Psychology and Education
Full time Master of Philosophy (MPhil)
Part time Master in Education (MEd) - two year
Please note that this route is not currently open to PGCE/MEd students as a one year part time route.
This course is intended for applicants who have an interest in education, have undertaken some previous study of developmental and educational psychology, perhaps within their first degree, and now wish to develop their knowledge in this area further.
British Psychological Society Accreditation
The course is accredited as a graduate conversion course by the British Psychological Society. Candidates can obtain BPS Graduate Membership (GM) and the Graduate Basis for Registration (GBR) by taking two additional exams (on the core topics of psychology and research methods) and by submitting extra practicals on top of the standard coursework (of two essays and a thesis). GM and GBR allows candidates to proceed onto courses offering a professional training as a Chartered Psychologist (in, for example, educational or clinical psychology).
To be eligible to obtain GM or GBR, applicants must have the equivalent of 6 months study of psychology at undergraduate level (or 60 credits of previous psychology studies) prior to starting the course. Please be aware that taking this option will be very challenging for students who do not have considerable experience of studying psychology. Prior knowledge of basic quantitative statistics is advisable.
On successful completion of the course, including the additional BPS assessments, students need to apply to the BPS for GM and GBR. Details of the requirements and application procedure can be found at:
http://www.bps.org.uk/membership/grades/grades_home.cfm
Course Modules
Two Introductory level modules are offered:
- Developmental, cognitive psychology & cognitive neuroscience
- Historical & conceptual issues in psychology; social psychology & individual differences
These are followed by two advanced modules:
- Biological, cognitive, social & emotional aspects of learning
- Enhancing learning and behaviour in the school context
Module 1: Developmental, cognitive psychology & cognitive neuroscience (introductory)
This course aims to introduce students to the major bodies of research, methodological and theoretical issues in relation to the study of psychological development and the psychology & neuroscience of cognition. Students have opportunities to consider constructivist, socio-cultural and information-processing and physiological approaches to development and cognition.
Research and theory concerned with the following issues will be addressed: attachment, theory of mind, development of language; cognitive development during infancy and childhood; perception and attention; memory; genetics and evolutionary approaches to explaining human behaviour; the structure and functioning of the brain and central nervous system; neuroscience and education.
Module 2: Historical and conceptual issues & in psychology & individual differences (introductory)
This conceptual & historical part of this course is structured around a number of key questions: What is science, and to what extent does psychology (the science of the mind) exemplify scientific characteristics? To what extent is psychology socially and culturally constructed? Can psychology be politically and morally neutral? These questions are illustrated through consideration of historical approaches to the key topics of social psychology and intelligence.
The primary focus of the social psychological part of the course is on elements of social cognition (impression formation, person perception, person memory, attribution theory); self and social categorisation; social interaction and communication and aggression.
The individual differences part of the course examines personal and social development, focusing particularly on psychological aspects of identity, personality and intelligence. Attention is given to different theoretical models of individual differences and the relevance of genetic, cognitive, emotional, social, environmental and cultural factors to personal biographies, experience and patterns of behaviour in different setttings. Approaches to research and assessment (including psychometric testing) are critically evaluated with reference to the use of findings in the fields of social policy, education and employment.
Module 3: Biological, cognitive, social & emotional aspects of learning
This module provides an examination of contemporary theory and research concerned with how children think and learn and considers the implications for teaching. The course incorporates three strands:
- Learning in classrooms: self-related constructs and their role in education
- The cognitive neuroscience of mathematics
- Science education: a psychological perspective
- Children as learners: self-regulation & metacognition; play, creativity & problem-solving; reasoning by analogy
Module 4: Enhancing learning and behaviour in the school context (advanced)
This module focuses on the contribution of psychology to understanding why children may have behavioural and learning difficulties in school and deciding on appropriate educational responses. The course incorporates three strands:
- Understanding pupils' social behaviour
- Sociocultural psychology and education
- Enhancing learning for pupils with learning difficulties
- Specific patterns of difficulty in learning and behaviour reading, spelling & dyslexia; autism
Research project:
Students are supported on an individual basis to design and carry out small scale empirical projects related to issues which have been raised within the course and in which they have a particular interest.
Attendance
Part time students would be required to attend sessions on Wednesday afternoon from 2-7pm. Full time students are required to attend sessions at various times throughout the week and must to adhere to university residency requirements.
Pre-course Reading
All students accepted on to the course are provided with extensive reading lists throughout the course. However, the following introductory texts could usefully be read prior to the start of the course:
Berryman, J. et al (1997), Psychology and You, 2nd Ed., BPS Books.
Berryman, J. et al (1991), Developmental Psychology and You, BPS Books.
Goswami, U. (2008), Cognitive Development, Psychology Press.
Whitebread, D. (ed) (2000), The Psychology of Teaching and Learning in the Primary School, RoutledgeFalmer
Carlson, Neil R., Buskist, W., Martin, G.Neil . (ed) (2000), Psychology: the Science of Behaviour (European Adaptation),( Allyn & Bacon); Rev Ed edition (26 Nov 1999) ISBN-13: 978-0130212283 Paperback
Sani, F., Todman J. (ed) (2000), Experimental Design and Statistics for Psychology: A First Course , (Blackwell Publishing) (Dec 2005) ISBN-13: 978-1405100243 Paperback
Howitt, D. (2008), Statistics in psychology, 4th Edition, Prentice Hall.