The field of educational psychology is primarily concerned with teaching and learning. Educational psychology has a long historical past and an extensive record of conducting empirical research into the teaching/learning process. Educational psychology has also been involved with the topics of motivation, intelligence, memory, cognition, intellectual development and evaluation and assessment. Over the past 50 years, educational psychology has been predominantly involved with the learning processes of the normal, average student. However, over the past 20 years, mainstreaming and later inclusion has presented an additional challenge for educational psychologists and classroom teachers. This new book presents leading research from around the globe in all areas of educational psychology.

In this book the authors describe the specific steps to take in order to conduct focus groups in education and psychological settings. The reader is shown how to prepare for a focus group, create a moderator's guide and analyse the results.

"I applaud the vision the authors had in synthesizing this information in a way that makes the reader more confident in their application of these theories and principles to their own classrooms. The authors have wonderfully succeeded in their attempt to integrate this material, in a manner quite different from other texts I've read or reviewed." Jim Persinger, "Emporia State University" "Any textbook that overemphasizes theory, neglects the real-world; any textbook that overemphasizes practice, neglects the underlying foundation of theory. This book strikes a careful balance between theory and practice by explicitly linking the two." Gregory Cutler, "Bay de Noc Community College" "By far, this is the best educational psychology text I have read because it integrates and applies major learning theories to many of the daily issues future teachers will face." Krista Robertson, "Rhode Island College" "I see this textbook as well written, informative, clearly and logically organized, and a very useful component for a course in Educational Psychology. I like it!" Raymond E. Webster, "East Carolina University" "The authors have done an excellent job in producing an easy-to-follow format and style." Paula Holmes Miller, "Crichton College" "The authors' writing style and presentation level are clear and easy to read, along with tables, figures, concept maps, and other visual aids." Yuliang Liu, Ph.D, "Southern Illinois University" "The text is well written and some very difficult topics such as Attribution Theory and Constructivism (to name just two) are easy to understand, when compared to similar books. I think this is some of the clearest writing I have read in a long time." Michael P. Verdi, "California State University San Bernadino" "I really enjoyed reading this text, and I found its comprehensive nature to be a strength." Linda W. Morse, "Mississippi State University" "The authors' writing style is clear, simple, and direct. It speaks directly to the reader . . . the examples are concrete and related to education." John Isch, "Martin Luther College"

If you are curious about Educational Psychology, this book is for you. You can read the chapters in any sequence, or you can start at the beginning, because this book provides myriad keys to the wonderful variety of themes in Educational Psychology today. Written by leading psychologists, researchers and practitioners, this book focuses on all the positive constructs in Educational Psychology and reflects on the wide range of strengths, assets and resources available to the educational psychologist. Each chapter presents an integrated overview, cutting-edge definitions of key concepts, quotations from professionals and students, and reflective questions to guide your practice. Written primarily by South Africans, this book is particularly relevant to the local environment and presents practical application strategies. Indigenous knowledge is infused with international perspectives, and equal emphasis is placed on the learner and on the social context, on assessment and intervention, and on theory and practice. The book is extremely accessible to students, but will also be invaluable for teachers, psychologists, researchers and health professionals.

This work is a follow-up volume to Management and the Psychology of Schooling (1988), which looked at an alternative style of working for psychological services in the future. From this starting point the present volume aims to be more precise about what a psychology of schooling entails.

The field of educational psychology draws from a variety of diverse disciplines including human development across the life span, measurement and statistics, learning and motivation, and teaching. And within these different disciplines, many other fields are featured including psychology, anthropology, education, sociology, public health, school psychology, counseling, history, and philosophy. In fact, when taught at the college or university level, educational psychology is an ambitious course that undertakes the presentation of many different topics all tied together by the theme of how the individual can best function in an "educational" setting, loosely defined as anything from pre-school through adult education. Educational psychology can be defined as the application of what we know about learning and motivation, development, and measurement and statistics to educational settings (both school- and community-based).

First released in the Spring of 1999, How People Learn has been expanded to show how the theories and insights from the original book can translate into actions and practice, now making a real connection between classroom activities and learning behavior. This edition includes far-reaching suggestions for research that could increase the impact that classroom teaching has on actual learning. Like the original edition, this book offers exciting new research about the mind and the brain that provides answers to a number of compelling questions. When do infants begin to learn? How do experts learn and how is this different from non-experts? What can teachers and schools do-with curricula, classroom settings, and teaching methodsâ€"to help children learn most effectively? New evidence from many branches of science has significantly added to our understanding of what it means to know, from the neural processes that occur during learning to the influence of culture on what people see and absorb. How People Learn examines these findings and their implications for what we teach, how we teach it, and how we assess what our children learn. The book uses exemplary teaching to illustrate how approaches based on what we now know result in in-depth learning. This new knowledge calls into question concepts and practices firmly entrenched in our current education system. Topics include: How learning actually changes the physical structure of the brain. How existing knowledge affects what people notice and how they learn. What the thought processes of experts tell us about how to teach. The amazing learning potential of infants. The relationship of classroom learning and everyday settings of community and workplace. Learning needs and opportunities for teachers. A realistic look at the role of technology in education.

Handbook of Educational Psychology and Students with Special Needs provides educational and psychological researchers, practitioners, policy-makers, and graduate students with critical expertise on the factors and processes relevant to learning for students with special needs. This includes students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, other executive function difficulties, behavior and emotional disorders, autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disabilities, learning disabilities, dyslexia, language and communication difficulties, physical and sensory disabilities, and more. With the bulk of educational psychology focused on "mainstream" or "typically developing" learners, relatively little educational psychology theory, research, measurement, or practice has attended to students with "special needs." As clearly demonstrated in this book, the factors and processes studied within educational psychology—motivation and engagement, cognition and neuroscience, social-emotional development, instruction, home and school environments, and more—are vital to all learners, especially those at risk or disabled. Integrating guidance from the DSM-5 by the American Psychiatric Association and the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) by the World Health Organization, this book synthesizes and builds on existing interdisciplinary research to establish a comprehensive case for effective psycho-educational theory, research, and practice that address learners with special needs. Twenty-seven chapters by experts in the field are structured into three parts on diverse special needs categories, perspectives from major educational psychology theories, and constructs relevant to special needs learning, development, and knowledge building.