PSY8100 provides the broad theoretical and empirical base of educational psychology — the scientific study of how people learn and what conditions support or impede learning across the lifespan. Students examine the major theoretical traditions in learning and development, the motivational factors that engage or disengage students, the individual differences in cognition and learning that instructors must accommodate, and the assessment approaches used to evaluate educational progress and effectiveness. This foundation prepares students for advanced work in instructional design, educational consulting, school psychology, and the design of effective professional training programs.
Learning, development, motivation, and individual differences in education
Core topics
- Theories of learning: Behavioral theories (classical and operant conditioning, reinforcement schedules in classroom management), social cognitive theory (observational learning, self-efficacy in academic contexts), cognitive information processing theories (schema theory, working memory limitations, prior knowledge activation), and constructivism (Piaget's stages and accommodation/assimilation, Vygotsky's zone of proximal development and scaffolding)
- Human development and learning: Cognitive, social, emotional, and moral development across childhood and adolescence — Piaget's and neo-Piagetian developmental stages, Erikson's psychosocial development as a frame for understanding school-age challenges (industry vs. inferiority, identity vs. role confusion), and the implications of brain development research for instructional decisions at different ages
- Motivation in educational contexts: Self-determination theory in classrooms (autonomy support, competence feedback, social belonging), achievement goal theory (mastery vs. performance orientation), attribution theory (controllability and stability of academic outcomes), expectancy-value theory (Eccles) — and how classroom structure, instructional approach, and teacher feedback influence motivational orientation
- Individual differences: The full range of individual variation in learning — intelligence theories (Spearman g, Gardner multiple intelligences, Sternberg triarchic), learning preferences and styles (the evidence for and against modality matching), language development and the education of English language learners, and giftedness — and how universal design for learning (UDL) provides a framework for accommodating diversity proactively
- Cultural, contextual, and family factors: How family background, socioeconomic status, cultural values, and community context influence educational outcomes — the research on stereotype threat, culturally responsive pedagogy, and the achievement gap — and how psychologists can work with schools to address systemic factors in student achievement
- Educational assessment: The types and purposes of assessment in education — formative vs. summative, norm-referenced vs. criterion-referenced — achievement testing, diagnostic assessment, and how assessment data should drive instructional decision-making. The distinction between testing for accountability (NCLB/ESSA) and testing for learning
PSY8100 assignments include learning theory analyses, motivational case studies, and educational intervention plans
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Frequently asked questions
Educational psychology is the foundational scientific discipline — it generates the empirical knowledge about learning, development, motivation, and assessment that informs educational practice. School psychology is a professional specialty that applies this scientific knowledge (along with clinical psychology knowledge) in K-12 educational settings through direct service delivery — conducting assessments, providing counseling, consulting with teachers and administrators, and supporting system-level initiatives. Educational psychologists are typically researchers or theorists who study the processes of learning and teaching; school psychologists are practitioners who apply that research in schools. Capella students in school psychology specializations take PSY8100 as foundational theory before the more applied courses in assessment, intervention, and systems-level practice. Students in instructional design, curriculum development, or higher education administration also benefit from PSY8100 as the core scientific base for all educational applications.