. As a result, it is rare to see uniformity in the content of educational psychology books. Archer's statement is literally true - "It is noteworthy that when we open a new textbook of educational psychology, we do not know what its subject matter will probably be.
Many educationists have tried to bring the subject matter of educational psychology from this uncertain situation to a definite situation. The views of some of them are as follows-
1. According to Douglas and Holland- “The subject matter of educational psychology is the nature, mental life and behaviour of the person participating in the process of education.
2. According to Crow and Coe- “The subject matter of educational psychology is related to the conditions affecting learning.”
3. According to Garrison and others- “The subject matter of educational psychology is planned from two perspectives-
(1) To enrich and develop the lives of students
(2) To provide knowledge to teachers to help them make qualitative improvement in their teaching.”
Keeping in mind the above-mentioned perspectives, the following things are studied in educational psychology-
(1) Study of the special abilities of the child.
(2) Study of the child's interests and dislikes.
(3) Study of the child's heredity and environment.
(4) Study of the child's motivations and instincts.
(5) Study of the stages of child's development.
(6) Study of the child's physical, mental and emotional activities.
(7) Study of the child's physical, mental, character, social, emotional and aesthetic development.
(8) Study of individual differences of children.
(9) Study of criminal, abnormal and mentally ill children.
(10) Study of the usefulness and uselessness of teaching methods.
(11) Study of learning processes.
(12) Study of problems of education.
(13) Study of the objectives of education and methods of achieving them.
(14) Study of discipline-related problems.
(15) Studies related to curriculum development.
“Regarding the field of educational psychology, Harris W. Chester has said- “Educational psychology is related to the human element of learning. It is a field in which experimental psychological principles are applied in the field of education. But it is also a field in which experimental work is done to test the behavior and to determine the interest of teachers in the education of such concepts. The process of learning and teaching and the tasks directed to help the learner to establish identity with the society with maximum security and satisfaction are to be studied.”
Functions of Educational Psychology
Teaching related functions of Educational Psychology:
1. Knowing the student- It is very important for the teacher to know the strengths and abilities of the child. Without this, he cannot move forward in his work at all. Educational psychology helps in knowing the following things about the child-
(a) Knowledge of the child's attitude, interests, inclinations and other acquired and innate abilities and strengths.
(b) Various dimensions of his development keeping in mind his social, emotional, intellectual, physical and aesthetic needs.
(c) His level of desire to progress.
(d) His conscious, semi-conscious and unconscious behavior.
(e) His motivated behavior.
(f) His behavior within the group.
(g) His adjustment in his environment and his level of mental health.
2. Selection and organization of subject matter or learning experiences- After knowing the child, when the stage is ready to educate him, then the following types of problems arise. These are-
(a) What kind of learning experiences or material should be given to students at what stage.
(b) After selecting experiences and material, how should they be organized in a systematic manner? To solve such problems related to curriculum development, it is not only necessary to be familiar with the main characteristics related to the stages of the child's development, but also knowledge of the rules, principles of learning and all the favorable and unfavorable circumstances is necessary. Only educational psychology can help the teacher in knowing all these things.
3. Teacher and suggesting the art and technique of learning- After knowing the child and deciding what is to be taught to him, the question arises as to how to teach or how to learn. Its solution is also found in educational psychology. Educational psychology, while discussing the process of learning, brings out the necessary rules and principles and makes both the teacher and the student aware of how to teach or learn well. How to arouse the interest of the student through the learning process and how to focus his attention etc. important things are known to the teacher only through educational psychology. In this way, education Psychology tries to tell the teacher how to teach something to the student, in other words, educational psychology gives birth to appropriate teaching methods. It suggests that no one method or technique can be considered appropriate for all types of students in all situations. Looking at the circumstances, the teacher should try to choose the appropriate method according to his subject matter and his students.
4. Arranging appropriate conditions and environment for learning- The environment and circumstances available at the time of teaching also have a special importance in the education process. Educational psychology tells us what kind of conditions and environment are required for what kind of teaching and study. At what time is individual teaching required and at what time is group teaching required? When and how can the use of supporting materials prove helpful in creating an appropriate environment? What kind of circumstances can motivate students to learn and work as much as possible? In this way, with the knowledge of educational psychology, both the teacher and the student try to control the available conditions and environment and mold it in accordance with their study and teaching.
5. Helping in establishing proper discipline- Educational psychology helps the teacher a lot in establishing constructive discipline. Discipline related problems are basically behavioral problems which arise due to unbalanced behavior and broken relations between teacher and students. Educational psychology is related to the study of students' behavior. Hence, it can help us a lot in knowing the students closely. It makes us familiar with their needs, behavior and abilities. It helps a lot in shaping mutual behavior so that enough sweetness can be brought in the relationship between the student and the teacher and constructive discipline can be maintained.
6. Help in measurement and evaluation- Educational psychology also includes knowledge of important methods and tools of measurement and evaluation. Hence, its study also helps the teacher in proper evaluation of the ability and abilities of the students.
7. Help in guidance- A teacher may not be as well acquainted with the methods of measurement and evaluation as his parents. Apart from knowing the students well, the knowledge of educational psychology also gives the teacher an opportunity to study all the necessary facts related to guidance and counseling. In this way, educational psychology can help the teacher a lot in the proper guidance of the students.
8. Helping problematic children- Some children are very ordinary. They are either backward in studies or due to their high intelligence, they have difficulty in getting along with other children in the class and sometimes with the teachers. Some have criminal tendencies. Educational psychology helps the teacher a lot in the proper adjustment of all such children and in bringing them on the right path by behaving with them appropriately.
Learning related functions of educational psychology:
Through educational psychology, students get the following benefits by performing various types of tasks in the context of the process of learning and achieving its results-
->They can be helped in knowing and understanding their abilities and capabilities. With this, they can become well acquainted with themselves. They can adjust their level of ambition according to their level of ability and capacity.
-> Knowledge of the principles and methods of motivation and learning can be helpful in motivating them to learn and helping them learn well.
->knowledge of the process of attention and supporting elements and information about interference can help them to remain attentive in the learning process.
->Knowledge of how much benefit is there in adjusting with oneself and one's environment in achieving the objectives of learning and training can lead them towards being successful in life.
->Knowledge of things related to group dynamics and group behavior etc. can help them to mold their behavior according to the class or group behavior and teaching-learning situations.
->Psychology as a behavioral science has the ability to help students understand the behavior of others, adjust and make situations favorable. What should be done by the students in this direction in educational situations, the knowledge and skill of educational psychology can help them a lot in this direction and as a result, they can get favorable help in achieving the right kind of results by being alert in learning.
In this way, the knowledge of educational psychology can play a very important role in providing proper direction to the learning process of the students and achieving the desired objectives. In a way, whether the teaching activities are carried out by the teachers or the students have to achieve the learning objectives by getting involved in learning, the knowledge and skill of educational psychology (practical application of psychology in education) can prove to be very valuable in all such efforts. This is the reason that a special kind of deep relationship like that of consumer material and consumer is found in psychology and the teaching-learning process. Practical knowledge of psychology with educational context is always engaged in providing valuable support in many ways in helping all the things, situations and individuals related to the teaching-learning process to achieve their respective objectives and the individual and collective interest of everyone is also hidden in this.
->Correct information about the effects of heredity and environment on concepts, processes and learning can save them from useless propaganda. Especially those children who belong to low caste, lineage, backward class, region, low intelligence and are children of disabled parents, can succeed in giving up feelings of inferiority and despair by getting correct information and can try to mold the environment in their favor with their hard work.
->Knowledge about the effect of resources and learning conditions on the learning process can lead them to learn in such conditions which can lead to achieving the best results of learning.
->Knowledge of memory process can help them to remember properly, to store things appropriately to increase their retention power and to use the things stored in memory as and when required and such ability can prove to be very helpful in their learning.
->Transfer of learning and training from one situation to another can prove to be very helpful in their learning process.
->Behaviour modification techniques like how to learn good habits and how to get rid of bad habits can lead them towards achieving good results through learning.
->For proper personality development, balanced and coordinated development of all aspects is necessary. This information can help them achieve success in the efforts made by the teacher and the school by drawing their attention towards the balanced development of all dimensions - physical, mental, emotional, social, moral, aesthetic etc.
Objectives of Educational Psychology:
The main objectives of educational psychology can be mentioned as follows-
1. To help in developing an unbiased and sympathetic attitude towards children.
2. To provide assistance to the teacher for the selection of desired teaching methods and teaching material.
3. To make the teacher aware of various aspects related to the behavior of the students.
4. To provide desired information regarding the success and failure of the teaching process.
5. To provide information about appropriate methods and techniques for solving problems related to teaching and learning.
6. To understand the nature of social relations and the process of adjustment.
7. To help in the development of different types of children on the basis of individual differences.
8. To provide assistance in determining the objectives, strategies, methods, techniques, strategies etc. of teaching.
9. To provide information about the methods and strategies related to motivating children towards desired learning.
10. To provide knowledge about the growth, development and nature of children.
11. To make them aware of the strategies related to controlling unwanted behaviour and channelizing the desired behaviour in the right direction.
12. To provide assistance in the organization and administration of the educational system according to the individual differences of the students.
Importance of Educational Psychology:
Educational psychology contributes to the education process in two ways- first, educational psychology contributes in the field of the theory of education and second, educational psychology contributes in the field of the practice of education. The contribution made in both these fields of education will be clear by observing the following points-
(1) In understanding the developmental characteristics;
(2) In understanding the nature of learning;
(3) understanding individual differences;
(4) understanding effective teaching methods;
(5) understanding child problems;
(6) knowledge of mental health;
(7) curriculum development;
(8) measurement of learning outcomes;
(9) education of special children;
(10) understanding group dynamics;
(11) use of teaching materials;
(12) educational administration;
(13) time-table;
(14) co-curricular activities;
(15) text-books;
(16) discipline.
No comments:
Post a Comment