THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF ZANZIBAR
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION, INSTRUCTION AND
LEADERSHIP
FIRST YEAR
COURSE CODE: ED102
COURSE TITLE; EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY
SEMESTER II
A 3 credit course, covering three contact hours per week in a duration of 15 teaching weeks
plus 2 weeks for University Examinations.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course is designed for BA (ED) and BSC (ED) students. It is designed to equip them
with knowledge of psychological principles relevant for teaching secondary schools. The
course is specifically intended to promote the undergraduate students’ understanding of
theories of development and learning and adolescence characteristics, secondary school
learners’ development, characteristics and differences, the learning process based on various
learning theories and principles of motivation. This knowledge will incapacitate them to
teach effectively and facilitate learners’ positive development. In achieving the objectives of
the course, the students will be engaged in group works and seminar presentations,
classroom open discussions and individual assignments.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
At the end of the course, the undergraduate students will be able to:
i.
Explain the meaning of concepts ‘psychology’ and ‘educational psychology’.
ii.
Identify and explain the main focus of various fields and branches of psychology.
iii.
Use methods of studying children in understanding their behavior and
developmental characteristics
iv.
Analyze and explain characteristics of children at different developmental stages and
their implications to their learning.
v.
Explain characteristics, needs and challenges of adolescence period and ways of
helping adolescents to solve their problems related to that period
vi.
Identify learning theories and analyze their principles in relation to actual learning
process in and outside the classroom.
vii.
Identify and analyze theories of motivation and ways of applying the theories in
teaching.
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viii.
ix.
x.
Explain ways of transferring knowledge and skills from one situation to another.
Analyze ways in which culture, gender, class and ethnicity affects children’s
development and learning.
Explain the role of the teacher in teaching the class of mixed culture, gender, class
and ethnicity
Learning outcomes
After the completion of the course the students are expected:
i.
Develop an understanding of the meaning, scope and importance of psychology in
the teaching profession.
ii.
Use psychological methods to study children’s behavior and development in their
learning environment;
iii.
Identify children’s characteristics and differences in developmental, learning and
develop abilities to use appropriate strategies to help them learn well
iv.
Analyze and interpret various learning theories so as to develop an integrated
perspective in teaching and apply them effectively in the relevant teaching and
learning environment
v.
Apply relevant motivation strategies in stimulating secondary students to learn
vi.
Design teaching and learning strategies and contexts in which learners can be able to
transfer knowledge, skills and attitudes from one situation to another.
vii.
Develop learners’ thinking strategies and abilities and use them in their learning
process.
COURSE CONTENT
Week 1 (3 hours):
Psychology concepts:
Meaning of psychology
Meaning of educational psychology
Fields and branches of psychology
Importance of learning Educational psychology for the teacher
Week 2 (3 hour):
Child study
Importance of studying children
Methods of studying children
Week 3 (3 hours):
Child Growth and Development
Characteristics of child’s development
Cognitive development
Week 4 & 5 (6 hours): Types of development
Psychosocial development
Moral development
Language development
Week 6 (3 hours)
Adolescence
 Characteristics of Adolescence
 Needs of adolescent children
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

Challenges facing adolescent children
Ways of helping adolescents to solve adolescence related
problems
Week 7 &8 (6 hours) Learning
Meaning of Learning
Domains of Learning
Theories of learning:
 Behavioral Learning theories;
 Classical & Operant /Instrumental conditioning
 Social/Observational learning
Week 9 & 10 (6 hours) Cognitive theories of learning:
Concept of cognition and meta-cognition
Information processing; Remembering, forgetting and learning
Discovery learning and construction of knowledge
Reception and meaningful learning
Week 11 & 12 (6 hours)
Motivation and learning
Concept of motivation
Theories of motivation
Types of motivation
Importance of Motivation in Learning
Week 13 (3 hours)
Transfer of learning
 Meaning of transfer of learning
 Types of transfer of learning
 Conditions for Transfer of learning
 Strategies to help learners transfer knowledge from one
situation to the other
Week 14 & 15 (3 hours)
Week 16 &17
Diversity in classroom
Children’s individual differences
Types of differences
Sources of differences
 Culture
 Ethnicity
 Class
 Gender
Accommodating children’s differences in learning
University Examinations
COURSE DELIVERY METHODS
Lecture
3



Seminar presentations and discussions
Tutorial
Projects
STUDENTS’ ASSESSMENT
Course work
 Term test
 Take home assignment (in pairs)
 Seminar presentation
40%
20%
10%
10 (5% oral and 5% written)
Examination (3 hours paper)
Total
60%
100
______________________________________________________________
READING LIST
Arrends, R (1998); Learning to Teach (4th Edition); McGraw Hill, Boston.
Coon, D 91988); Essentials of Psychology: Exploration and Application. West Publishing. St. Paul.
Durojaiye, M. O. (1976); An Introduction to Educational Psychology; Evans Brothers, London.
Elliott, S et al (2000); Educational Psychology: Effective Teaching, Effective Learning; McGraw Hill,
Boston.
Freiberg, K,I (1992); Human development (4th ) edition), Jones & Barlett Publishers
Gibson J (1988); Educational Psychology: Mastering Principles and Applications, Allyn & Bacon,
Needgham Heights.
Kegan J &Segal,J (1995): Psychology: An Introduction, Harcout, NewYok
Malim, T & Birch, A (1998); Introductory Psychology; Palgrave, New York.
Myers, D. (1990); Exploring Psychology; Worth Publishers, New York
Papalia, D et al (2001); Human Development (eighth edition); McGraw Hill, Boston.
Passer, M & Smith, R (2001); Psychology: Frontiers and Applications, McGraw Hill Boston.
Reilly, R and Lewis, E (1983); Educational Psychology: Application For Classroom Learning and
Instruction, McMillan Publishing, New York.
Santrock, J (1986); Psychology; The Science of Mind and Behavior. WCB. Brown & Benchmark
Dubuque.
Shea, T & Bauer, A (1994); Learners with Disabilities: A Social system Perspective of Special
Education; WCB-Brown & Benchmark, Madison- Wisconsin Dubuque
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Slavin, R (1988); Educational Psychology: Theory into Practice, Prentice Hall Englewood Cliffs
FEEDBACK FOR EVALUATION
1. Observation and questions during lectures that will give the students opportunities to
comment on the course; clarity of presentations and pace, scope of the content and
using of resources.
2. Analysis of students’ assignments and seminar presentations that will provide
information concerning understanding of concepts, clarity of seminar and
assignment questions and levels of students ability to analyze and apply ideas.
3. At the end of the course the students will be given an evaluation form to fill. This
form will draw comments on the length of the course, relevance of content, delivery
methods, availability and uses of resources, instructor’s guidance and support,
punctuality of the instructor, language used (relevant, clarity and tone).
POLICY OF THE COURSE
In order to achieve the objectives of the course the students are required to do the following:
1. Complete all the assignments and submit them on the allocated date and time;
2. Participate fully and actively in the discussion during seminar presentations
3. Attend lectures regularly and punctually
4. Demonstrate a good ability to speak and write in English. Too many grammatical
errors, spelling mistakes and awkward sentence structures will cost your assignment
scores and affect your final course results;
5. System of referencing and citations should follow current APA style.
6. Avoid plagiarism which includes extracting information directly from books without
acknowledging sources and copying assignments from colleagues
Failure to comply with the above requirements may result to incompleteness of the course
and course repetition.
CONTACT DETAILS
Mr. Abdulla Hemed Mohamed
Computing Block, Second Floor, Room No, 38
Tunguu campus
E-mail: abdulla.mohamed@suza.ac.tz
mobile: 0777 469914
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