Some teachers are prejudiced against the study and the findings of psychology because they cannot understand the exact nature and place of psychology in education. No one can define the exact nature and place of psychology in education.
Any definition will have to be somewhat arbitrary. At best, we can only try to think of the domain which psychology has chosen for its study and the kind of knowledge it seeks to build up and utilize in the education of pupils, young and old.
Within the sphere of educational psychology such things as these might be included – home and society, pupils and their mental make-up, the nature and development of personality, the various aspects of learning and teaching methods, the problems and principles of curricula, the relations of teachers with their students and vice versa, the children’s’ varied reactions in the school, etc.
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AU kinds of children normal, sub-normal, super-normal, adjusted, maladjusted and backward come under the purview of educational psychology. Thus, educational psychology informs the teacher about his pupils. With its help, the teacher can understand the suitability of the contents and method of teaching and can effect proper personality development.
Equipped with a psychological insight the teacher can stimulate the child’s curiosity, the development of interests and the various skills that are necessary for the child towards desirable adjustment in the environment.
Educational psychology does not over-emphasize the philosophies, or introspective evidence. It is mainly concerned with the study of the child as he is. It makes a scientific study of the practical problems that the teacher, parents and the administrators have to face in the education of children. Hence the education of a child cannot be conducted successfully without the help of psychology.