BSc Educational Psychology

Developmental psychology considers the ways in which humans grow, change and mature across various life stages. Undertaking this unit, students will consider the behavioural, emotional, physical and cognitive changes which occur during these developmental stages. This unit offers students opportunities to explore core development milestones during childhood such as language, moral and gender development and core psychological topics such as the formation of relationships and how people learn. The unit also focuses on real-world application; providing opportunities to consider the environmental influences upon development and critical consideration of the extent to which theories are applicable in the educational context.

The unit aims to:

• To provide coverage of the BPS qualifying syllabus core area for developmental psychology
• To develop understanding of theory and research in psychological aspects of human development and applications thereof
• To develop understanding of the interplay between psychology and educational practice 

Students should be able to:

The unit covers core developmental milestones occurring from childhood to adolescence, considering the ways in which humans grow and mature over this period. Developmental psychology reflects upon the interplay between behavioural, emotional, physical and cognitive changes which occur during these developmental stages. This unit will explore a number of developmental topics, such as: how individuals acquire language; how children learn; the development of morals; the formation of relationships; and gender-role development.  

In addition to providing students within an overview of core elements of developmental psychology, the unit aims to reflect upon the application of this knowledge within the educational context; providing students with the opportunity for critical analysis and reflection of how knowledge from developmental psychology could be beneficial within educational contexts.

The unit deploys a flipped learning approach in order to maximise active learning within the classroom. Students will engage in asynchronous pre-sessional lecture materials (e.g. videos/mini activities/reading etc.), which provide students with a core overview of the topic area (3 hours per week). These learnings will be enhanced through weekly synchronous, face-to-face seminars which will build upon knowledge acquired in asynchronous activities through case/scenario based learning and class discussion and debate. Students will contribute ideas through small group verbal discussions and digital tools (such as Padlet/Miro/Hypothesis) (2 hours per week). Students are provided with weekly recommended reading and further reading options to engage with, within private study time, to deepen their understanding of the topic area (2-3 hours per week). Students are encouraged to actively reflect upon feedback from previous assignments in order to deploy learnings from this into their assignment.

• Describe a key theory in developmental psychology and explain its relevance for the educational environment

• Produce well-reasoned and a logical progression of arguments within the field of developmental psychology
• Synthesise findings from appropriate empirical evidence
• Evaluate the extent to which findings from empirical evidence relating to developmental psychology can be useful for recommending teaching practices  

• Use library, electronic and online resources to identify and reference relevant academic sources to produce an assignment

• Demonstrate appropriate written tone and language in writing for a teacher audience

BSc Educational Psychology is externally accredited by the British Psychological Society.

Formative Assessment

• Optional asynchronous mini quizzes offered throughout the unit on Blackboard
• Live quizzes used during synchronous activities 

Assessment

• Assignment title: Mr. James is new to teaching and he is wanting to learn more about psychology and how it applies to his learners in his classroom. Consider one of the topics covered in the unit, and, in light of empirical work, consider what advice you would give Mr James.
• Assessment is optional format so students are able to choose their preferred format for the assignment e.g. essay, letter, blog post, presentation, video, etc.  (2,500 words or 25 minutes, 100%)

Formative Assessment

• Asynchronous mini-quizzes - Written, online
• Live quizzes - Written, in person

Assessment

• Written feedback

Bee, H. & Boyd, D. (2008). Lifespan Development. (5^th Edition (Int. Ed). London: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon

Berger, K. S. (2014). The developing person through the lifespan. 9^th Edition. London: W H Freeman

Keenan, T., Evans, S. & Crowley, K. (2016) An Introduction to Child Development (3rd Edition) Sage Publications 

Lightfoot, C., Cole, M. & Cole, S. R. (2013). The development of children.7^th Edition). New York: Palgrave MacMillan

Smith, P.K., Cowie, H. & Blades, M. (2015). Understanding Children’s Development. 6^th Edition. Oxford: Wiley Blackwell

Expected Outcomes

The module forms part of the BSc Educational Psychology programme and conforms to the QAA discipline benchmark for Psychology required for accreditation by the relevant PSRB (BPS).  As outlined by BPS, content includes core topics such as: attachment, social relations, cognitive and language development (Section 3.4 Subject Knowledge and Understanding Statement).

By taking this unit students can expect to develop a number of key academic skills including written communication and IT skills through the production of a credit-bearing assignment. Furthermore, students will develop their critical thinking, problem-solving skills and anticipatory competencies through taught materials, debates and independent study.

The unit will also engage students in the development of their key personal skills in  self-awareness and reflection through engagement and discussion on topics with peers and staff. This unit provides students with the opportunity to develop employability skills including verbal communication, collaboration and  teamwork, through seminar discussion.  

Formative assessments provides students with the opportunity to reflect on their own learning and engage in positive feedback opportunities to further their academic development. The summative assessment provides students with an opportunity to engage in an authentic professional task by considering the application of a psychological theory into the educational context.