Educational Psychology: A Century of Contributions: A Project of Division 15 (educational Psychology) of the American Psychological Society

A comprehensive treatment of educational psychology, looking at the historic contributions of 16 leading psychologists, as well as others, who influenced the field of educational psychology from its philosophical moorings in the late-19th century to its current scientific status at the dawn of the 21st. It presents information regarding these individuals’ ideas and scientific discoveries, along with a sense of the historical context in which they lived. The text is divided into three sections that correspond to three eras in the history of the discipline: the founding period (1880s to 1920); the rise to prominence period (1920 to 1960); and the modern period (1960 to the 21st century). Each section begins with an overview chapter describing the period in terms of key social, political and historical events affecting educational theory, research and practice. In addition, the overview chapters discuss major theoretical, methodological and instructional contributions of the period and how they changed the course of educational psychology. The biographical chapters describe the scholar’s main contribution in terms of theory, research and practice and his or her legacy and impact. These descriptions portray these individuals as real human beings responding to historical events and social influences of their time in personal and collective ways that changed the nature and direction of the field.