How Educational Psychology Helps Us Understand Learning

Educational psychology presents an important discipline in that it provides insight into the internal and external factors affecting learning. A good example here is productive struggle, whereby learners work at tasks that challenge them to the point of slight discomfort. The importance of this idea is that learning is not only ever about ease: it could come from difficulty, especially when supported correctly. Educational psychology attempts to explain this by different theories of motivation, memory, and development showing how learning deepens when students actively participate instead of remaining passive receivers. It thus binds the mental processes together with emotional and social aspects of learning across schools, workplaces, and different experiential settings.

Update: Educational Psychology and Metacognition in Learning

Metacognition, or thinking about one's own thinking, is perhaps one of the most important areas of inquiry within the learning sciences. Developments in educational psychology have played a major role in building the understanding of metacognition and its role in enhancing the learning process. Research has shown that students who plan, monitor, and reflect on their learning tend to do better academically.

References

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Dignath, C., & Büttner, G. (2008). Components of fostering self-regulated learning among students. Metacognition and Learning, 3(3), 231–264.

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Zimmerman, B. J. (2002). Becoming a self-regulated learner: An overview. Theory Into Practice, 41(2), 64–70.