Educational Psychology: History, Practice, Research, and the Future

A comprehensive introduction to educational psychology, this volume is inclusive of all of the essentials--covering history, profiles, theories, applications, research, case studies, current events, issues, controversies, and more.

Focused on human learning and teaching, the field of educational psychology informs a range of educational challenges, including instructional design, curriculum development, organizational learning, special education, student motivation, and classroom management. In this book, two veteran professors in the fields of education and psychology, offer a clear and concise yet comprehensive overview of this growing specialty. This volume will be valuable not only to university students aiming to understand psychology’s subfields and to choose a major or a specialty, but also to classroom teachers, school administrators, and school social workers aiming to make teaching more effective and learning more thorough and lasting.

Topics include the field’s history, primary figures theories, research, theories, applications, issues, and controversies. Authors Martin and Torok-Gerard also explain current issues of social justice and educational equity, citing means that have been used to meet those goals in schools. The text additionally analyzes special education as a civil rights issue as well as equity and fairness for LGBTQ+ students in the context of social justice. The text ends with emerging research and predictions for the future of educational psychology.

Jennifer L. Martin, PhD, is assistant professor in the Department of Teacher Education at the University of Illinois.

Sarah E. Torok-Gerard, PhD, is associate professor in the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience, and Human Development at the University of Mount Union.