Define the concept of educational psychology and what its role (significance) is in the educative process

Educational psychology is interested to clarify and improve the interaction between teaching and learning.

• Educational psychology is the study of learners, learning and teaching. 
• Educational psychology provides a framework for looking at the student, the learning process and the learning situation. 
• Educational psychology is the application of psychological theories, concepts and practices to educational processes. 
• Educational psychology is an academic discipline which studies the educational growth and behavior in all its aspects. 
• Educational psychology, in its widest sense. is a study of the principles of mental life applicable to educative processes. 
• Education psychology is that branch of psychology devoted to the study how human learns and how they can be helped to learn. It investigates human learning and teaching methods by applying the scientific method. 
• As an applied science, educational psychology describes and explains the learning experiences of an individual from birth through old age. 
• Educational Psychology is the application of principles,- facts and techniques of individual and group psychology to human development, learning and other educational practices in a more or less controlled situation.

The role (significance) of educational psychology is manifested under the following headings :-

Formulation of educational objectives : 

A clear formulation of the educational goals helps in developing the necessary programs to reach these goals. It must be clearly recognized that educational psychology by itself can never determine the educational goals to be rot. This is really a subject of the educational philosophers who formulate educational objectives in the light of social and cultural heritage, current social needs and the image of the future. It must be recognized that educational objectives have to be formulated in the light of knowledge a teacher has regarding the various stages of human development. The facts ascertained regarding individual differences have clearly shown that in the case of mentally retarded and exceptional children. the educational objective should be set in the light of their low and higher abilities.

Quality in instruction : 

Educational psychology helps the teacher in bringing about improvement in the quality of his instructions. From this angle, the aim of educational psychology become to professionally train a teacher. The educational
objectives cannot be achieved without the effective teaching and effective teaching requires effective communication. Some educators have estimated that effective teaching requires common sense, intuition and correct decision making. Thus, if teachers wish to make good decisions for effective teaching a thorough grounding in educational psychology is required.

Sense of realization : 

Educational psychology develops a sense of realization in the educators it brings about cultural and professional changes in the teacher behavior. It also cultivates in the teacher the right attitudes towards human development and pupil learning. It further helps the teacher with information and suitable methods with the help of which he can improve his teaching skills and also ensure desirable growth in the personality of the students.

Effective Classroom Climate : 

Educational psychology develops a non-directive point of view in the classroom. This point of view produces initiative, enterprising and problem solving attitudes in the learners. It has also introduced another psychological concept like “Self-concept” for the teacher. This concept helps teachers in many ways. Insides the classroom, educational psychology has enabled the teacher to achieve the instructional goals by directing classroom programs on human lines. Educational psychology helps the teacher to create effective classroom climate so as to achieve the educational objectives and to develop better attitudes towards life.

Curriculum change : 

Educational psychology enables a teacher to bring changes in the contents of the curriculum with the help of new research findings. Most of the changes in the curriculum from elementary to post graduation level, occurred due to the findings of educational psychology. It has helped to obtain a “child-centered curriculum” instead of  “subject-matter centered curriculum” by emphasizing children motives and their social needs. The role played by educational psychology in shaping the curricular and co-curricular activities is evident in various education system of the world.

Educational administration : 

Educational psychology has provided basic educational concepts in educational administration. It has highlighted the changing concepts of the aims and..responsibilities of educational administration. Educational
psychology has helped the teacher by providing him with a point of view on the educational process. on educational product and educational situation of the learner. Without the knowledge of educational administration the teacher would have groped in the dark. This knowledge has helped him in securing interest, economy of time and effort in learning. It has also endowed him with an appreciative mind with which he is able to maintain an atmosphere in the classroom that is conducive to all-round  development in the learners.

Evaluating the learners performances : 

Educational psychology enables a teacher to evaluate the educational outcomes of the learners. It has enabled him to make use of "intelligence tests, achievement tests and aptitude tests and so on. A teacher can use all these tests for study and evaluating various potentialities and proficiency in the academic and non academic areas of the students. It has also provided him with the knowledge on the development of personality, causes of emotional maladjustment and other related problems. This knowledge helps the teacher in evaluating the learners performance. Without the knowledge of educational psychology, a teacher cannot evaluate his students scientifically and objectively.

Organization of learning experience : 

Once the objectives have been formulated, the teacher has the task of organizing the learning environment do that he can produce the specified changes in his students. A teacher has to use curriculum the textbook, the instructional aids and the pupil activity and so on. All these have to be organized so that the environment will promote the learning of new behavior. Educational psychology makes the teacher realized that every child enters the new learning experience with the accumulated facts of previous learning. A child has in him a complex integration of concepts and he will have to learn new ways of behavior. Thus, the task of organizing learning experiences is to bring about a reorganization of all these concepts so that the learner acquires new discrimination and differentiation. The organization of learning experiences guarantee learning and this is all mm to the discoveries of educational psychology.

Understanding learner behavior : 

The study of educational psychology contributes to the teacher by providing him with a set of concepts and principles that enables him to understand learner behavior in a more critical way. It helps the teachers to know the common aspects among his learners like perception, learning, necessary, sensation, motivation and so on. Educational psychology also helps the teachers to know something about the unique aspect of each individual. Each learner is unique in himself. He has got his weaknesses and his own strengths. The knowledge of educational psychology helps the teacher to know about the individual differences and to decide a particular course of action for each learner.

Methods of research : 

Psychology introduces the teacher to the elements of methods of research in learner behavior. As a science, educational psychology assumes that human behavior is predictable and can be explained. This view of human behavior reveals many aspects. The researches conducted by various educational psychologists have contributed enough to the content of psychology. The researches in the fields of child development, group dynamics mental health, measurement and learning have affected the educative process positively. The research methods devised by psychology substantially help the teacher to diagnose the educational problems of the learners and to enhance the teaching learning process.