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Educational Psychology
Define and contrast descriptive, correlational and
experimental studies, giving examples of how each
of these have been used in educational psychology.
Define the four basic methods used to collect data
in educational psychology (systematic observation,
participant observation, paper/pencil, and
clinical), giving an example of how each has been
used in the study of important variables in
educational psychology.
Educational Psychology
In your discussion, define and differentiate the
following terms: fact, concept, principle,
hypothesis, theory, and law.
Developed by W. Huitt (1999)
Research in Educational Psychology
There are a variety of ways of validating
truth:
• Personal experience
• Intuition
• Social and/or cultural consensus
• Religious scripture and interpretation
• Philosophy and logical reasoning
• Science and the scientific method
Research in Educational Psychology
In order for a process to be described as
“scientific” it must meet three criteria:
• knowledge must be grounded in experience
• knowledge must be grounded in a paradigm
or exemplar
• any hypothesis must be potentially falsifiable
Research in Educational Psychology
Some scientists argue that the only appropriate
phenomena to study using the scientific method
is behavior that is observable by others
However, other scientists believe that
personal and interpersonal subjective
experiences can also be studied using the
scientific method
Research in Educational Psychology
Educational psychology offers a fertile
opportunity for scientists to demonstrate
the validity of these opposing viewpoints
Sample topics that have been addressed
include:
• Cognitive development
• Language development
• Teaching methods for concept development
Research in Educational Psychology
The scientific method can be used to engage in
• Research
where the objective is to gain
understanding of a particular phenomena
OR
• Evaluation
where the objective is to make a
judgement of worth or value
Research in Educational Psychology
Assessment
Qualitative
Research
Quantitative
Measurement
Evaluation
Research in Educational Psychology
There are three different types of studies
used in scientific investigations
• Descriptive study
Used when we have little
knowledge of a phenomena and we
want to describe it accurately and
truthfully
Research in Educational Psychology
There are three different types of studies
used in scientific investigations
• Correlational study
Used when we want to understand
the relationships among variables
and make predictions from
present circumstances to future
ones
Research in Educational Psychology
There are three different types of studies
used in scientific investigations
• Correlational study
Correlation coefficient describes
the strength of the relationship
Range is from -1 to +1
Example of A Perfect Correlation
Example of A Zero Correlation
Research in Educational Psychology
There are three different types of studies
used in scientific investigations
• Correlational study
Correlation coefficient describes
the strength of the relationship
Range is from -1 to +1
Type of relationship is determined by sign
Example of A Positive Correlation
Example of A Negative Correlation
Research in Educational Psychology
There are three different types of studies
used in scientific investigations
• Correlational study
Correlation coefficient describes
the strength of the relationship
Range is from -1 to +1
Type of relationship is determined by sign
Strength of relationship is determined by
absolute value
Research in Educational Psychology
.60 > .40 (Regardless of sign)
Research in Educational Psychology
There are three different types of studies
used in scientific investigations
• Experimental study
Used when we have a fairly good
understanding of predictive relationships
and we want to demonstrate cause/effect
relationships
Research in Educational Psychology
There are three different types of studies
used in scientific investigations
• Experimental study
Must have at least two groups
Subjects must be randomly assigned
One group must experience a treatment
The INDEPENDENT variable is manipulated
Change (if any) is observed in the
DEPENDENT variable
Research in Educational Psychology
There are three different types of studies
used in scientific investigations
• Experimental study
Only Results from
Experimental Studies
Can Demonstrate
Cause and Effect
Relationships
Research in Educational Psychology
There are four levels of scientific investigation:
Action -- What is the relationship of A and
B or what is the impact of A on B?
Example -- What are the best teaching
methods that can be used to motivate
students to learn?
Research in Educational Psychology
There are four levels of scientific investigation:
Interaction -- What is the impact of A @
B1, A @ B2, etc.?
Example -- Does using cooperative learning in
gender-mixed classrooms impact girls the same
way it impacts boys?
Research in Educational Psychology
There are four levels of scientific investigation:
Transaction -- What is the relationship
between A and B over time?
Example -- If a teacher has successfully used
a behavior modification technique, but has
since stopped, what does the child do the next
time the teacher uses that same technique?
Research in Educational Psychology
There are four levels of scientific investigation:
Transaction -- What is the relationship
between A and B over time?
Example -- What are the processes by which
a mother’s educational level impacts the
parent-child interaction and subsequent
characteristics of the child when he or she
enters a classroom at a later date?
Research in Educational Psychology
There are four levels of scientific investigation:
Transformation -- How do qualitative
changes in A impact qualitative changes in
B; also B1 on A1, etc.
Example -- How does parent involvement in a
training program designed to impact a child’s
classroom behavior impact the siblings of the
child and the sibling’s subsequent interactions
with the parent and future classroom behavior?
Research in Educational Psychology
There are four basic methods used to gather
data to be used in scientific studies. Each of the
methods can be used in all three types of studies:
• Paper/pencil -- any information gathered by
asking the subject a question
• Systematic observation -- trained recorder
gathers data on prearranged variables
Research in Educational Psychology
There are four basic methods used to gather
data to be used in scientific studies. Each of the
methods can be used in all three types of studies:
• Participant observation -- the person
collecting the data participates in the process
being observed
• Clinical -- specially-trained practitioners
gather data as part of a diagnostic/prescriptive
activity
Research in Educational Psychology
Use of the scientific method results in an
increasingly sophisticated knowledge base:
FACT
• an idea or action that can be verified
• names and dates of important
activities; population of the United
States in the latest census
Research in Educational Psychology
Use of the scientific method results in an
increasingly sophisticated knowledge base:
CONCEPT
• rules that allow for categorization of events,
places, people, ideas, etc.
• a DESK is a piece of FURNITURE designed
with a flat top for writing; a CHAIR is a piece of
FURNITURE designed for sitting; a CHAIR
with a flat surface attached to it that is designed
for writing is also called a DESK
Research in Educational Psychology
Use of the scientific method results in an
increasingly sophisticated knowledge base:
PRINCIPLE
• relationship(s) between/among facts and/or
concepts
• the number of children in the family is
related to the average scores on nationally
standardized achievement tests for those
children
Research in Educational Psychology
Use of the scientific method results in an
increasingly sophisticated knowledge base:
HYPOTHESIS
• educated guess about relationships
(principles)
• for lower-division, undergraduate students
study habits is a better predictor of success in
a college course than is a measure of
intelligence or reading comprehension
Research in Educational Psychology
Use of the scientific method results in an
increasingly sophisticated knowledge base:
THEORY
• set of facts, concepts, and principles that
allow description and EXPLANATION
• Piaget's theory of cognitive development,
Erikson's theory of socioemotional
development, Skinner's theory of operant
conditioning
Research in Educational Psychology
Use of the scientific method results in an
increasingly sophisticated knowledge base:
LAW
• firmly established, thoroughly tested,
principle or theory
• a fixed interval schedule for delivering
reinforcement produces a scalloping effect on
behavior
Research in Educational Psychology
Use of the scientific method does not
necessarily invalidate information gathered
through other means.
However, when data from science seem to
contradict data from personal experience,
intuition, social or cultural consensus,
religious scripture and interpretation, or
philosophy and rational thinking, an
opportunity for learning has presented itself.
Research in Educational Psychology
As stated previously, educational psychology
is a SCIENTIFIC approach to the study of
the teaching/learning process.
You will be expected to support your opinions
developed through another source with data
collected using the scientific method.
Research in Educational Psychology
AN IMPORTANT CAVEAT
Only a small amount of the principles and
theories developed in educational psychology
have support from a body of research developed
through the use of experimental studies.
Therefore, most of the concepts, principles, and
theories discussed in this course must be
considered as best-first-guess hypotheses.