Educational Educational PsychologyPsychology

Bruce Lewis, Ed.D.

Fall 1999

Textbook:Textbook:

EducationalEducationalPsychology: Theory Psychology: Theory and Practice (5th and Practice (5th ed.)ed.)by Robert E. Slavin, 1997by Robert E. Slavin, 1997

Educational Educational Psychology:Psychology:

A Foundation A Foundation for Teachingfor Teaching

Chapter One:Chapter One:

Ellen Mathis and Leah Washington:

“using a lot of motivational strategies I (Leah) learned in EdPsy.”

“My educational psychology professor was always talking about adapting to students’ needs.”

“I first learned about cooperative learning in EdPsy, …”

“… solve a lot of my (classroom) management problems…”

“…we learned about evaluation in EdPsy.”“…we learned about child development…”“…what was particularly important to her

(Ellen Mathis) was the idea that educational psychology could really be useful in her day-to-day teaching. …concepts that had seemed theoretical and abstract in EdPsy class actually helped her think about problems of teaching.”

Ellen Mathis and Leah Washington (cont.):

What is Educational What is Educational Psychology?Psychology?

EdPsy is the study of learners, learning, and teaching.

EdPsy is the accumulated knowledge, wisdom, and seat-of-the-pants theory that every teacher should possess to intelligently solve the daily problems of teaching.

What is Educational Psychology? What is Educational Psychology? (cont.)(cont.)

Ed psychologists carry out research on: the nature of students, principles of learning, and methods of teaching…

What Makes A Good Teacher?What Makes A Good Teacher?

Warmth, enthusiasm, and caring.Knowledge of the subject matter

they expect to teach!Knowledge of how to transmit

information and skills!!Ability to communicate that

knowledge to students!

Mastering the Teaching Skills.Mastering the Teaching Skills.

Pedagogy = the study of teaching and learning with applications to the instructional process.

Mastering the Teaching Skills Mastering the Teaching Skills (cont.)(cont.)

Effective instructional strategies/tasks: motivating students, managing the classroom, assessing prior knowledge, communicating ideas effectively,

taking into account the characteristics of the learners,

assessing learning outcomes, and

reviewing information.

Can Good Teaching Be Taught?Can Good Teaching Be Taught?

Good teachers are born that way = myth.

Good teachers have a charisma beyond that of mere mortals = myth.

TRUTH = Good teachers know the principles of effective teaching and how to apply them.

Teaching as Critical ThinkingTeaching as Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is evaluating conclusions by logically and systematically examining the problem, the evidence, and the solution.

Effective teaching requires seeing situations clearly, identifying problems, and exploring possible solutions.

What is the Role of Research in What is the Role of Research in EdPsy?EdPsy?

Students learn better from a teacher’s instruction than by working alone.

- vs. - Students often need

instruction tailored to their individual needs.

- vs. -

Individualization.

Direct Instruction

Goals of Research in EdPsy:Goals of Research in EdPsy:

to carefully examine obvious as well as less obvious questions using objective methods to test ideas about the factors that contribute to learning.

The products of EdPsy research The products of EdPsy research are:are:

principles -- explain relationships between factors, such as the effects of alternative grading systems on student motivation;

laws -- principles that have been thoroughly tested and found to apply in a wide variety of situations; and

theories -- sets of related principles and laws that explain broad aspects of learning, behavior, or other areas of interest.

Teaching as Decision-Teaching as Decision-Making:Making:

Mr. Harris -vs.- Tomexamine: -Action- -Theory- -Research- (pages 14-15)

What What research methodsresearch methods are used in are used in EdPsy?EdPsy?

Experiment/Treatment:

special programs wherein one group receives the “treatment” and the other group does not receive anything special or extraordinary (“control” group).

No difference in the two groups!

“Developing Critical Thinking Skills through an Interdisciplinary Approach with Social Studies Simulations and the Internet in Upper Elementary School Classes.”

a Doctoral Dissertation by Bruce Lewis, June 4, 1998;

6 fourth-grade classes served as the treatment group and 6 other fourth-grade classes served as the control group (almost 300 students, total);

the treatment group alone received the work on critical thinking skills with “The Yukon Trail” (a software simulation) and the Internet.

Variable = anything that can have more than one value and can therefore be manipulated and/or studied.

Research MethodsResearch Methods (cont.) (cont.)

“Social Skills Differences Between Low-Achieving and High-Achieving, Rural and Suburban, Middle School Adolescents.”

an Educational Specialist Thesis by Bruce Lewis, July 1996 (Ed.S. in School Counseling);

variables: low-achieving & high-achieving; rural & suburban; and 5th grade & 8th grade.

Random AssignmentRandom Assignment = selection by chance (drawing names from a hat, flipping a coin, etc.) into different groups to try to ensure equality of the groups.

generally not available for educational testing in school settings;

use of intact groups, such as an entire 4th grade class for the treatment group and a different 4th grade class for the control group.

Internal ValidityInternal Validity = the degree to which an experiment’s results can be attributed to the treatment in question, not to other factors.

Generally due to the researcher having a very high degree of control over all the factors involved in the study.

Research MethodsResearch Methods (cont.) (cont.)

Internal Validity (cont.)Internal Validity (cont.)

Usually stated as “the results were statistically significant at the .05 level”, meaning that there was less than 5 chances out of 100 that the results were due to luck. Most studies function at this level of significance.

Studies can also be done at .01 or .001 level (professor’s Ed.D. research results were less than .001.).

Internal Validity (cont.)Internal Validity (cont.)

Studies can also be done at .01 or .001 level.

The Professor’s Ed.D. research results were less than .001 (less than 1 chance in 1,000 that his results were due to luck)!

Internal Validity (cont.)Internal Validity (cont.)

TYPE I ERRORS:In Type I errors, the researcher incorrectly

concludes that there is no difference, when in actuality there really is a significant difference between the means -- too different to be the result of chance error.

Type I errors involve setting the level of significance in data analysis so low as to find benefits that are not really present.

Internal Validity (cont.)Internal Validity (cont.)

TYPE II ERRORS:In Type II errors, the researcher incorrectly

concludes that there is a difference, when in actuality there really is not a significant difference between the means.

Type II errors involve setting the level of significance in data analysis so high that benefits that are really present are overlooked.

Internal Validity (cont.)Internal Validity (cont.)

Conclusions:Step One: Insure

adequate group sizes.

Step Two: Set the level of statistical significance at 0.05.

Internal ValidityInternal Validity = the degree to which an experiment’s results can be attributed to the treatment in question, not to other factors.

Generally due to the researcher having a very high degree of control over all the factors involved in the study.

Further reading available from the instructor’s SITE99 presentation on “Type I Errors”.

Research MethodsResearch Methods (cont.) (cont.)

REVIEW:

External ValidityExternal Validity = the degree to which results of an experiment can be applied to real-life situations.

Laboratory experiments are primarily important in building and testing theories.

Randomized field experiments are the real test for evaluating practical programs or improvements in instruction.

Correlational StudiesCorrelational Studies

research into the relationships between variables as they

naturally occur

Correlational Studies (cont.)Correlational Studies (cont.)

correlation does NOT equal causationpositive correlation = relationship in

which high scores on one variable correspond to high scores on another (good readers also do well in social studies).

negative correlation = relationship in which high scores on one variable correspond to low scores on another (days absent increase while grades go down).

Observation or survey or interview that seeks to identify and gather detailed information and, therefore, describe something of interest.

Jean Piaget carefully observed his own children and others. He developed a theory that describes the cognitive development of children from infancy through adolescence. (p 32)

Descriptive Descriptive ResearchResearch

Additional information on Chapter One can be obtained at:

Slavin Student Center.

A full copy of this PowerPoint presentation is available at: PSY 306 - Educational Psychology.