Module manager: Ouhao Chen
Email: o.chen@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable
Year running 2025/26
EDUC1211 Psychological Approaches to Education – title change with no descriptive changes to module summary text. The catalogue entry remains the same as 22/23.
This module is not approved as a discovery module
This module is about the application of psychological knowledge to education. You will learn about a broad range of theories and perspectives with a focus on lifespan developmental psychology running throughout the module. You will look at some of the big issues and debates in the field of education, such as the nature of effective teaching and the role of evidence from empirical research to inform practice. You will also be introduced to the use of psychological techniques in educational research. If you are interested in the application of psychology to education across the lifespan, and/or considering a career in teaching or related professions then this module will be relevant to your aims and interests.
The module aims to introduce and explore the relevance of psychological perspectives to education in terms of how they are used to understand education processes and practices, and how they influence ideas about the nature of education and learning, and special educational needs. The module will introduce you to some of the subfields in Psychology including cognition, developmental psychology, perception, language and communication, social psychology, and individual differences. It will introduce you to a range of theoretical issues and empirical evidence from research in the field of psychology, with a focus on areas that have had an application to education. The module will help you develop an ability to engage critically with a range of literature.
In completing this module, the student should be able to:
- Discuss key topics in the fields of educational psychology, including developmental, cognitive, individual, social and biological psychology
- To be able to apply this knowledge, understanding and awareness, in an analytical, and critical fashion to education and special educational needs
- Develop a critical awareness of different theoretical approaches and big issues of debate in the field.
- Describe and evaluate different methodological approaches used in educational psychology research
- Develop a range of general skills in problem solving and effective communication
Subject specific:
1) Identify and explain key theories and research in the field of developmental psychology and psychology of education
2) Describe and evaluate different methodological approaches used in psychology and how they are applied in education and childhood research
Skills:
3) Apply knowledge of research and theory to understand real world issues
4) Communicate ideas in appropriate formats
5) Develop an effective search strategy to find relevant literature
6) Summarise and compare empirical research articles
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 10 | 2 | 20 |
| Seminar | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| Independent online learning hours | 11 | ||
| Private study hours | 166 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 23 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200 | ||
Independent learning will consist of students reviewing lecture captures and/or PowerPoint slides to ensure their note-taking is secure and accessing online discussion forums. Each week, a guided activity will be set to support learning in the session (e.g. accessing an online resource or analysing a journal article).
Students will be required to prepare for lectures and seminars by completing weekly required reading. Students are expected to use private study time for wide reading and research around the set topics and to prepare questions for lectures and seminars.
Students will be required to use private study time to prepare for and reflect upon the development of their assignments. After extensive research, planning and preparation students will submit their assignments using the VLE.
Students will have the opportunity to send the module tutor assignment plans for feedback. These must be no longer than 1 side of A4
Progress will also be monitored through seminar contributions.
Students will be encouraged to keep in regular contact with the module tutor via email and a discussion board for frequently asked questions will be provided on the VLE.
Online teaching session contributions (seminars)
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Coursework | 40 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 40 | |
Students will be required to use the library catalogue and PsycINFO as databases to search the 3 articles. Students will have the opportunity to send the module tutor coursework plans for feedback. These must be no longer than 1 side of A4
| Exam type | Exam duration | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Online MCQ | 2.0 Hrs Mins | 60 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Exams) | 60 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list
Last updated: 12/08/2025
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team