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Module Specifications.

Current Academic Year 2024 - 2025

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Date posted: September 2024

Module Title Education Psychology
Module Code PSYC204 (ITS) / PSY1027 (Banner)
Faculty Science & Health School Psychology
Module Co-ordinatorMarianna Pagkratidou
Module TeachersCatherine Fassbender
NFQ level 8 Credit Rating 5
Pre-requisite Not Available
Co-requisite Not Available
Compatibles Not Available
Incompatibles Not Available
None
Repeat examination and coursework
Description

Educational psychology is the scientific study of psychology in education and deals broadly with ‘…the psychological and educational development of people in the education system’ (Psychological Society of Ireland, 2011).

Learning Outcomes

1. Identify the subject matter, major theoretical approaches and distinguish the main research methods which apply in the field of educational psychology.
2. Explain the main implications of educational psychology for teaching and learning across diverse educational contexts.
3. Critically evaluate psychological concepts in educational contexts including individual differences, intelligence and creativity.
4. Outline the main factors influencing teacher and learner motivation and resilience.
5. Understand a range of key factors which influence learning; school culture, school engagement, aggression and bullying in school contexts, educational disadvantage and resilience, learning across the lifespan and learning in group/community contexts.
6. Delineate the range of roles and activities of psychologists who work in educational settings.
7. Reflect on and analyse a theme/issue/concept of relevance to educational contexts through the application of psychological theory/research.
8. Further develop competency in communication and presentation of selected materials in an end of semester, in-class forum.



Workload Full-time hours per semester
Type Hours Description
Lecture22Lecture content based on indicative content and learning outcomes
Tutorial6Tutorial sessions designed to guide students through the continuous assessment process and support activity-based learning
Independent Study97Self-directed study, engaging with recommended reading and other online content; Assessment preparation and completion
Total Workload: 125

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

Introduction to Educational Psychology and to Educational Psychology Research Methods

Behavioral and Cognitive Views of Learning

Complex Cognitive Processes and Constructivism and Interactive Learning

Designing Learning Environments and Social Cognitive Views of Learning and Motivation

Motivation in Learning & Teaching

Creating Supportive Learning Environments

Teaching Every Student

Classroom Assessment, Grading and Standardized Tests

Assessment Breakdown
Continuous Assessment100% Examination Weight0%
Course Work Breakdown
TypeDescription% of totalAssessment Date
PresentationCA1 Role play presentation in pairs (worth: 30%).Team up with a partner, choose a topic that interests you, and organize a 15-minute interactive role-play presentation. Assign roles to your audience, conduct a 7-minute workshop applying educational psychology methods, and then engage in an evaluation and reflection session with your audience. Afterward, present a 7-minute explanation of the rationale behind organizing a workshop like this, grounded in the educational psychology theories taught in this module. Finally, leave 1 minute for questions.30%n/a
Written ExamCA2 Final Exams (worth 70%)70%n/a
Reassessment Requirement Type
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories:
Resit category 1: A resit is available for both* components of the module.
Resit category 2: No resit is available for a 100% continuous assessment module.
Resit category 3: No resit is available for the continuous assessment component where there is a continuous assessment and examination element.
* ‘Both’ is used in the context of the module having a Continuous Assessment/Examination split; where the module is 100% continuous assessment, there will also be a resit of the assessment
This module is category 1
Indicative Reading List

  • Woolfolk, A.: 2022, Educational psychology, 14th edition, Pearson,
  • Woolfolk, A. & Usher, E.: 2024, Educational psychology: Active Learning Edition, 15th edition, Pearson,
  • Lord, J.: 2022, Psychology of Education: Theory, Research and Evidence-based Practice., SAGE publications,
  • O'Donnell, A. M., Dobozy, E., Nagel, M. C., Bartlett, B., Smala, S., Wormald, C., & Yates, G.: 2024, Educational psychology, John Wiley & Sons,
  • Woolfolk, A.: 2016, Educational psychology, Pearson Higher Education AU,
  • Eysenck, M. W., & Brysbaert, M.: 2024, Fundamentals of Cognition, Routledge: Psychology press,
  • Kuther, T. L.: 2018, Lifespan development: Lives in context, SAGE publications,
  • Kail, R. V., & Cavanaugh, J. C.: 2007, Human development: A life-span view.,
  • Field, A.: 2002, How to design and report experiments, SAGE publications,
  • Radvansky, G. A.: 2021, Human memory, Routledge,
  • Cohen, G., & Conway, M. A.: 2007, Memory in the real world, Psychology press,
Other Resources

None

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