?After going trough this unit you will be able to Know about the necessity of adopting different methods used to learn about the individual’s behaviour. Classify the methods into different types. Describe each method with its merits and limitations. INTRODUCTION Educational psychology is an important branch of psychology. It is a subject which emphasizes the application of psychological principles in the field of education. It deals with the behaviour of an individual in the educational environment.
According to the “Encyclopedia of Educational Research”, “Educational psychology is the study of the learner and of the learning-teaching process in its various ramifications (branches) directed towards helping the child come to terms with society with a maximum of security and satisfaction” On main objective of educational psychology is to help a teacher to understand his student’s behaviour in the educative process. A teacher may face different problems in the classroom as well as outside it. It is important that a teacher understands the significance of individual difference and solves the various problems of the classroom.
Therefore, in order to achieve the objective of educational psychology some methods are adopted to collect data to know about a learner’s personality. The first attempt to adopt a method of educational psychology began in the year 1879 by W. Wundt of Germany. In recent years, with the development of technology, researchers have started using new methods of collecting and analyzing data. CLASSIFICATION OF THE METHODS OF EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY We can see below some of the methods of educational psychology: 2. 3. 1 Method of Introspection. 2. 3. 2 Observation Method
The Essay on Educational psychology 12
Assessment is the process of collecting, interpreting, and synthesising information in order to make decisions about students; provide learners feedback about their progress and their strengths and weaknesses; judge instructional effectiveness and inform educational policy (American Federation of Teachers, et al. , 1990 as cited in Gage and Berliner, 1998). On the other hand, motivation is simply ...
2. 3. 3 Case study Method 2. 3. 4 Experimental Method. 2. 3. 5 interview method 2. 3. 6 Differential Method. 2. 3. 7 Psychoanalysis. Let us analyse these five methods of educational psychology one by one. Introspection Method This is the oldest method of educational psychology. The word ‘introspection’ has been derived from two Latin words, ‘intro’ meaning ‘withing’ and ‘spiere’ meaning to ‘look’. Therefore introspection implies ‘self observation’, or in other words, to experience one’s own mental state i. e. , to observe, analyze and report one’s own feelings.
Now let us turn to two psychologists James and Stout to know what they have said about psychological method in education. According to William James, “Introspective observation is what we have to rely on first and foremost and always. The word intro-spection needs hardly to be defined – it means, of course, looking into our own minds and recording what we there discover. Everyone agrees that through this method one can discover one’s own states of consciousness. So far as I know, the existence of such states has never been doubted by any critic, however skeptical in other respects he may have been.
” According to Stout, “In introspection we are concerned with the nature of experience itself and with the laws of mental process. The observer in introspection is directed towards the answering of questions of theoretical importance for the advancement of our systematic knowledge of the laws and conditions of mental process. ” Introspection examines inner behaviour of an individual and an individual knows about his own feelings or thoughts in a particular situation. The Introspection method has both merits and demerits.
Merits of Introspection Method: The merits of the introspection method are given below:- Introspection is the easiest of all methods of educational psychology. It does not need any tool or laboratory as the subject and the investigator is the same. It is the most economical method and one which enables us to know about the mental state of an individual, i. e. his emotions and feelings. Introspection, as a method, has generated a lot of research and is used in almost all experimental students. Drawbacks of Introspection Method: The drawbacks of the introspection method are given below:-
The Essay on Psychoanalytic, Jungian and Individual Psychology Theories
The counseling roadmap for this learner essentially begins on an angle, with a number of major theories of degree. Some of the major counseling theories the learner will study, in this course, include: classical psychoanalysis, individual psychology, analytical theory, person-centered therapy, rational emotive behavior therapy, existential therapy, solution focused therapy, behavior therapy, ...
Introspection means looking into-one’s own emotions and feelings, so when one attempts to study one’s mental state, it disappears and therefore it is different to introspect the changing psychological experiences. As the subject and investigator is same the introspection becomes subjective and biased and therefore the data may not be reliable and valid. The person may not consider certain facts. The introspection method cannot be done by abnormal individuals and children. A person should be highly trained and skilled to introspect properly.
According to Kant, a famous scholar, it is not possible to accept conscious experience as the subject matter of psychology and then consider introspection as its proper method. Hence, we can conclude that the introspection method cannot be considered as precise; the limitations can be overcome by proper training and only then can it become effective. Let Us Know Introspection is the oldest method of educational psychology. Introspection means ‘self observation’, i. e. to look into one’s own mental state. Introspection means examining the inner behaviour of an individual by oneself.
Introspection is the easiest and most economical of all methods of educational psychology. In this method the individual is both the subject and the observer. Introspection has generated a lot of research in experimental studeies. The data collected through the introspection method may not be reliable as an individual’s mental state is changeable. The introspection method can not be done by abnormal people and children While introspecting an individual may hide certain facts of his mental state and therefore the obtained data may not be valid. Check your Progress 1.
Explain very briefly about the Introspection Method. ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 2. Can the introspection method be applied to all? ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 3. Mention three drawbacks of the introspection method.
The Essay on Observation method
1. Observation method The observation method is the most commonly used method especially in studies relating to behavioral sciences. In a way we all observe things around us, but this sort of observation is not scientific observation. Observation becomes a scientific tool and the method of data collection for the researcher, when it serves a formulated research purpose, is systematically planned ...
……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… observation method It is one of the oldest and most popular methods of educational psychology. It has replaced the method of introspection of self observation. The observation method is also called ‘objective observation’. According to John Dollard, “The primary research instrument would seen to be the observing human intelligence trying to make sense out of human experience.
” Observation is one of the basic methods which mean that an individual’s behaviour (i. e. a person’s bodily gestures, facial expression and other bodily actions) is observed. It is accepted by psychologists that an individual’s overt behaviour is the result of his internal mental conditions. The observer makes systematic observation through recording in a natural situation. Observation can be both natural and participant. In natural observation the experimenter observes and records the behaviour of the subjects in the natural setting as has been mentioned above; here the subjects are not conscious about their behaviour being observed.
The Essay on Attitudes And Experiences Respondents Method Interview
Methods As we were interested in attitudes and experiences of our subjects we decided to use a qualitative approach to conduct our study. We wished our respondents to define their attitudes and experiences using their own words and meanings therefore it was considered that quantitative data was not appropriate for such a study. Qualitative study is more in-depth and much less structured than a ...
In participant observation, the observer becomes a member of the group, gains the confidence of the other group members by building rapport with them, and observes their behaviour. Here also the subjects are not conscious that their behaviour is being observed. Certain principles should be followed in the observation method. They are: Observation should be made not only of the individual’s behaviour but of the whole situation. Proper planning of the observation process should be made; objectives must be clear and the proper tools for recording must be kept properly.
Observer must select the appropriate number of subjects to be observed. Too many will be difficult to manage. The time limit of observation must also be fixed. Too long time may make the observer distracted and tired and if it is too short it will not yield the proper information. As observation is a systematic process, the observer must have the proper skills and aptitude and the ability to report accurately. Only then will the data be reliable. Advantages of the observation method: The observation method has certain advantages such as :
It is observation of behaviour in natural setting. It is objective and therefore more reliable. It is applicable for all age groups. Observation can be done through simple tools as well as sophisticated ones like camera, tape recorder video recorder etc. Observation can be made in any situation of our day to day life. Limitations of the Observation method: The limitations of the observation method are as follows:- Data can be collected only about observable behaviour or overt behaviour. Therefore, it can be unreliable at times as the subject’s mental behaviour can be different.
Personal prejudices, or in other words, subjectivity on the part of the observer can be a big drawback of this method. The observer’s own interests, values may affect the interpretation of the data to a great extent. The behaviour of the subjects may be affected by the time and place. Their behaviour may be different at different times under the same circumstances. Sometimes the observation method lacks precision, as different observers tend to interpret the data in different ways. Therefore if the data collected are expressed in quantitative measures then they can be interpreted by statistical methods.
The Essay on Scientific Method and Participant Observation
In the article, “Researching Dealers and Smugglers,” Patricia Adler discusses her and her husband’s experience using participant observation to collect data from drug dealers and the problems this qualitative method brought. A qualitative method focuses on collecting rich, non-statistical data. This method involves face-to-face interviews and actual participation with the group being researched. ...
The observation method fails to establish a cause-effect relationship between the subjects’ behaviour and their surroundings. For examples delinquency may not always be caused by poverty, sometimes sound economic position of the subject can cause delinquent behaviour. Therefore it becomes difficult to draw conclusions that a particular situation can induce certain bind of behaviour in an individual. Check Your Progress 4. Explain very briefly the observation method. ……………………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………………. 5. Mention the principles of “Observation Method”. ………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………. Interview Method Today, for psychological researches, mainly, interview method has become very popular. In this method there is direct face to face contact between the investigator and the subject.
Here the interviewer or the investigator asks questions to the subject and records the answers usually without the latter knowing it. In the words of Fred N. Kerlinger, “The interview is perhaps the ubiquitous method of obtaining information from people. It has been and is still being used in all kinds of practical situations, eg. the lawyer obtains information from his client, the physian learns about a patient; the administrative officer or professor determines the suitability of students for schools, departments and curricula.
The Term Paper on Ended Question Interview Subject Questions
The Aspects of Interview and Interrogation There are many aspects that make up a successful interview or interrogation. An investigator does not become a skilled interviewer or interrogator over night. Training and experience are vital to becoming skilled at interviewing and interrogation. Experience is the best teacher, conducting interviews and interrogations is the only way to become more ...
Only recently, however, interview has been used systematically for scientific purposes, both in the laboratory and in the field. He also said that it is a face to face inter-personal situation in which one person, the interviewer asks a person being interviewed, the respondent, questions designed to obtain answers pertinent to research problems” According to P. V. Young, “Interviewing is not a simple way to conversation between an interrogator and informant. Gestures, glances, facial expressions and pauses often reveal subtle feelings”
Objectives of Interview Method: The main objective of the interview method is to collect information about unknown fact of the subject, his inner feelings, Another objective is to make sure that the interviewer and the subject know each other quite well, so that the collected data is verified well, Interview method aims at providing an opportunity to the investigator to observe the subject very closely; as a result, at times, the subject can provide new ideas to the investigator which help the latter in research work. Types of Interview Method:
There are different types of interview – focused interview repeated interview, clinical interview, diagnostic interview, research interview personal interview etc. Merits of the Interview Method: The merits of the interview method are- High participation of the subject or respondent. The subject answers the questions in a free manner. Illiterate as well as children provide proper in-depth information as compared to other methods like observation, questionnaire method etc. This method is very flexible as it becomes possible for the interviewer to reframe, repeat and rephrase the questions as suitable for the subject.
The subject’s emotions can be studied well. It is often observed that during an interview, the subject may become emotional and get excited, and may express freely his fears, anxieties, and complexes. Through the interview method the investigator may get to know the cause of any behaviour pattern of the subject, the historical background of each incident. The data collected through the interview method is reliable. The interviewer analyses and crosschecks the information provided, to find out whether the data is correct or not.
The interview method can be applied on all types of people- literate or illiterate children and adults and at times also on mentally unbalanced persons. In the interview method, the subject and investigator are face to face with each other. Both discuss the problems and during discussion views can be exchanged and this is desirable in order to study every social problem along with the subject’s own problems. Demerits of the Interview Method : The demerits of the interview methods are :- It is a costly method. It involves a lot of traveling on the part of the interviewer.
It is also time consuming as the interviewer has to physically locate a subject. A lot of planning is required. The investigator has to provide a number of stimuli to get information from the subject, must make careful observation of the latter’s behaviour patterns so the interviewer must remember a number of things at the same time. So the whole process becomes too strenuous. The subject may not reveal his true feelings and emotions. Sometimes the interviewer may have preconceived notions which may not hold true during interview, but he is reluctant to change his views.
P. V. Young said that biased and prior thinking may distort and invalidate the results of the whole interview. The interviewer’s perception of things may clash with those of the interviewee’s. Their beliefs and values may be totally different. So the Investigator must be very proficient and must have proper insight into human nature. There can be difficulty in persuading the subject to be interviewed. The subject may tend to be bored during the process and then the data obtained will not be valid Check your Progress 6. Discuss breifly the interview method.
……………………………………………………………………………………………. …………………………………………………………………………………………….. 7 Explain three advantages and three disadvantages of the interview method. ……………………………………………………………………………………………. …………………………………………………………………………………………….. experimental method It is one of the most important and objective methods of psychology as it is very scientific.
It is precise, planned, systematic, or in other words, it is observation under controlled conditions. According to J. W Best, “Experimental research is the description and analysis of what will be, or what will occur, under carefully controlled conditions”. In experiments, there is always the attempt to establish certain cause and effect relationships through carefully planned and controlled observation of the subject’s behaviour. The ‘experimental methods’ has certain characteristics. They are- In the experimental method the conditions are always controlled. It essentially requires at least two persons, the experimenter and the subject.
Usually the experimental method is applied on persons in a random order. In the experimental method two different types of variables are used – (a) Independent variable like intelligence and (b) dependent variable like home or school environment, other socio-economic conditions etc. Merits of Experimental Method : The experimental method has the following merits : It is the most systematic method and the conditions can be completely controlled. The data collected can be analysed in an objective manner and so it is reliable. A cause-effect relationship of individual’s behaviour can be established.
Hypothesis can be formulated and the result of the experiment can be tested keeping this in consideration. It discards subjective viewpoints. It increases the scope for further research as the result of the experimental method can be precisely recorded. Drawbacks of the Experimental Method The drawbacks of the experimental method are – As human behaviour is changeable, identical behaviour of the same individual not occur even under identical conditions at different times. Mostly experiments have been conducted on animals like cats, dogs and rats and the principles arrived at on the basis of such tests may not explain human beings.
It is often difficult to conduct experiments in social sciences unlike physical sciences. The experimental method is costly and time consuming. The experimenter must have specialized skills to conduct experiments. The tools used in experiments may not be satisfactory and therefore the obtained data may not be reliable. The experimental method can produce results of probability and not certainly. Check Your Progress 8. Explain briefly the “Experimental Method”. ………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………… 9. What are the characteristics of the experimental method? ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 10. Mention two merits and two drawbacks of the experimental method. ………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………… The Case Study Method The ‘Case Study’ method deals with the emotional and mental state of an individual. This method is applied to study special behavioural problems of an individual by specially trained teachers, psychologist and psychiatrists. Through this method total information of family background, schooling and also social conditions of the individuals is obtained; hence it can be called a cumulative record which is of great help in understanding the
source of an individual’s fears, anxiety, worry, or any kind of maladjustment. The main objective of this method is to help the individual adjust better with the environment and gain self confidence to attain higher levels of achievement. Different steps may be used in the case study method- some of them are mentioned below:- Basic preliminary information about the subject’s name, age, sex, parent’s age, education, occupation as well as social status. Proper physical check-up of the individual is done to ascertain whether his/her behavioural problem is due to any disease.
Only in the absence of any physical ailment can psychological treatment start. The subject should be very comfortable with the investigator while the latter takes the information. The investigator (teacher or psychologist) should be friendly and the language of collecting data must be simple so that free and frank responses can be available. The investigator must not tire the subject; instead, regular intervals of rest should be given. The method cannot be applied hastily – it may go on for several weeks or months. The behaviour of the individual should be observed in natural setting and working conditions.
Doing so will provide correct data which ultimately in most cases, will lead to proper understanding of the root cause of the person’s problems. Special care must be taken in the post treatment period so that there is no recurrence of the problem. The parents and family members and other associates must take care so that the subject can modify his behaviour and prevent maladjustment. Method of Treatment : Treatment methods of maladjusted individuals include the following :- Efforts must be made to modify the environmental factors so that the individual can adapt better.
