Educational Psychology (3rd Edition)

Author: (American) Santrock (J. Santrock)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-10-21
Features: "This textbook on educational psychology is written by Dr. John Santrock, a graduate of the University of Minnesota's College of Education and Human Development. Dr. John Santrock, as a school psychologist, has accumulated extensive experience in teaching graduate and undergraduate courses on educational psychology in recent years. Dr. John Santrock comes from an educational family; his grandmother and father were both educators. Dr. John Santrock is a member of the editorial boards of two authoritative journals in the U.S., Child Development and Developmental Psychology. This book is an excellent training and self-study material for students majoring in teacher education and those who aspire to work in the field of education. The publication of this photocopied edition is undoubtedly a cause for celebration for psychology professionals, educators, aspiring educators, and English-speaking psychology enthusiasts in our country."—Professor Zheng Richang, Department of Psychology, Beijing Normal University
This book was first published in 2001 and received unanimous praise from both teachers and students, and was named the best first-edition textbook by McGraw-Hill Publishing Company in that year. To better revise the textbook, the publishing company collected a large number of feedback from frontline teachers on questions such as "What do they expect from an educational psychology textbook?" and "What should an ideal educational psychology textbook be like?" Based on the teachers' feedback, the author revised the textbook, retaining the excellent content of the first edition while adding and modifying some new content, completing the publication of the second edition. The main features of this book are as follows:
1. Specific and targeted content. Most previous educational psychology textbooks were highly theoretical, seemingly written for the cultivation of future educational psychologists, while this book is specifically designed for learners who intend to become teachers. Therefore, compared to previous educational psychology textbooks, it is more practical.
2. Incorporates diverse insights and rich, up-to-date material. The book includes the author's own latest research findings as well as the latest research findings of many scholars in related fields. References from after 2000 alone exceed 600. Additionally, the book has a large team of expert consultants who, as specialists in specific fields, provided numerous constructive suggestions during the writing and revision process.
3. Well-structured and engaging, with strong readability. Each chapter of the book features several special columns. For example:
- The Learning Objectives column helps students quickly grasp the main points of the course and understand the chapter content for better learning outcomes.
- The Teaching Experiences column describes how renowned teachers apply the chapter content in their teaching.
- The Self-Assessment column provides learning self-assessment related to each chapter's content.
- The Online Resources column offers links to supplementary materials related to each chapter's theme.
There are a total of 18 such special columns, which greatly assist readers in studying the book, enrich its content and format, and make it more vivid, readable, and practical.
From a content perspective, the book is divided into six major parts:
- Part 1 is an introductory overview of educational psychology, covering Chapter 1. This part outlines some basic theories in the field of educational psychology, including its history and the reasons why effective education relies on both art and science. It explains the knowledge, skills, and responsibilities teachers should possess. Additionally, it introduces topics related to conducting educational psychology research, such as the importance of research, research methods, project evaluation, behavioral research, research-oriented teachers, and challenges in research.
- Part 2 introduces issues related to human development, covering Chapters 2 and 3. Chapter 2 focuses on cognitive and language development, while Chapter 3 covers social and emotional development.
- Part 3 introduces issues related to human differences, covering Chapters 4 to 6. Chapter 4 primarily discusses individual differences, Chapter 5 covers social and cultural differences, and Chapter 6 focuses on special learning.
- Part 4 introduces learning, information processing (including memory), and thinking, covering Chapters 7 to 9. Chapter 7 introduces the concept of learning and its two major theories—behaviorism and social cognitive theory—as well as the application of applied behavior analysis in education. Chapter 8 discusses information processing methods and memory, including the entire process of memory, specialized knowledge, and metacognition.
- Part 5 introduces topics related to teaching and learning, covering Chapters 10 to 14. Chapter 10 introduces social constructivism, including topics such as social constructivism in teaching, teacher and peer collaboration to promote student learning, group activities, and social constructivism planning. Chapter 11 covers students' learning and cognition in specific content areas, such as reading, writing, mathematics, science, and social studies. Chapter 12 discusses teaching plans, including teacher-centered lesson plans and instruction, learner-centered lesson plans and instruction, and educational technology. Chapter 13 explores motivation and the relationship between teaching and learning.
- Part 6 introduces issues related to assessment, covering Chapters 15 and 16. Chapter 15 discusses standardized tests and teaching, while Chapter 16 covers teaching assessment.
In conclusion, this book is an excellent training and self-study material for students majoring in teacher education and those who aspire to work in the field of education. The publication of this photocopied edition is undoubtedly a cause for celebration for psychology professionals, educators, aspiring educators, and English-speaking psychology enthusiasts in our country.