educational psychology

American  

noun

1. a branch of psychology concerned with developing effective educational techniques and dealing with psychological problems in schools.

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educational psychology British  

noun

1. the study of methods of training and teaching and their effectiveness, and of the problems experienced in learning formal material; in particular, the study of how to help people, esp school children, with learning problems to overcome their difficulties

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• educational psychologist
  noun

Etymology

Origin of educational psychology

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

Cariaga, whose father was a lawyer, was doing clerical work for an insurance company while preparing to study educational psychology.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 15, 2026

“When you think of traditional mental health, people are going in and getting fixed,” said Francesca Pernice, a Wayne State University College of Education professor of educational psychology who has studied clubhouses.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 2, 2024

As educational psychology researchers we look at ways to improve how students learn.

From Salon • Apr. 16, 2024

That may be because suspending or expelling students makes them angrier and leads to more violence, said study co-author Eric Anderman, professor of educational psychology at Ohio State.

From Science Daily • Nov. 14, 2023

This idea is evidenced by the fact that the foundation courses are psychology, principles of education, child study, educational psychology.

From College Teaching Studies in Methods of Teaching in the College by Klapper, Paul