Educational Psychology
What is Educational Psychology?
Broadly speaking, Educational psychology is the study of human thinking and behavior in educational settings. Graduate programs in educational psychology fundamentally focus on research; with students preparing for careers in research or administrative settings. Consistent with the mission of Division 15 (Educational Psychology) of the American Psychological Association, "Our mission is to create scientific knowledge and theory relevant to education and psychology, to extend the applications of psychological knowledge and services to all aspects of education... and to inform educational and social policy.
Educational psychologists tackle a variety of questions including: How to students learn and grow? What motivates students to achieve and teachers to teach? What is the best way to instruct? How is learning situated within the social and cultural contexts of the classroom, school, and community? Educational Psychology students learn to apply psychological theory and research methodology to find answers to these questions and generate new knowledge that can, in turn, be applied to improve formal and informal educational settings. Our goal is to provide our students with the knowledge and skills to be able to serve in leadership roles in schools, colleges, universities, government agencies, public or private institutions as educators, researchers, and scholars.
Suggested Readings on the Field of Educational Psychology
Pressley, M. (2005). Oh, the places an educational psychologist can go! ... And how young educational psychologists can prepare for the trip (Apologies to Dr. Seuss). Educational Psychologist, 40, 137-153.
Berliner, D. (2003). Carnagie essays on the doctorate in education / educational psychology: Toward a future as rich as our past. The Carnagie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. www.carnagiefoundation.org/cid
Davis, H. A. (2004). One cognitive-developmentalist speaks as an educator. Theory Into Practice: Special Issue on Developmental Psychology Implications for Teaching. Guest Editor: Christopher Anderson, 43, 253-259.
What can you do as a GRADUATE OF A PROGRAM FOCUSING ON Educational Psychology?
Educational Psychologists work in a wide variety of settings. Upon graduation, students graduating from a program focusing in Educational Psychology are prepared to become researchers, leaders, university faculty, independent researchers in military, governmental, or private industry settings, as well as skilled practitioners in their chosen field of study.Many Educational Psychologists work at colleges and universities, often in psychology departments or in schools or departments of education. These psychologists may teach college courses, conduct research, prepare prospective teachers and other educators, and/or develop
statistical and research methods. Also at the college level, educational psychologists may
work in study skills programs, instructional improvement programs, and/or curriculum development projects. Other Educational Psychologists work in research and development organizations in which they develop instructional materials that are grounded in psychological theory and/or develop educational tests for schools, businesses, and many professions.Recently, more educational psychologists work in government, school, military, corporate settings, or private enterprise, the courts, and other organizational settings where they participate in training staff, developing and implementing educational programs, evaluating the effectiveness of educational programs, and/or analyzing educational data.
What kinds of course work would I complete for a DEGREE IN C&I WITH A FOCUS IN Educational Psychology?
Students who are admitted into the doctoral program in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus in Educational Psychology will follow the program requirements listed in the C & I curriculum display. Within those requirements there is a significant amount of freedom for the student to consult with their advisor to shape their coursework to fit their area of specialization. Most C&I doctoral students focusing on Educational Psychology place a heavy emphasis on research and statistics courses, in addition to content courses in Education as well as courses in departments outside Education (e.g., psychology).
What kinds of research and funding opportunities are their for graduate study in Educational Psychology?
Educational Psychology graduate students have obtained a number of different funded positions that include but are not limited to research assistantships on grant-funded projects, teaching assistantships, and various College of Education assistantships. If you are interested in obtaining funding you should examine the various research projects in the College and also talk with educational psychology faculty for potential openings. For College of Education projects see http://ced.ncsu.edu/projects/ or for a sample of relevant Friday Institute teaching and learning projects see http://www.fi.ncsu.edu/what-we-do/teaching-learning.
Who are the core Educational Psychology faculty & what are their interests?
Dr. Heather A. Davis: Teacher-Student Relationship, Social Development / Motivation, Teacher BeliefsDr. Jessica Decuir-Gunby: Racial Identity Development, Critical Race Theory, Mixed Methodology
Dr. John Nietfeld: Self-Regulated Learning, Metacognition, Human-Computer Interaction
Dr. Jason Osborne: Stereotype Threat, Program Evaluation, Research Methodology
Dr. Margareta Pop: Classroom Motivation, Teacher Beliefs, Professional Development
What professional organizations do Educational Psychology Faculty represent?
American Psychological Association (APA)• Division 15 - Educational Psychology
• Division 7 - Developmental Psychology
• Southeastern Psychological Association
• APA Graduate Students
American Educational Research Association (AERA)
• Division C - Learning and Instruction
• Division K - Teaching and Teacher Education
• Special Interest Group (SIG) in Motivation
• Eastern Educational Research Association (EERA)
Society for Research in Child Development (SCRD)
• Society for Research in Adolescence (SRA)
last updated 4/16/09
