Educational Psychology

Author: John Santrock
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: "This textbook on educational psychology is written by Dr. John Santrock, who graduated from the University of Minnesota's College of Education and Human Development. As a school psychologist, Dr. Santrock has accumulated extensive experience in teaching graduate and undergraduate courses in educational psychology in recent years. Dr. Santrock comes from an educational family; his grandmother and father were both educators. Dr. 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 teacher education students and learners 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."—Zheng Richang, Professor of the Department of Psychology, Beijing Normal University
This book was first published in 2001 and received unanimous praise from both teachers and students, earning the title of McGraw-Hill's Best First Edition Textbook of the 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 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 training future educational psychologists, whereas this book is specifically designed for learners who intend to become teachers. Therefore, compared to traditional educational psychology textbooks, it is more practical.
2. Comprehensive and Innovative Materials. 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 2000 onwards alone exceed 600. Additionally, the book has a large team of expert consultants who provided valuable suggestions during the writing and revision process.
3. Creative Structure, Vivid Language, and High Readability. Each chapter of the book features several special columns. For example:
- Learning Objectives: Helps students quickly grasp the main points of the course and understand the chapter content for better learning outcomes.
- Teaching Experiences: Describes how renowned teachers apply the chapter content in their teaching.
- Self-Assessment: Provides learning self-assessment related to each chapter's content.
- Online Resources: 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, enriching its content and format, and making it more engaging, readable, and practical.
From a content perspective, the book is divided into six main 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, program evaluation, behavioral research, research-oriented teachers, and the challenges faced in research.
Part 2 introduces human development issues, covering Chapters 2 and 3. Chapter 2 focuses on cognitive and language development, while Chapter 3 covers social and emotional development.
Part 3 introduces human differences, covering Chapters 4 to 6. Chapter 4 primarily discusses individual differences, Chapter 5 explores social and cultural differences, and Chapter 6 focuses on special learning needs.
Part 4 introduces learning, information processing (including memory), and thinking, covering Chapters 7 to 9. Chapter 7 explains 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 covers information processing methods, the nature of memory, specialized knowledge, and metacognition.
Part 5 introduces topics related to teaching and learning, covering Chapters 10 to 14. Chapter 10 discusses social constructivism, including 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 domains, such as reading, writing, mathematics, science, and social studies. Chapter 12 introduces teaching plans, teacher-centered lesson plans and instruction, learner-centered lesson plans and instruction, and educational technology. Chapter 13 explores motivation, teaching, and learning.
Part 6 introduces topics related to assessment, covering Chapters 15 and 16. Chapter 15 discusses standardized tests and teaching, while Chapter 16 covers teaching assessment.
In summary, this book is an excellent training and self-study material for teacher education students and learners 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.