Meaning, Problems and Scope of Educational PsychologyMarch

What is Psychology?
The word, ‘Psychology’ is derived from two Greek words, ‘Psyche’ and
‘Logos’. Psyche means ‘soul’ and ‘Logos’ means ‘science’. Thus psychology
was first defined as the ‘science of soul”.

According to earlier psychologists, the function of psychology was to study

the nature, origin and destiny of the human soul. But soul is something
metaphysical. It cannot be seen, observed and touched and we cannot make
scientific experiments on soul.

In the 18 century, psychology was understood as the ‘Science of Mind’.

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William James (1892) defined psychology as the science of mental

processes. But the word ‘mind ‘ is also quite ambiguous as there was
confusion regarding the nature and functions of mind.
Modern psychologists defined psychology as the “Science of
Consciousness”. James Sully (1884) defined psychology as the “Science of
the Inner World”. Wilhelm Wundt (1892) defined psychology as the science
which studies the “internal experiences’. But there are three levels of
consciousness – conscious, subconscious and the unconscious and so this
definition also was not accepted by some.

Thus psychology first lost its soul, then its mind and then its consciousness.
At present only its behaviour exists. William McDugall (1905) defined
psychology as the “Science of Behaviour”, W.B. Pillsbury (1911) and J.B.
Watson (1912) also defined psychology as the science of behavior.

Behaviour generally means overt activities which can observed and

measured scientifically. But one’s behaviour is always influenced by his
experiences. So when we study one’s behaviour we must also study his
experiences.

Psychology should, therefore, be defined as a “science of behaviour and

experiences on human beings” (B.F. Skinner)

According to Crow and Crow, “Psychology is the study of human behaviour

and human relationship’”.

What is Educational Psychology?

Educational psychology is that branch of psychology in which the findings of
psychology are applied in the field of education. It is the scientific study of
human behaviour in educational setting.
According to Charles. E. Skinner, “Educational psychology deals with the
behaviour of human beings in educational situations”.

Thus educational psychology is a behavioural science with two main

references– human behaviour and education.

In the words of E.A. Peel, “Educational Psychology is the science of

Education”.

Education by all means is an attempt to mould and shape the behaviour of

the pupil. It aims to produce desirable changes in him for the all-round
development of his personality.

The essential knowledge and skill to do this job satisfactorily is supplied by

Educational Psychology. In the words of E.A. Peel, “Educational psychology
helps the teacher to understand the development of his pupils, the range
and limits of their capacities, the processes by which they learn and their
social relationships.”

In this way, the work of the Educational Psychologists resembles with that
of an Engineer, who is a technical expert. The Engineer supplies all the
knowledge and skill essential for the accomplishment of the job
satisfactorily… for example, construction of a bridge.

In the same way Educational Psychologists, who is a technical expert in the

field of Education, supplies all the information, principles and techniques
essential for understanding the behaviour of the pupil in response to
educational environment and desired modification of his behaviour to bring
an all-round development of his personality.

In this way, it is quite reasonable to call Educational Psychology as a

science and technology of Education.

Thus, Educational Psychology concerned primarily with understanding the

processes of teaching and learning that take place within formal
environments and developing ways of improving those methods. It covers
important topics like learning theories; teaching methods; motivation;
cognitive, emotional, and moral development; and parent-child relationships
etc.

In short, it is the scientific discipline that addresses the questions: “Why do

some students learn more than others?” and “What can be done to improve
that learning?”
 Some challenges/problems in educational psychology
include:
 Emotional strain: Working with students can be emotionally
taxing.
 Administrative demands: Educational psychologists must balance
paperwork, assessments, and interventions.
 Varied outcomes: Not all interventions produce the desired
results immediately.
 Access to services: Access to services is a key issue in the field.
 Changing educational landscape: The educational landscape is
constantly changing.
 Diversity and inclusion: Diversity and inclusion are challenges in
the field.
 Professional development: Professional development is a
challenge in the field.
Educational psychologists work with students, parents, and
teachers to help students who are struggling with learning or other
issues. They use their skills in mental health, learning, and social
structures to help students reach their academic goals.

SCOPE AND UTILITY OF EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY

The scope of educational psychology is ever-growing due to constantly
researches in this field. The following factors will indicate the scope of
educational psychology:

1. The Learner. The subject-matter of educational psychology is knitted

around the learner. Therefore, the need of knowing the learner and the
techniques of knowing him well. The topics include – the innate abilities and
capacities of the individuals, individual differences and their measurements,
the overt, covert, conscious as well as unconscious behaviour of the learner,
the characteristics of his growth and development and each stage beginning
from childhood to adulthood.
2. The Learning Experiences. 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 ease and satisfaction.
3. Learning process: After knowing the learner and deciding what
learning experiences are to be provided, Educational Psychology moves on
to the laws, principles and theories of learning. Other items in the learning
process are remembering and forgetting, perceiving, concept formation,
thinking and reasoning, problem solving, transfer of learning, ways and
means of effective learning etc.
4. Learning Situation or Environment. Here we deal with the
environmental factors and learning situations which come midway between
the learner and the teacher. Topics like classroom climate and group
dynamics, techniques and aids that facilitate learning and evaluation,
techniques and practices, guidance and counselling etc. For the smooth
functioning of the teaching-learning process.
5. The Teacher: The teacher is a potent force is any scheme of teaching
and learning process. It discusses the role of the teacher. It emphasizes the
need of ‘knowing thyself’ for a teacher to play his role properly in the
process of education. His conflicts, motivation. Anxiety, adjustment, level of
aspiration etc. It throws light on the essential personality traits, interests,
aptitudes, the characteristics of effective teaching etc so as to inspire him
for becoming a successful teacher.
Though the entire scope of Educational Psychology is included in the above
mentioned five key-factors, it may be further expanded by adding the
following:

6. It studies Human Behaviour in educational situations. Psychology is the

study of behaviour, and education deals with the modification of behaviour;
hence, educational psychology pervades the whole field of education.
7. It studies the Growth and Development of the child. How a child passes
through the various stages of growth and what are the characteristics of
each stage are included in the study of educational psychology.
8. To what extent Heredity and Environment contribute towards the
growth of the individual, and how this knowledge can be made use of for
bringing about the optimum development of the child; form a salient feature
of the scope of educational psychology.
9. Educational psychology deals with the Nature and Development of the
Personality of an individual. In fact, education has been defined as the all-
round development of the personality of an individual; personality
development also implies a well-adjusted personality.
10. It studies Individual Difference: Every individual differs from every
other individual. It is one of the fundamental facts of human nature which
have been brought to light by educational psychology. This one fact has
revolutionalised the concept and process of education.
11. It studies the nature Intelligence and its Measurement. This is of
utmost importance for a teacher.
12. It Provides Guidance and Counselling: Education is nothing but
providing guidance to the growing child.
We can conclude by saying that Educational Psychology is narrower in
scope than general psychology. While general psychology deals with the
behaviour of the individual in a general way, educational psychology in
concerned with the behaviour of the learner in an educational setting.