Why study educational psychology

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Why study educational psychology?
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Some questions we will address this semester

• What are some characteristics that make teachers
  more effective? Can they be taught/developed?
• To what extent do learners beliefs influence
  their constructions of understanding?
• Which should curriculum emphasize more Teaching
  content (i.e. concepts) or processes (i.e. study
  skills)?
• Is competition good or bad for classroom
  motivation?
• Is assessment overemphasized, underemphasized, or
  appropriately emphasized in todays schools?

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Chapter I Preview (I)

• Objectives
• Describe and explain characteristics of
  professionalism
• Describe different types of knowledge
• Differentiate types of research
• Explain how case studies have the potential to
  make educational psychology more meaningful

4
Chapter I Preview (II)

• Professionalism
• Commitment to learners
• Decision making
• Reflection
• Professional knowledge

5
Overview of Research (I)
Research
Experimental -ddd
Quasi-Experimental
Non-Experimental

• Experimental
• Treatment v. Control
• Randomization

• Quasi-Experimental
• Treatment v. Control
• NO Randomization

• Non-Experimental
• Treatment
• NO Control
• NO Randomization

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Overview of Research (II)
Cause and Effect
Yes
Yes
Cause and Effect
Yes
No
No
No
Relationship
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Non-experimental

• Non-Experimental research often uses correlations
• Strength and direction
• Size of number is the strength
• Range is -1.00 to 1.00
• The sign ( or -) is the direction
• Positive same direction
• Negative opposite directions
• The number of ice rinks is highly correlated
  (.78) with the number of garden supply stores in
  Minnetonka, MN.
• Does NOT indicate cause

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Experimental Research

• Comparable groups of subjects
• Random assignment of subjects
• Treatment and control groups
• independent variable(s) levels (e.g,
  intervention)
• Measurement after treatment
• dependent variables
• accuracy, errors, comprehension score, motivation
  level, reading ability, problem solving
  strategies
• Statistical significance
• conduct statistical analyses to determine
  statistical significance -- establish
  cause-and-effect