Advertisement

Advertisement

How Scientific Is Educational Psychology Research? The Increasing Trend of Squeezing Causality and Recommendations from Non-intervention Studies

  • REFLECTION ON THE FIELD
  • Published: 15 March 2023
  • Volume 35 , article number  37 , ( 2023 )

Cite this article

  • Anna C. Brady   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-1361-2412 1 ,
  • Marlynn M. Griffin 1 ,
  • Ariah R. Lewis 2 ,
  • Carlton J. Fong 3 &
  • Daniel H. Robinson 4  

1763 Accesses

6 Citations

18 Altmetric

Explore all metrics

The field of educational psychology has been moving away from intervention and experimental methods and toward observational and correlational methods (Hsieh et al., Journal of Educational Psychology, 97(4), 523–529, 2005 ; Reinhart et al., Journal of Educational Psychology, 105(1), 241–247, 2013 ; Robinson et al., American Educational Research Journal, 44(2), 400–413, 2007 ). Additionally, there has been an increase in the percentage of observational and correlational articles that include recommendations for practice. The present study updated previous data to 2020 by examining methodologies and recommendations for practice in articles published in five empirical educational psychology journals ( Journal of Educational Psychology , American Educational Research Journal , Cognition and Instruction , Journal of Experimental Education , and Contemporary Educational Psychology ). The percentage of articles employing experimental methods has continued to decrease (20%), whereas qualitative methods have increased (22%). Across correlational, qualitative, and mixed method articles, two-thirds included recommendations for practice—up from 46% in 2010. Implications are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price includes VAT (Russian Federation)

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Rent this article via DeepDyve

Institutional subscriptions

Alexander, P. A. (2013). In praise of (reasoned and reasonable) speculation: A response to Robinson et al.’s moratorium on recommendations for practice. Educational Psychology Review, 25 (3), 303–308. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-013-9234-2

Article   Google Scholar  

Anderman, E. M. (2011). Educational psychology in the twenty-first century: Challenges for our community. Educational Psychologist, 46 (3), 185–196. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2011.587724

Baumeister, R. F., Campbell, J. D., Krueger, J. I., & Vohs, K. D. (2003). Does high self-esteem cause better performance, interpersonal success, happiness, or healthier lifestyles? Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 4 (1), 1–44. https://doi.org/10.1111/1529-1006.01431

Christian Andersen, H. (1837). The emperor’s new clothes. In  Fairy Tales Told for Children.  C. A. Reitzel.

Creswell, J. W. (2013). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (3rd ed.). Sage.

Google Scholar  

Dumas, D., Alexander, P. A., & Singer, L. M. (2015). Analyzing historical patterns, examining current trends, and forecasting change in the field of educational psychology: A cross-cultural perspective. Knowledge Cultures, 3 (2), 7–23.

Fong, C. J., Alejandro, A. J., Krou, M. R., Segovia, J., & Johnston-Ashton, K. (2019). Ya’at’eeh: Race-reimaged belongingness factors, academic outcomes, and goal pursuits among Indigenous community college students. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 59 , 101805. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2019.101805

Gehlbach, H., & Robinson, C. D. (2021). From old school to open science: The implications of new research norms for educational psychology and beyond. Educational Psychologist, 56 (2), 79–89. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2021.1898961

Grosz, M. P., Rohrer, J. M., & Thoemmes, F. (2020). The taboo against explicit causal inference in nonexperimental psychology. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 15 (5), 1243–1255. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691620921521

Harris, K. R. (2013). Disallowing recommendations for practice and policy: A proposal that is both too much and too little. Educational Psychology Review, 25 , 309–316. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-013-9235-1

Hsieh, P. (P.-H.), Acee, T., Chung, W.-H., Hsieh, Y.-P., Kim, H., Thomas, G. D., You, J.-I., Levin, J. R., & Robinson, D. H. (2005). Is educational intervention research on the decline? Journal of Educational Psychology, 97 (4), 523–529. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.97.4.523

Jones, S. R., Torres, V., & Arminio, J. (2014). Negotiating the complexities of qualitative research in higher education: Fundamental elements and issues . Routledge.

Kuo, E., & LeBaron Wallace, T. (2020). Introduction to the special section: Qualitative studies of reasoning. Journal of Educational Psychology, 112 (3), 417–419. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000472

Meyer, D. K., & Schutz, P. A. (2020). Why talk about qualitative and mixed methods in educational psychology? Introduction to Special Issue. Educational Psychologist, 55 (4), 193–196. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2020.1796671

Morgan, H. (2016). Relying on high-stakes standardized tests to evaluate schools and teachers: A bad idea. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 89 (2), 67–72. https://doi.org/10.1080/00098655.2016.1156628

Reinhart, A. L., Haring, S. H., Levin, J. R., Patall, E. A., & Robinson, D. H. (2013). Models of not-so-good behavior: Yet another way to squeeze causality and recommendations for practice out of correlational data. Journal of Educational Psychology, 105 (1), 241–247. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0030368

Renkl, A. (2013). Why practice recommendations are important in use-inspired basic research and why too much caution is dysfunctional. Educational Psychology Review, 25 (3), 317–324. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-013-9236-0

Robinson, D. H., Levin, J. R., Thomas, G. D., Pituch, K. A., & Vaughn, S. (2007). The incidence of “causal” statements in teaching-and-learning research journals. American Educational Research Journal, 44 (2), 400–413. https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831207302174

Robinson, D. H., Levin, J. R., Schraw, G., Patall, E. A., & Hunt, E. B. (2013). On going (way) beyond one’s data: A proposal to restrict recommendations for practice in primary educational research journals. Educational Psychoogy Review, 25 , 291–302. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-013-9223-5

Ryan, S. V., Nathaniel, P., Pendergast, L. L., Saeki, E., Segool, N., & Schwing, S. (2017). Leaving the teaching profession: The role of teacher stress and educational accountability policies on turnover intent. Teaching and Teacher Education, 66 , 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2017.03.016

Vaughn, S., & Fuchs, L. S. (2013). Staying within one’s data to make recommendations for practice in primary educational research journals. Educational Psychology Review, 25 (3), 339–343. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-013-9232-4

Wainer, H., & Clauser, B. (2013). Reflections on a too extreme idea. Educational Psychology Review, 25 (3), 325–330. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-013-9231-5

Download references

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

Department of Curriculum, Foundations, and Reading, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA, USA

Anna C. Brady & Marlynn M. Griffin

Department of Psychology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA, USA

Ariah R. Lewis

Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, USA

Carlton J. Fong

College of Education, The University of Texas at Arlington, 504 Hammond Hall, Arlington, TX, 76019, USA

Daniel H. Robinson

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Daniel H. Robinson .

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest.

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher's note.

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Brady, A.C., Griffin, M.M., Lewis, A.R. et al. How Scientific Is Educational Psychology Research? The Increasing Trend of Squeezing Causality and Recommendations from Non-intervention Studies. Educ Psychol Rev 35 , 37 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-023-09759-9

Download citation

Accepted : 02 March 2023

Published : 15 March 2023

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-023-09759-9

Share this article

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

  • Correlation
  • Intervention research
  • Random assignment
  • Find a journal
  • Publish with us
  • Track your research
  • Bipolar Disorder
  • Therapy Center
  • When To See a Therapist
  • Types of Therapy
  • Best Online Therapy
  • Best Couples Therapy
  • Best Family Therapy
  • Managing Stress
  • Sleep and Dreaming
  • Understanding Emotions
  • Self-Improvement
  • Healthy Relationships
  • Student Resources
  • Personality Types
  • Verywell Mind Insights
  • 2023 Verywell Mind 25
  • Mental Health in the Classroom
  • Editorial Process
  • Meet Our Review Board
  • Crisis Support

50+ Topics of Psychology Research

How to Find Psychology Research Topics for Your Student Paper

Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

research topics on educational psychology

Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital.

research topics on educational psychology

Are you searching for a great topic for your psychology paper ? Sometimes it seems like coming up with topics of psychology research is more challenging than the actual research and writing. Fortunately, there are plenty of great places to find inspiration and the following list contains just a few ideas to help get you started.

Finding a solid topic is one of the most important steps when writing any type of paper. It can be particularly important when you are writing a psychology research paper or essay. Psychology is such a broad topic, so you want to find a topic that allows you to adequately cover the subject without becoming overwhelmed with information.

In some cases, such as in a general psychology class, you might have the option to select any topic from within psychology's broad reach. Other instances, such as in an  abnormal psychology  course, might require you to write your paper on a specific subject such as a psychological disorder.

As you begin your search for a topic for your psychology paper, it is first important to consider the guidelines established by your instructor.

Topics of Psychology Research Within Specific Branches

The key to selecting a good topic for your psychology paper is to select something that is narrow enough to allow you to really focus on the subject, but not so narrow that it is difficult to find sources or information to write about.

One approach is to narrow your focus down to a subject within a specific branch of psychology. For example, you might start by deciding that you want to write a paper on some sort of social psychology topic. Next, you might narrow your focus down to how persuasion can be used to influence behavior.

Other social psychology topics you might consider include:

  • Prejudice and discrimination (i.e., homophobia, sexism, racism)
  • Social cognition
  • Person perception
  • Social control and cults
  • Persuasion , propaganda, and marketing
  • Attraction, romance, and love
  • Nonverbal communication
  • Prosocial behavior

Psychology Research Topics Involving a Disorder or Type of Therapy

Exploring a psychological disorder or a specific treatment modality can also be a good topic for a psychology paper. Some potential abnormal psychology topics include specific psychological disorders or particular treatment modalities, including:

  • Eating disorders
  • Borderline personality disorder
  • Seasonal affective disorder
  • Schizophrenia
  • Antisocial personality disorder
  • Profile a  type of therapy  (i.e., cognitive behavioral therapy, group therapy, psychoanalytic therapy)

Topics of Psychology Research Related to Human Cognition

Some of the possible topics you might explore in this area include thinking, language, intelligence, and decision-making. Other ideas might include:

  • False memories
  • Speech disorders
  • Problem-solving

Topics of Psychology Research Related to Human Development

In this area, you might opt to focus on issues pertinent to  early childhood  such as language development, social learning, or childhood attachment or you might instead opt to concentrate on issues that affect older adults such as dementia or Alzheimer's disease.

Some other topics you might consider include:

  • Language acquisition
  • Media violence and children
  • Learning disabilities
  • Gender roles
  • Child abuse
  • Prenatal development
  • Parenting styles
  • Aspects of the aging process

Do a Critique of Publications Involving Psychology Research Topics

One option is to consider writing a critique paper of a published psychology book or academic journal article. For example, you might write a critical analysis of Sigmund Freud's Interpretation of Dreams or you might evaluate a more recent book such as Philip Zimbardo's  The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil .

Professional and academic journals are also great places to find materials for a critique paper. Browse through the collection at your university library to find titles devoted to the subject that you are most interested in, then look through recent articles until you find one that grabs your attention.

Topics of Psychology Research Related to Famous Experiments

There have been many fascinating and groundbreaking experiments throughout the history of psychology, providing ample material for students looking for an interesting term paper topic. In your paper, you might choose to summarize the experiment, analyze the ethics of the research, or evaluate the implications of the study. Possible experiments that you might consider include:

  • The Milgram Obedience Experiment
  • The Stanford Prison Experiment
  • The Little Albert Experiment
  • Pavlov's Conditioning Experiments
  • The Asch Conformity Experiment
  • Harlow's Rhesus Monkey Experiments

Topics of Psychology Research About Historical Figures

One of the simplest ways to find a great topic is to choose an interesting person in the  history of psychology  and write a paper about them. Your paper might focus on many different elements of the individual's life, such as their biography, professional history, theories, or influence on psychology.

While this type of paper may be historical in nature, there is no need for this assignment to be dry or boring. Psychology is full of fascinating figures rife with intriguing stories and anecdotes. Consider such famous individuals as Sigmund Freud, B.F. Skinner, Harry Harlow, or one of the many other  eminent psychologists .

Psychology Research Topics About a Specific Career

​Another possible topic, depending on the course in which you are enrolled, is to write about specific career paths within the  field of psychology . This type of paper is especially appropriate if you are exploring different subtopics or considering which area interests you the most.

In your paper, you might opt to explore the typical duties of a psychologist, how much people working in these fields typically earn, and the different employment options that are available.

Topics of Psychology Research Involving Case Studies

One potentially interesting idea is to write a  psychology case study  of a particular individual or group of people. In this type of paper, you will provide an in-depth analysis of your subject, including a thorough biography.

Generally, you will also assess the person, often using a major psychological theory such as  Piaget's stages of cognitive development  or  Erikson's eight-stage theory of human development . It is also important to note that your paper doesn't necessarily have to be about someone you know personally.

In fact, many professors encourage students to write case studies on historical figures or fictional characters from books, television programs, or films.

Psychology Research Topics Involving Literature Reviews

Another possibility that would work well for a number of psychology courses is to do a literature review of a specific topic within psychology. A literature review involves finding a variety of sources on a particular subject, then summarizing and reporting on what these sources have to say about the topic.

Literature reviews are generally found in the  introduction  of journal articles and other  psychology papers , but this type of analysis also works well for a full-scale psychology term paper.

Topics of Psychology Research Based on Your Own Study or Experiment

Many psychology courses require students to design an actual psychological study or perform some type of experiment. In some cases, students simply devise the study and then imagine the possible results that might occur. In other situations, you may actually have the opportunity to collect data, analyze your findings, and write up your results.

Finding a topic for your study can be difficult, but there are plenty of great ways to come up with intriguing ideas. Start by considering your own interests as well as subjects you have studied in the past.

Online sources, newspaper articles, books , journal articles, and even your own class textbook are all great places to start searching for topics for your experiments and psychology term papers. Before you begin, learn more about  how to conduct a psychology experiment .

A Word From Verywell

After looking at this brief list of possible topics for psychology papers, it is easy to see that psychology is a very broad and diverse subject. While this variety makes it possible to find a topic that really catches your interest, it can sometimes make it very difficult for some students to select a good topic.

If you are still stumped by your assignment, ask your instructor for suggestions and consider a few from this list for inspiration.

  • Hockenbury, SE & Nolan, SA. Psychology. New York: Worth Publishers; 2014.
  • Santrock, JW. A Topical Approach to Lifespan Development. New York: McGraw-Hill Education; 2016.

By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

What Is Educational Psychology? 6 Examples and Theories

What is Educational Psychology

Plato believed that learning is based on the mind’s innate capacity to receive information and judge its intellectual and moral value.

Plato’s foremost pupil, Aristotle, emphasized how learning involves building associations such as succession in time, contiguity in space, and similarities and/or contrasts.

Later thinkers would devote considerable attention to learning and memory processes, various teaching methods, and how learning can be optimized.

Together, these thinkers have formed the growing and diverse body of theory and practice of educational psychology, and this intriguing topic is what we will discuss below.

Before you continue, you might like to download three Positive Psychology Exercises for free . These science-based exercises explore fundamental aspects of positive psychology, including strengths, values, and self-compassion, and will give you the tools to enhance the wellbeing of your clients, students, or employees.

This Article Contains:

What is educational psychology and why is it important, a brief history of the field, job description and roles of an educational psychologist, 3 real-life examples, 3 popular theories, educational psychology research topics, educational psychology vs school psychology, a look into vygotsky’s ideas, positivepsychology.com’s relevant resources, a take-home message.

Educational psychology is dedicated to the study and improvement of human learning, across the lifespan, in whatever setting it occurs.

Such settings include not only schools, but also workplaces, organized sports, government agencies, and retirement communities – anywhere humans are engaged in instruction and learning of some type.

Educational psychology is important because of its focus on understanding and improving the crucial human capacity to learn.

In this mission of enhancing learning, educational psychologists seek to assist students and teachers alike.

Educational Psychology

However, it was not until later in history that educational psychology emerged as a field in its own right, distinct from philosophy.

John Locke (1632–1704), the influential British philosopher and “father of psychology,” famously described the human mind as a tabula rasa  (blank slate) that had no innate or inborn knowledge, but could only learn through the accumulation of experiences.

Johann Herbart (1776–1841) is considered the founder of educational psychology as a distinct field. He emphasized interest in a subject as a crucial component of learning.

He also proposed five formal steps of learning:

  • Reviewing what is already known
  • Previewing new material to be learned
  • Presenting new material
  • Relating new material to what is already known
  • Showing how new knowledge can be usefully applied

Maria Montessori (1870–1952) was an Italian physician and educator who started by teaching disabled and underprivileged children. She then founded a network of schools that taught children of all backgrounds using a hands-on, multi-sensory, and often student-directed approach to learning.

Nathaniel Gage (1917–2008) was an influential educational psychologist who pioneered research on teaching. He served in the U.S. Army during WWII, where he developed aptitude tests for selecting airplane navigators and radar operators.

Gage went on to develop a research program that did much to advance the scientific study of teaching.

He believed that progress in learning highly depends on effective teaching and that a robust theory of effective teaching has to cover:

  • The process of teaching
  • Content to be taught
  • Student abilities and motivation level
  • Classroom management

The above is only a sample of the influential thinkers who have contributed over time to the field of educational psychology.

3 positive psychology exercises

Download 3 Free Positive Psychology Exercises (PDF)

Enhance wellbeing with these free, science-based exercises that draw on the latest insights from positive psychology.

Download 3 Free Positive Psychology Tools Pack (PDF)

By filling out your name and email address below.

Educational psychologists have typically earned either a master’s degree or doctorate in the field.

They work in a variety of teaching, research, and applied settings (e.g., K–12, universities, the military, and educational industries like textbook and test developers).

Those with a doctorate often teach and do research at colleges or universities.

They teach basic courses such as Introduction to Educational Psychology  and more advanced seminars such as Professional Ethics in Educational Psychology , or Research Methods in Educational Psychology .

They conduct research on topics such as the best measure of literacy skills for students in secondary education, the most effective method for teaching early career professionals in engineering, and the relationship between education level and emotional health in retirees.

Educational psychologists also work in various applied roles, such as consulting on curriculum design; evaluating educational programs at schools or training sites; and offering teachers the best instructional methods for a subject area, grade level, or population, be it mainstream students, those with disabilities, or gifted students.

Mamie Phipps Clark

This theory states that besides the traditionally measured verbal and visual–spatial forms of intelligence, there are also forms that include kinesthetic or athletic intelligence, interpersonal or social–emotional intelligence, musical or artistic intelligence, and perhaps other forms we have not yet learned to measure.

Dr. Gardner teaches, conducts research, and publishes. His many books include Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences (1983) and The Disciplined Mind: Beyond Facts and Standardized Tests, the Education That Every Child Deserves  (2000).

Mamie Phipps Clark (1917–1983), shown above, was the first African-American woman to receive a doctorate in psychology from Columbia University. She and her husband Kenneth Clark (1914–2005) were interested in development and self-esteem in African-American children.

Her doctoral work illustrated the dehumanizing effect of segregated schools on both African-American and white children, in the well-known “doll study” (Clark & Clark, 1939). She found that both African-American children and white children imputed more positive characteristics to white dolls than to Black dolls.

This work was used as evidence in Brown v. Board of Education (1954), the unanimous U.S. Supreme Court ruling that decided that schools separated by race were not equal and must be desegregated.

She and her husband founded several institutions dedicated to providing counseling and educational services for underprivileged African-American children, including the Harlem Youth Opportunities Unlimited project.

Irene Marie Montero Gil earned her master’s degree from the Department of Evolutionary and Educational Psychology at the Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain.

Ms. Montero Gil had been balancing subsequent doctoral studies with her role as the youngest member of Spain’s Congress of Deputies, representing Madrid. She later postponed her studies to become Spain’s Minister of Equality, an office that advocates for equal opportunity regardless of age, gender, or disability.

The above examples show just some contributions that educational psychologists can make in research, teaching, legal, and advocacy contexts.

Day in the life of an educational psychologist w/ Dr. Sarah Chestnut

Various theories have been developed to account for how humans learn. Some of the most enduring and representative modern-day theories are discussed below.

1. Behaviorism

Behaviorism equates learning with observable changes in activity (Skinner, 1938). For example, an assembly line worker might have “learned” to assemble a toy from parts, and after 10 practice sessions, the worker can do so without errors within 60 seconds.

In behaviorism, there is a focus on stimuli or prompts to action (your supervisor hands you a box of toy parts), followed by a behavior (you assemble the toy), followed by reinforcement or lack thereof (you receive a raise for the fastest toy assembly).

Behaviorism holds that the behavioral responses that are positively reinforced are more likely to recur in the future.

We should note that behaviorists believe in a pre-set, external reality that is progressively discovered by learning.

Some scholars have also held that from a behaviorist perspective, learners are more reactive to environmental stimuli than active or proactive in the learning process (Ertmer & Newby, 2013).

However, one of the most robust developments in the later behaviorist tradition is that of positive behavioral intervention and supports (PBIS), in which proactive techniques play a prominent role in enhancing learning within schools.

Such proactive behavioral supports include maximizing structure in classrooms, teaching clear behavioral expectations in advance, regularly using prompts with students, and actively supervising students (Simonsen & Myers, 2015).

Over 2,500 schools across the United States now apply the PBIS supportive behavioral framework, with documented improvements in both student behavior (Bradshaw, Waasdorp, & Leaf, 2012) and achievement (Madigan, Cross, Smolkowski, & Stryker, 2016).

2. Cognitivism

Cognitivism was partly inspired by the development of computers and an information-processing model believed to be applicable to human learning (Neisser, 1967).

It also developed partly as a reaction to the perceived limits of the behaviorist model of learning, which was thought not to account for mental processes.

In cognitivism, learning occurs when information is received, arranged, held in memory, and retrieved for use.

Cognitivists are keenly interested in a neuronal or a brain-to-behavior perspective on learning and memory. Their lines of research often include studies involving functional brain imaging (e.g., functional magnetic resonance imaging) to see which brain circuits are activated during specific learning tasks.

Cognitivists are also keenly interested in “neuroplasticity,” or how learning causes new connections to be made between individual brain cells (neurons) and their broader neuronal networks.

From the cognitivist perspective, individuals are viewed as very active in the learning process, including how they organize information to make it personally meaningful and memorable.

Cognitivists, like behaviorists, believe that learning reflects an external reality, rather than shaping or constructing reality.

3. Constructivism

Constructivism holds that from childhood on, humans learn in successive stages (Piaget, 1955).

In these stages, we match our basic concepts, or “schemas,” of reality with experiences in the world and adjust our schemas accordingly.

For example, based on certain experiences as a child, you might form the schematic concept that all objects drop when you let them go. But let’s say you get a helium balloon that rises when you let go of it. You must then adjust your schema to capture this new reality that “most things drop when I let go of them, but at least one thing rises when I let go of it.”

For constructivists, there is always a subjective component to how reality is organized. From this perspective, learning cannot be said to reflect a pre-set external reality. Rather, reality is always an interplay between one’s active construction of the world and the world itself.

Educational College

For example, Zysberg and Schwabsky (2020) examined the relationships between positive school culture or climate, students’ sense of self-efficacy, and academic achievement in Israeli middle and high school settings.

They found that school climate was positively associated with students’ sense of self-efficacy. Self-efficacy, in turn, was positively associated with academic achievement in math and English.

This study reflects a constructivist approach, emphasizing how students create meaning out of their educational experiences.

Other recent research has focused on behavioral interventions to support online learning, which is increasingly prevalent as an educational option.

For example, Yeomans and Reich (2017) found that sending learners regular prompts to complete online work resulted in a 29% increase in courses completed. They concluded that sending regular reminder prompts is an inexpensive and effective way to enhance online course completion.

This study reflects a proactive behaviorist approach to improving educational outcomes.

Another current research domain in educational psychology involves the use of brain imaging techniques during learning activity.

For example, Takeuchi, Mori, Suzukamo, and Izumi (2019) studied brain activity in teachers and students while teachers provided hints for solving a visual–spatial problem (assembling puzzles).

They found that the prefrontal cortex of the brain, involved in planning and monitoring of complex cognitive activities, was significantly activated in teachers, not when they planned hints to be given, but only when they actually gave the hints.

For the student participants, the prefrontal cortex was significantly activated when they had solved the puzzle with hints provided.

This study emphasizes a cognitivist approach, focused on brain activity during learning.

For cognitivists, understanding how the brain converts instructional inputs into learning can lead to improved teaching strategies and better learning outcomes.

Educational and school psychologists overlap in their training and functions, to some extent, but also differ in important ways.

Educational psychologists are more involved in teaching and research at the college or university level. They also focus on larger and more diverse groups in their research and consulting activities.

As consultants, educational psychologists work with organizations such as school districts, militaries, or corporations in developing the best methods for instructional needs.

Some school psychologists are involved in teaching, research, and/or consulting with large groups such as a school district. However, most are more focused on working within a particular school and with individual students and their families.

About 80% of school psychologists work in public school settings and do direct interventions with individuals or small groups.

They help with testing and supporting students with special needs, helping teachers develop classroom management strategies, and engaging in individual or group counseling, which can include crisis counseling and emotional–behavioral support.

Lev Vygotsky

One idea central to Vygotsky’s learning theory is that of the zone of proximal development (ZPD).

The ZPD is the area between what a learner (student, adult trainee, rehabilitation patient, etc.) can already do on their own and what the learner can readily accomplish with the help of teachers or more advanced peers.

For example, a five-year-old might already know how to perform a given three-step manual task, but can they be taught to complete a four- or five-step task?

The ZPD is a zone of emerging skills, which calls for its own kind of exploration and measurement, in order to better understand a learner’s potential (Moll, 2014).

Vygotsky was also interested in the relationship between thought and language. He theorized that much of thought comprised internalized language or “inner speech.” Like Piaget, whose work he read with interest, Vygotsky came to see language as having social origins, which would then become internalized as inner speech.

In that sense, Vygotsky is often considered a (social) constructivist, where learning depends on social communication and norms. Learning thus reflects our connection to and agreement with others, more than a connection with a purely external or objective reality.

research topics on educational psychology

17 Top-Rated Positive Psychology Exercises for Practitioners

Expand your arsenal and impact with these 17 Positive Psychology Exercises [PDF] , scientifically designed to promote human flourishing, meaning, and wellbeing.

Created by Experts. 100% Science-based.

As mentioned in the discussion of Nathaniel Gage’s theory of effective teaching, student motivation is an important component to assess and encourage.

The Who Am I Self-Reflection can help students and their teachers think about what they are good at, what significant challenges they have been confronted with, and what inspires them. This knowledge can help both teachers and students find ways to enhance motivation in specific cases.

As noted above, the cognitivist approach to educational psychology includes understanding how the brain learns by forming new connections between neurons. The Adopt A Growth Mindset activity is a simple guide to replacing fixed mindset thinking with growth statements. It can inspire adults to learn by referencing their inherent neuroplasticity.

The idea is that with enough effort and repetition, we can form new and durable connections within our brains of a positive and adaptive nature.

For parents and teachers, we recommend Dr. Gabriella Lancia’s article on Healthy Discipline Strategies for Teaching & Inspiring Children . This article offers basic and effective strategies and worksheets for creating a positive behavioral climate at home and school that is pro-social and pro-learning.

If you’re looking for more science-based ways to help others enhance their wellbeing, this signature collection contains 17 validated positive psychology tools for practitioners. Use them to help others flourish and thrive.

The field of educational psychology has ancient roots and remains vibrant today.

Today, there are many programs across the world providing quality training in educational psychology at the master’s, doctoral, and postdoctoral levels.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, career opportunities in psychology will grow at a healthy rate of about 14% over this decade, and educational psychology is expected to keep pace.

In addition, job satisfaction in educational psychology and related fields such as school psychology has traditionally been high, including as it concerns social impact, independence, and compensation (Worrell, Skaggs, & Brown, 2006).

Those with a doctorate in educational psychology have potential for a broad impact on learners of any and every type. They often teach at the college or university level, conduct research and publish on various topics in the field, or consult with various organizations about the best teaching and learning methods.

Researchers in educational psychology have made important contributions to contemporary education and culture, from learning paradigms (behaviorism, cognitivism, constructionism) and the theory of multiple intelligences, to proactive school-wide positive behavioral supports.

We hope you have learned more about the rich field of educational psychology from this brief article and will find the resources it contains useful. Don’t forget to download our free Positive Psychology Exercises .

  • Brown v. Board of Education , 347 U.S. (1954).
  • Bradshaw, C. P., Waasdorp, T. E., & Leaf, P. J. (2012). Effects of school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports on child behavior problems. Pediatrics , 130 (5), e1136–e1145.
  • Clark, K., & Clark, M. (1939). The development of consciousness of self and the emergence of racial identification in Negro preschool children. Journal of Social Psychology ,  10 (4), 591–599.
  • Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J. (2013). Behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism: Comparing critical features from an instructional design perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly , 26 (2), 43–71.
  • Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of mind: The theory of multiple intelligences . Basic Books.
  • Gardner, H. (2000). The disciplined mind: Beyond facts and standardized tests, the education that every child deserves . Penguin Books.
  • Grinder, R. E. (1989). Educational psychology: The master science. In M. C. Wittrock & F. Farley (Eds.), The future of educational psychology (pp. 3–18). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
  • Madigan, K., Cross, R. W., Smolkowski, K., & Stryker, L. A. (2016). Association between schoolwide positive behavioural interventions and supports and academic achievement: A 9-year evaluation. Educational Research and Evaluation , 22 (7–8), 402–421.
  • Moll, L. C. (2014). L. S. Vygotsky and education . Routledge.
  • Neisser, U. (1967). Cognitive psychology . Appleton-Century-Crofts.
  • Piaget, J. (1955). The child’s construction of reality . Routledge & Kegan Paul.
  • Simonsen, B., & Myers, D. (2015). Classwide positive behavior interventions and supports: A guide to proactive classroom management . Guilford Publications.
  • Skinner, B. F. (1938). The behavior of organisms: An experimental analysis . B. F. Skinner Foundation.
  • Takeuchi, N., Mori, T., Suzukamo, Y., & Izumi, S. I. (2019). Activity of prefrontal cortex in teachers and students during teaching of an insight problem. Mind, Brain, and Education , 13 , 167–175.
  • Worrell, T. G., Skaggs, G. E., & Brown, M. B. (2006). School psychologists’ job satisfaction: A 22-year perspective in the USA. School Psychology International , 27 (2), 131–145.
  • Yeomans, M., & Reich, J. (2017). Planning prompts increase and forecast course completion in massive open online courses. Conference: The Seventh International Learning Analytics & Knowledge Conference , pp. 464–473.
  • Zysberg, L., & Schwabsky, N. (2020). School climate, academic self-efficacy and student achievement . Educational Psychology. Taylor & Francis Online.

' src=

Share this article:

Article feedback

What our readers think.

Ibrahim Yahuza

Am happy with you thanks again God bless you and your family

Dachen, Nanle Hosea

This write up is very rich and brief. keep it up our Educational Psychologist.

Justusa

What’s education psychology? With references of 2018 to 2022

Nicole Celestine, Ph.D.

Hi Justusa,

Sorry, I’m not sure what you’re asking. Could you please rephrase and I’ll see if I can help!

– Nicole | Community Manager

Second Language Acquistion

Nice introduction. Thank you!

Ojok Tonny

Very detailed and comprehensive

WILFREDO MINA

Thanks so much for this brief and comprehensive resource material.Much appreciated

Let us know your thoughts Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Related articles

Learning Disabilities

Learning Disabilities: 9 Types, Symptoms & Tests

Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill, Sylvester Stalone, Thomas Edison, and Keanu Reeves. What do all of these individuals have in common? They have all been diagnosed [...]

Courses for counselors

Best Courses for Counselors to Grow & Develop Your Skills

Counselors come from a great variety of backgrounds often with roots in a range of helping professions. Every counselor needs to keep abreast of the [...]

Social-Emotional Learning Activities

How to Apply Social-Emotional Learning Activities in Education

As a teacher, your training may have focused more on academia than teaching social skills. Now in the classroom, you face the challenge of implementing [...]

Read other articles by their category

  • Body & Brain (47)
  • Coaching & Application (56)
  • Compassion (26)
  • Counseling (51)
  • Emotional Intelligence (24)
  • Gratitude (18)
  • Grief & Bereavement (21)
  • Happiness & SWB (40)
  • Meaning & Values (26)
  • Meditation (20)
  • Mindfulness (45)
  • Motivation & Goals (45)
  • Optimism & Mindset (33)
  • Positive CBT (26)
  • Positive Communication (20)
  • Positive Education (47)
  • Positive Emotions (31)
  • Positive Leadership (16)
  • Positive Psychology (33)
  • Positive Workplace (35)
  • Productivity (16)
  • Relationships (48)
  • Resilience & Coping (34)
  • Self Awareness (20)
  • Self Esteem (37)
  • Strengths & Virtues (30)
  • Stress & Burnout Prevention (34)
  • Theory & Books (46)
  • Therapy Exercises (37)
  • Types of Therapy (64)

3 Positive Psychology Tools (PDF)

  • College of Education
  • Location Location
  • Contact Contact
  • Colleges and Schools
  • Advanced Study in Education

Educational Psychology and Research

two people conversing over food

Our program focuses on the psychological factors that impact learning and human development and how best to measure and assess those factors.

The University of South Carolina is South Carolina’s flagship university and the first university in the state to be classified as a Research University with Very High Research Activity (RU/VHU, formally known as Research I institutions) by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. 

Thus, as a program, we are charged with undertaking high quality research that generates new knowledge and trains the next generation of researchers how to do that as well. We also ensure that our students are engaged in and very well trained to produce cutting edge and impactful research. We are also a student-centered program that is focused on having thriving graduate programs, providing high quality mentoring, and making sure you as a student get the research, teaching, and professional experiences you need to become an independent scholar and that will make you highly competitive for pursuing positions in research-intensive institutions or other types of educational agencies and settings. At USC you will have unparalleled opportunity to participate as a student in the generation of new knowledge.

Our program offers both an M.Ed. and a Ph.D. The Ph.D. program offers degrees in two concentrations: Educational Psychology and Educational Research.

Educational Psychology

The focus of the Educational Psychology concentration is for you to develop a sound knowledge base and ability to undertake high-quality research on the psychological (e.g., self-regulation, conceptual understanding), social-emotional (e.g., bullying, self-regulation, motivation and emotion), contextual (e.g., student-teacher relationships, peer relations), and biological factors that influence human learning and development within both formal (e.g., pre-K-12 classrooms, postsecondary institutions) and informal (e.g., science centers, museums, zoos) educational settings.

This concentration in the Ph.D. program is appropriate for anyone who wishes to assume a university faculty position and/or conduct research, as well as those who are responsible for classroom learning in other areas of education and industry.

As a student in the Educational Psychology concentration, you will take several courses on foundational topics in our field such as development (child, adolescent, and/or adult), learning and instruction, cognition, and motivation as well as topical seminars. You can focus on quantitative or mixed methods research;  between your research courses and the other research experiences you will have in the program outstanding research training. Please consult the academic bulletin for specific courses and requirements for the  doctoral program.

Educational Research

The focus of the Educational Research concentration in the Ph.D. program is to build your core competencies in educational research including using, developing, and studying educational research methods and tools such as measurement and statistics, evaluating programs, designing research, constructing tests, and using computer statistical packages to analyze data.

This concentration will teach you how to be a research methodologist and/or program evaluator that develops, studies, and applies cutting-edge research tools. Specific research tools include structural equation modeling, latent class analysis, hierarchical linear modeling, power analysis, survey and research design, assessment, and categorical data analysis.

As a student in the Educational Research concentration, you will take courses including technical aspects of tests and measurement, nonparametric statistics, structural equation modeling, hierarchical linear modeling, design and analysis of experiments, multivariate methods, and item response theory. You also will take courses in educational psychology that will provide topics on which to utilize your statistical and methodological skills.  Please consult the academic bulletin for specific courses and requirements for the doctoral program .

Program Faculty

Program faculty have a broad range of interests and have been published in top-tier journals in education psychology, developmental psychology, research and measurement. Faculty in the program have received grant funding from numerous federal and state agencies including the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and the SC Department of Education and Commission on Higher Education (CHE).

 Read more about our faculty and their research interests .

Research Topics and Opportunities

Our faculty and students typically engage in research in the following areas:

Whether you choose the Educational Psychology or the Educational Research  concentration, our faculty members will strive to ensure that you have the opportunity to gain valuable research experience that is aligned with your skills and professional goals throughout the program.

Our faculty actively involve students in all aspects of research in school and community settings. This can include working with the Research, Evaluation, and Measurement Center , the Child Development Research Center , and the South Carolina Educational Policy Center among others.  

As a result, you will gain valuable hands-on experience in undertaking high-quality research in school and community settings. This can include designing studies, collecting and analyzing data, publishing articles, presenting results at conferences, and writing proposals for and securing grant funding. 

Job Placement

Graduates of our program typically seek careers in university teaching and research positions, in research or evaluation centers, in state departments of education, in school district offices, or as consultants. Others seek employment opportunities in applied educational research settings in both the public and private sector. Some recent graduates of this program are employed at these locations:

Challenge the conventional. Create the exceptional. No Limits.

Home » Blog » Dissertation » Topics » Psychology » Educational » 99 Educational Psychology Dissertation Topics | Research Ideas

research topics on educational psychology

99 Educational Psychology Dissertation Topics | Research Ideas

By Adam Oct 12, 2023 in Educational , Psychology | No Comments

Different learning opportunities and situational factors bring out different responses in individuals. Since learning is a lifelong process, educational psychology dissertation topics are related to learning and its inter-connected aspects without restrictions. Educational psychology research topics can focus on schools as centres of learning or they can integrate professional learning and training for skill development […]

educational psychology dissertation topics

Different learning opportunities and situational factors bring out different responses in individuals. Since learning is a lifelong process, educational psychology dissertation topics are related to learning and its inter-connected aspects without restrictions. Educational psychology research topics can focus on schools as centres of learning or they can integrate professional learning and training for skill development and advancement. The opportunities presented by educational psychology for exploration of dissertation topics are virtually unlimited.

The following is a sizable list of research topics in educational psychology for generating impressive papers:

  • Download Educational Psychology Dissertation Sample

A list of educational psychology dissertation topics:

Investigating the role of cultural responsiveness in educational interventions for diverse student populations.

Investigating the relationship between school connectedness and academic achievement in adolescents.

The effectiveness of inclusive education policies in UK primary schools.

Investigating the effects of COVID-19-related disruptions on student academic performance and learning outcomes.

A comparative review of approaches to assessment and evaluation in education.

Evaluating the implementation and outcomes of mental health support services in UK schools.

Analyzing the effects of sleep quality and duration on student academic performance.

Exploring the relationship between student engagement and academic success in higher education.

Investigating the influence of teacher expectations and bias on student disciplinary actions.

Assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on teachers’ mental health and well-being.

Assessing the impact of school-based mental health programs on student well-being and academic performance.

Understanding the role of parental expectations on academic motivation and achievement among UK adolescents.

Understanding the effects of cultural differences on educational practices and outcomes.

A meta-analysis of studies examining the effects of class size on student learning outcomes.

Examining the relationship between self-efficacy and academic achievement in students.

Mathematics homework- how does it impact student achievements in the UK?

Assessing the role of parental involvement in children’s academic success in the UK.

Examining the effects of socioemotional learning programs on bullying prevention and school climate.

Examination of gender and anxiety in mathematics classes at secondary schools in the UK.

Investigating the role of self-regulated learning in academic achievement among college students.

Memorization versus concept-building in schools- exploring the relationship.

Exploring the impact of classroom environment on students’ mental health in the realm of educational psychology and health psychology .

Investigating motivation and performance optimization strategies for students within the intersection of educational psychology and sports psychology .

A systematic review of research on the relationship between teacher burnout and student achievement.

Assessing the effects of teacher-student matching on student motivation and academic performance.

Analyzing the effectiveness of digital platforms for social interaction and support for students during and post-COVID-19.

Analyzing the relationship between parental involvement and student resilience in adverse circumstances.

Examining the effects of parent-child communication on academic performance and mental health.

Investigating the effects of stereotype threat on underrepresented students’ academic performance.

The impact of student attributes on teacher performance in classrooms at the tertiary level- a qualitative investigation.

Assessing the role of classroom management strategies in student engagement and academic performance.

An exploration of reasons for boredom on job despite career of choice- perspectives from the UK.

An analysis of discipline models and impacts on extra-curricular achievements of primary school children in the UK.

Analyzing the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions in reducing stress and anxiety among UK students.

Analyzing the influence of socioeconomic status on educational aspirations and achievement.

Investigating the influence of teacher-student relationships on student engagement in UK classrooms.

A gendered and cultural study on parental insistence for career choice in the UK.

School athletes to professionals- the role of educational psychology in training and development.

Practice of absenteeism in Professional skill development and training workshops in different professions- a qualitative survey.

A comprehensive review of research on the impact of school bullying on mental health and academic outcomes.

Investigating the influence of peer relationships on academic performance in UK secondary schools.

Special needs children and special teachers- exploring the equation in an autistic setting.

Developing differentiation between peer aggression and bullying based on practice trends and outcomes.

Examining the long-term psychological effects of remote learning on students post-COVID-19.

Analyzing the effects of bilingual education on cognitive development and academic success.

Investigating the effects of digital learning tools on student motivation and performance in UK universities.

Assessing the role of grit in predicting educational attainment and success.

Assessing the impact of peer influence on academic motivation and performance in adolescents.

An integrative review of research on the effects of technology use in education.

Forms of bullying and impact on student learning outcomes at the tertiary education level- perspectives from the UK.

A critical review of the theories and models of motivation in educational psychology.

A comprehensive review of research on the effects of social-emotional learning programs on student well-being.

Exploring the effects of social media use on student well-being and academic performance.

Assessment of anxiety and its management through formal training workshops for lawyers and doctors in the UK.

What motivates secondary school children towards academic and non-academic performances in the UK?

Investigating the effects of classroom design on student attention and engagement.

Investigating the role of parental involvement in homework completion and academic success.

Attention-seeking students, personal attributes and combined impact on student performance in primary schools- perspectives from the UK.

An integrative review of research on the effects of student engagement on academic success.

Investigating the effects of teacher expectations and stereotypes on student achievement.

A comparative review of educational policies promoting gender equity in different countries.

Do parental perceptions of homework mirror children’s perceptions or vice versa? A primary investigation.

Analyzing the relationship between grit and academic perseverance in students.

Exploring the perceptions and experiences of online learning among UK university students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A critical review of the impact of standardized testing on educational equity.

Assessing the influence of parental modeling of behaviors on student academic success.

Gender, culture, and student goals- linking the relationship.

Are school examination models effective in determining comprehensive student aptitudes? Providing a rationale.

Analyzing the impact of school climate on teacher job satisfaction and retention.

A meta-analysis of the effectiveness of educational interventions for students with ADHD.

Exploring the effects of early childhood trauma on academic achievement and behavior.

Academic models of assessment in different school types in the UK- explorations of learning outcomes.

Should teachers be assessed by students? A study of students as stakeholders in their academic journey.

Exploring the effects of COVID-19-related school closures on student motivation and engagement.

Assessing the role of parent-teacher collaboration in supporting students’ educational needs during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Assessing the impact of teacher empathy on student motivation and learning outcomes.

Exploring the effects of academic procrastination on student achievement and well-being.

A comprehensive review of the impact of teacher expectations on student academic performance.

Exploring the impact of teachers’ cultural competence on student engagement and academic outcomes.

Analyzing the impact of teacher professional development on classroom practices and student outcomes.

Examining the impact of school leadership styles on teacher job satisfaction and student performance.

Exploring the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on university students and their coping mechanisms.

Investigating the influence of extracurricular activities on student development and academic achievement.

Investigating the role of online education in bridging the learning gap caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Investigating the effects of growth mindset interventions on student motivation and achievement.

A critical review of the influence of cultural factors on academic achievement.

The impact of harsh parenting and minimal school discipline on secondary level student performance- a review.

Challenges to staff development for maintenance of school environment- a qualitative survey.

Understanding the psychological factors influencing career choice among UK university students.

A systematic review of research on the effects of inclusive education on students with disabilities.

Exploring the effects of positive psychology interventions on student well-being and academic achievement.

Examining the effectiveness of strategies to mitigate learning loss caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Investigating the relationship between teacher feedback and student self-efficacy in academic tasks.

Exploration of motivational levels among genders at different school levels in the UK.

Exploring the impact of peer tutoring on academic achievement and self-esteem.

Assessing the effects of student-teacher rapport on classroom behavior and learning outcomes.

What impact do family interactions have on child academic performance? Perspectives from the UK.

A systematic literature review on different learning capabilities of students at the same academic level.

Understanding the challenges and opportunities of hybrid and blended learning models post-COVID-19.

There you go. Use the list on educational psychology dissertation topics well and let us know if you have any comments or suggestions for our topics related blog posts for the future or looking to get help with dissertation writing , send us an email at [email protected] .

Paid Topic Consultation Service

You will get the topics first as per the given requirements, and then the brief which includes;

  • An explanation why we choose this topic.
  • 2-3 research questions.
  • Key literature resources identification.
  • Suitable methodology with identification of raw sample size, and data collection method
  • View a sample of topic consultation service

Get expert dissertation writing help to achieve good grades

By placing an order with us, you can get;

  • Writer consultation before payment to ensure your work is in safe hands.
  • Free topic if you don't have one
  • Draft submissions to check the quality of the work as per supervisor's feedback
  • Free revisions
  • Complete privacy
  • Plagiarism Free work
  • Guaranteed 2:1 (With help of your supervisor's feedback)
  • 2 Instalments plan
  • Special discounts

Related Posts

  • 99 Quantitative Psychology Dissertation Topics | Research Ideas September 26, 2019 -->
  • 99 Neuropsychology Dissertation Topics | Research Ideas September 26, 2019 -->
  • 99 Sports Psychology Dissertation Topics | Research Ideas September 26, 2019 -->
  • 99 Cognitive Psychology Research Topics | Research Ideas August 27, 2019 -->
  • 99 Social Psychology Dissertation Topics | Research Ideas July 24, 2019 -->
  • 99 Forensic Psychology Dissertation Topics | Research Ideas July 22, 2019 -->
  • 99 Developmental Psychology Dissertation Topics | Research Ideas July 22, 2019 -->
  • 99 Consumer Psychology Research Topics | Dissertation Ideas July 22, 2019 -->
  • 99 Business Psychology Dissertation Topics | Research Ideas July 22, 2019 -->
  • 99 Health Psychology Dissertation Topics | Research Ideas July 17, 2019 -->
  • 99 Criminal Psychology Dissertation Topics | Research Ideas July 17, 2019 -->
  • 99 School Psychology Research Topics | Dissertation Ideas July 17, 2019 -->
  • 99 Counseling Psychology Dissertation Topics | Research Ideas July 17, 2019 -->
  • 99 Clinical Psychology Dissertation Topics | Research Ideas July 17, 2019 -->
  • 99 Psychology Dissertation Topics | Research Ideas November 17, 2016 -->

WhatsApp us

HelpForHomeWork

50 Expert Educational Psychology Research Topics

When you enter psychology school, assignments are a little lighter. But as you progress through the course, you realize that you need help selecting research topics and sometimes assistance in writing. If you have been searching for “educational psychology research topics” you are on the right platform. We have expert-generated ideas to help you through your next project.

To complete a research project, you need to have in-depth research skills and excellent reading techniques. Instead of spending much time looking for the right topic, let HelpForHomework assist you. If you are a psychology student overwhelmed by research and term papers, our psychology writers can turn out to be helpful. By contacting us, you overcome the challenges of stress, short deadlines, and exhaustion.

How do we select the best educational psychology research topics?

  • We select original topics

Originality is an essential aspect of every research. That is why we generate original ideas and select shallowly researched topics to expound on them. At HelpForHomework, we formulate exciting and unique ideas through extensive reading and exposure.

Need help doing your assignment?

  • Feasibility

Before publishing the topics in this article, we checked if they were relevant and sustainable. When testing for feasibility, always ask yourself:

  • Is the research question possible to answer?
  • Is the scope of the research question manageable?

At HelpForHomework, we generate educational psychology research topics that are appealing to you and will be interesting for your audience. If you are looking for fascinating research ideas, we have the best ones for you.

Expert Tip: After finding a relevant educational psychology research topic, ensure that you consult your supervisor for approval and guidance. It would be best to consult your supervisor frequently to weed out mistakes early through the research process. Also, it would be helpful if you did not hesitate to consult our support department after selecting a topic.

Best Educational Psychology Research Topics

If you are looking for the best educational psychology research topics, you are on the right platform. We hope you find a topic for your next project in the list below.

  • Differences between child learners and adult learners
  • Factors that influence ability phoneme for children
  • Mapping the field of educational psychology: Trends
  • History of educational psychology
  • Educational psychology perspective of gender stereotyping in schools
  • Educational psychology: developing learners
  • Rethinking educational psychology strategies in motivating students
  • The perspective of educational psychology in adult learning and development
  • The perspective of educational psychology in child learning and development
  • Towards a better understanding of children with autism spectrum: Educational support and parental perspective

Interesting Educational Psychology Research Topics

Are you looking for exciting psychology research topics for your homework ? We have some for you.

  • Multicultural perspectives on educating students with personality disorder
  • Parental perspective on inclusive schools for children with autism in your country
  • Educational psychology: Windows on classrooms
  • Online case studies in educational psychology
  • Contemporary motivation theories in educational psychology and language learning
  • Theories of learning educational psychology and application to technology
  • Educational psychology of adolescents
  • Application of educational psychology in coaching footballers
  • Theories of teaching educational psychology
  • Applying psychological theories to educational practice

Expert Educational Psychology Research Topics

Your project will stand out once you select expert-generated educational psychology research topics. Check out the list below :

  • Educational psychology : Theories of intelligence
  • Impact of theories of intelligence on academics for university students
  • Theories of intelligence, goal orientation, and academic achievement in your country’s students
  • Theories of intelligence as a predictor of achievement goals
  • Peer relations and peer pressure in an educational context
  • Peer Relations: Race and ethnicity
  • Peer relations of students with personality disorder in mainstream high school: Importance of interaction with peers
  • Learning risks and effects of alcohol use in schools
  • Risk behavior on the quality of peer relations in young adults
  • Relations of social skills and education in adolescent alcohol use

Excellent Educational Psychology Research Topics

Choosing excellent educational psychology topics gives you a step ahead of your peers. Select a topic below, work diligently, and get top grades.

  • Risk factors and results of bullying and victimization
  • The role of parents in bullying and victimization in schools
  • Bullying and victimization: Implications for intervention
  • The role of emotions in learning
  • Influences of emotions on learning and memory
  • Emotions in learning: Comparison between face-to-face learning and online learning
  • The role of emotions in the implementation of technology in educational systems
  • Role of emotional regulation for adolescent students for academic success
  • The role of emotions in teaching and learning
  • Cognitive decision modeling of emotion-based learning impairment in autism

Top Educational Psychology Research Topics

Although psychology is an exciting course, getting top-notch recommendations can be a hassle. However, we have some top educational psychology research topics for you.

  • The role of emotional teaching: Gender difference in teaching approaches
  • Educational psychology in rural contexts: Ethical, professional, and legal issues
  • Psychology practice in rural schools: Guidelines and implications
  • Educational implications on psychological outcomes for adolescents
  • Implications of culture on rural education: historical and modern perspectives
  • Language challenges and implications to learners life ambitions
  • Educational psychology perspective of language experience and cognitive control
  • A systematic review of various learning capabilities of students at a specific academic level
  • Academic model assessment in different school types in your country
  • How discipline models influence the extra-curricular achievement of high school students

Final Verdict

Have you found a top-notch educational psychology research topic? If not, contact our support to share ideas, and we will find you the right topic. In regards to ethics, you should not worry. Our company offers legit and confidential educational psychology research topics recommendations and writing services. What are you waiting for? Contact us and enjoy

Also check out Expert Personality Psychology Research Topics.

Recent Posts

  • School Psychology Research Topics
  • 75 Professional Palliative Care Research Topics
  • 30 Best Trauma Research Topics
  • 61 Best Dermatology Research Topics
  • 55 Best Health Psychology Research Topics

You cannot copy content of this page

  • How it works

Useful Links

How much will your dissertation cost?

Have an expert academic write your dissertation paper!

Dissertation Services

Dissertation Services

Get unlimited topic ideas and a dissertation plan for just £45.00

Order topics and plan

Order topics and plan

Get 1 free topic in your area of study with aim and justification

Yes I want the free topic

Yes I want the free topic

Educational Psychology Dissertation Topics

Published by Owen Ingram at January 3rd, 2023 , Revised On August 11, 2023

Finding engaging educational psychology dissertation ideas can be really time-consuming particularly if you haven’t been through this process previously. -. Every student is not particularly adept at creating a unique dissertation topic .  Educational psychology is one of the most challenging subject areas, and finding the right topic for writing a dissertation can be challenging.

Here is a list of the best educational psychology dissertation topics for you to choose from. These top educational psychology dissertation topic ideas will help you complete your dissertation on a unique and intriguing topic that would help you advance your academic career.

Get Dissertation Services

Orders completed by our expert writers are

  • Formally drafted in an academic style
  • Free Amendments and 100% Plagiarism Free – or your money back!
  • 100% Confidential and Timely Delivery!
  • Free anti-plagiarism report
  • Appreciated by thousands of clients. Check client reviews

Get Dissertation Services

List of Educational Psychology Dissertation Topics

  • A comparison of the effects of college and school counselling on students’ mental health in the UK.
  • University of Bedfordshire analysis of cultural differences in how people view learning.
  • Study the relationship between studying time and academic performance in college students compared to university students.
  • A thorough investigation of social and emotional learning in UK primary education.
  • A case study compared the performance of school-age kids and teenagers in the UK according to their ethnicity, race, and religion.
  • An analysis of how technology is used in classrooms and how that affects students’ learning in the UK.
  • The relationship between toddlers’ social abilities and a norm-referenced theory of mind measure.
  • A mixed-methods study of the UK’s university students’ subjective well-being and classroom support.
  • Examine the coping mechanisms and treatment hurdles of a middle school teenager with a severe anxiety problem in the United Kingdom.
  • An analysis of how teaching children arithmetic concepts early on can improve their performance in higher-level courses.
  • The association between self-motivation and academic achievement at the university level in the United Kingdom.
  • The investigation of the links between parental traits and the detrimental effects of classroom peer pressure on children in playgroups in the United Kingdom.
  • Nonverbal communication and neurolinguistics programming in the educational process.
  • The pros and cons of learning a language through immersion and communication.
  • The contribution of smartphones and computers to children’s motor skill development.
  • There is a connection between academic performance and the quantity of time spent studying.
  • The impact of parents’ language abilities on their deaf children’s development.
  • What are the advantages and disadvantages of encouraging support and acknowledgement in special education?
  • What function does technology play in a classroom, and how does that impact students’ learning?
  • It may affect secondary-level student achievement when parents are strict, and there is little school discipline.
  • The distinction between bullying and peer aggression in practice trends may change or develop.
  • Self-motivation and academic accomplishment levels are related.
  • Memorization and concept building in education are two different things.
  • You can research every aspect of schooling, including disparities in pupils and motivation for studying.
  • Collaborative Learning with a Geometry Video Game: The Importance of Game Design and Elaboration for Learning and Motivation.

It takes a lot of time and effort to develop a dissertation topic in educational psychology. The more thoroughly you research your ideas, the easier it will be to succeed. The topic you choose must also be engaging. Your educational psychology dissertation topic should address all development difficulties, such as self-concept, self-regulation, environmental factors, motivation, knowledge, and cognitive development.

Do you need to hire a professional dissertation writer ? Worry no more! At ResearchProspect, we provide custom dissertation writing solutions according to your requirements.

Free Dissertation Topic

Phone Number

Academic Level Select Academic Level Undergraduate Graduate PHD

Academic Subject

Area of Research

Frequently Asked Questions

How to find educational psychology dissertation topics.

To find educational psychology dissertation topics:

  • Review current research and theories.
  • Identify educational challenges.
  • Explore learning methods and technologies.
  • Consider socio-cultural factors.
  • Investigate student motivation and behavior.
  • Select a topic aligning with your passion and research goals.

You May Also Like

Looking for a list of the most intriguing dissertation topic ideas on wildlife? Our wildlife dissertation topics are suggested by experts.

Choosing a top-notch subject for academic research, such as business intelligence dissertation topics, provides the student with a wide range of cutting-edge research ideas.

It is a famous saying by henry ford that the only foundation of a business is service. It is very true and is followed by businesses of all scales.

USEFUL LINKS

LEARNING RESOURCES

DMCA.com Protection Status

COMPANY DETAILS

Research-Prospect-Writing-Service

  • How It Works

Grad Coach

Research Topics & Ideas: Psychology

100+ Psychology Topic Ideas To Fast-Track Your Research

Research topics and ideas in psychology

If you’re starting out on the dissertation or thesis journey for your psychology degree, the very first challenge you’ll face is finding a solid research topic . In this post, we’ll help get the topic ideation process started by providing a meaty list of research ideas, spanning a range of psychology sub-disciplines. We’ll also look at some examples from actual theses and dissertations to give you an idea of what these look like in the real world.

NB – This is just the start…

The topic ideation and evaluation process has multiple steps (which we’ll explain a little later). Therefore, it’s important to recognise that this post is only the first step in finding a high-quality psychology-centred research topic. To develop a research topic, you’ll need to identify a clear and convincing research gap , and a viable plan of action to fill that gap.

If this all sounds a bit intimidating, be sure to check out our free dissertation mini-course , which covers the process of writing a dissertation or thesis from A-Z. You can also sign up for our free webinar that explores how to find a high-quality research topic. Alternatively, if you’d like hands-on help, have a look at our 1-on-1 coaching service .

Overview: Psychology-Related Topics

  • How to find a research topic (video)
  • Behavioural psychology
  • Clinical psychology
  • Cognitive psychology
  • Developmental psychology
  • Educational psychology
  • Forensic psychology
  • Social psychology
  • Sports psychology
  • Examples of actual dissertation topics
  • Free Webinar : Topic Ideation 101
  • Where to get extra help

How To Find A Research Topic

In the video below, we explain how to find suitable research ideas (in psychology or any field), and how to then refine those into well-articulated potential topics for your dissertation or thesis. We also discuss a few important evaluation criteria to help you make the right choice for your project.

Below you’ll find a list of research ideas to get your thinking started. Please note that these research topic ideas are intentionally broad and generic, so you will need to refine them a fair deal using the techniques we discussed in the video above.

We’ve grouped the topic ideas based on a few popular areas of psychology to make it a little easier for you to find something in your particular field of interest. That said, there is naturally some overlap between topics, so keep this in mind.

Research Ideas: Behavioural Psychology

  • Cultural variation in behaviour and mental health of adolescents during a disaster: a case study
  • The impact of parental drug use and risky behaviour on early child development
  • The effects of video game violence on aggressive behaviour among teenage boys in school
  • The relationship between adverse childhood experiences and adult risk-seeking behaviour
  • The impact of physical exercise on anxiety and health-harming behaviour
  • The relationship between personality traits and addiction behaviour
  • The effects of reinforcement schedules on decision-making and associative learning
  • The effects of daily mindfulness practice on stress and anxiety in middle-aged women
  • The use of behavioural interventions in the treatment of eating disorders in poorer communities
  • Understanding implicit cognitive processes involved in the over-consumption of fast food
  • The use of cognitive behavioural therapy for alcohol addiction treatment
  • The impact of extensive technology use in children on long-term attention and focus
  • The impact of social media on self-destructive behaviour and poor mental health outcomes
  • Exploring the role of sleep and sleep deprivation on healthy behaviours

Research topic idea mega list

Research Ideas: Clinical Psychology

  • The use of mindfulness-based approaches in the treatment of anxiety disorders among college students
  • The use of technology in the delivery of psychological services in war-torn countries
  • The effectiveness of dialectical behaviour therapy for borderline personality disorder
  • The use of virtual reality technology in the treatment of phobias and PTSD among war veterans
  • The role of childhood adversity on adult mental health in immigrant populations in the USA
  • The role of genetics and epigenetics in the development of bipolar disorder in Pakistani women: an integrative review
  • The effectiveness of pharmacotherapy in the treatment of social anxiety among hikikomori in Japan
  • The perception of healthcare workers and patients on the use of teletherapy for the delivery of psychological services
  • The impact of social support on mental health outcomes among single parents.
  • The effectiveness of integrative therapeutic approaches in the treatment of schizophrenia
  • The effectiveness of trauma-focused therapies on post-traumatic growth in domestic abuse survivors
  • The role and use of cognitive-behavioural therapy for depression among first-generation students
  • The effectiveness of family therapy in addressing childhood trauma and depression
  • The impact of cultural mistrust on the diagnosis and treatment of mental health issues in culturally-diverse populations
  • The effectiveness of group therapy on post-traumatic stress symptoms among survivors of sexual assault

Research Topic Kickstarter - Need Help Finding A Research Topic?

Research Ideas: Cognitive Psychology

  • The impact of lifelong aerobic exercise on cognitive function in old age
  • The effects of evening screen use on cognitive development in preschool children
  • The impact of sleep deprivation on decision-making among graduate students
  • The use of neuroimaging to understand the neural basis of memory retrieval
  • The effect of conservative religious homes on social functioning in LGBT+ adolescents
  • The role of positive emotions in working memory among high school learners
  • The neural basis of decision-making and problem-solving during undergraduate statistic assessments
  • The neural basis of language processing among adults learning English as a second language
  • The role of technological tools in improving working memory in older adults
  • The role of attention in emotional face processing among adult males
  • The impact of depression on cognitive function during ageing The impact of daily meditation and mindfulness practice on cognitive function
  • The relationship between increased protein intake and improved cognitive function
  • The effects of stress on cognitive function among final-year learners

Research topic evaluator

Research Ideas: Developmental Psychology

  • The impact of maternal affection on cognitive, social, and emotional development
  • The effects of parenting styles on children’s executive function
  • The impact of late-night screen use on child development
  • The role of digital play on child development outcomes
  • Exploring the impact of poverty on early child development in Brazil
  • The trauma-informed care as moderating the impact of trauma on child development
  • Evaluating the relationship between peer relationship quality and child social development
  • The impact of child-targeted media and advertising on child behavioural development
  • The role of parental attachment in child resilience
  • The moderating impact of culture on bullying and child social development
  • The impact of single-parenting on child development in India
  • The impact of early educational interventions on child socio-emotional development
  • The impact of digital technology use on adolescent development and mental health
  • The impact of socioeconomic status on child executive function
  • The role of genetics and epigenetics on child neurodevelopmental outcomes linked to depression

Need a helping hand?

research topics on educational psychology

Research Ideas: Educational Psychology

  • The relationship between self-regulated learning and academic performance in asynchronous versus synchronous learning environments
  • Exploring effective parental involvement strategies and their impact on student achievement
  • The role of intrinsic motivation in formative assessment in the classroom
  • The impact of classroom management and practice on student learning and behaviour
  • University students’ preference regarding online learning environments
  • The effects of gentrification on student achievement in traditionally poor neighbourhoods
  • The impact of teacher expectations and academic self-concept on K12 student mathematics performance
  • The use and effectiveness of game-based learning in a high school biology classroom
  • The impact of prejudice on the relationship between student motivation and academic performance among Black university students
  • The impact of culture on second language English student learning preferences
  • The effects of student self-efficacy and engagement on academic performance in secondary school mathematics
  • The role of metacognition in learning musicality in hip hop
  • The role of small group instruction on teacher efficacy and stress in early childhood education
  • The perception and use of multimedia among high school biology teachers in France
  • The use of augmented reality applications and its impact on student learning, motivation and attitude

Research Ideas: Forensic Psychology

  • The impact of trauma on the psychological functioning of police officers and first responders
  • Understanding cultural considerations during forensic psychological assessment and treatment of trauma
  • Ethical considerations of the use of AI in forensic psychology in the legal system
  • The psychological factors related to recidivism among white collar female offenders in the USA
  • The psychological factors related to false confessions among juveniles
  • Understanding the use of psychological assessment in the evaluation of eyewitness testimony in criminal courts in England
  • The impact of trauma on the reflective functioning of adult female sexual assault victims
  • The use and effectiveness of psychological interventions in reducing recidivism among non-violent criminals
  • The impact of domestic violence on the mental health and forensic evaluation of men
  • Exploring the ethical considerations and use of behavioural analysis in the study of criminal behaviour
  • The use and limitations of neuropsychological assessment in forensic evaluations
  • The use of social media forensics in evaluating criminal behaviour in violent crimes
  • The racialised use of psychological assessment in the evaluation of competency to stand trial in Canada
  • Exploring the use and availability of virtual reality technologies in forensic psychology in Spain
  • The impact of motivational interviewing-based interventions among criminalized drug users

Research Ideas: Social Psychology

  • The impact of prejudice and discrimination on social behaviour among African immigrants in South Africa
  • The impact of social networks on behaviour and well-being among young adult females
  • The effects of social identity on non-conformity in University students
  • The effects of group dynamics on risk-seeking behaviour in adult men
  • The impact of social media on the quality of interpersonal relationships among high school learners
  • The impact of parental emotional intelligence on pro-social behaviour in children and adolescents
  • The effects of conformity and deviance on social attitudes and behaviour during a global recession
  • The effects of Tik Tok on social comparison and self-esteem among teenage girls
  • Understanding gendered differences in social influence and algorithms on impulsive decision-making
  • The effects of social support on mental health among healthcare workers in the UK
  • The effects of gender roles on social behaviour among trans teens
  • The impact of perceived power and social status on the behaviour of social media influencers
  • The impact of social norms on prosocial behaviour among women
  • The effects of community participation on aggression and violence in middle-aged men
  • The impact of culture and gender on social behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic

Research Ideas: Sports Psychology

  • The moderating role of cultural factors on the relationship between mental health and sports performance in team sports
  • The role of mindfulness practice in addressing stress and anxiety in young national athletes
  • The relationship between team cohesion and performance in cricket teams
  • The effect of transformational leadership on female sports teams in Canada
  • The effect of positive self-talk on athletic performance and motivation among Olympic athletes
  • The use and perception of hypnosis in New Zealand team sports Understanding stress and burnout in University team athletes
  • The efficacy of personalised nutrition and diet on athletic performance among sprinters
  • Exploring mental preparation techniques and their effect on athletic motivation and resilience among team-sport athletes
  • Exploring the perception and understanding of goal-setting characteristics on athletic performance among team coaches
  • The effects of motivational feedback on the performance of female gymnasts
  • The perception and use of visualization and imagery among coaches as a means to enhance sport performance
  • The impact of sports injuries on mental health and recovery in high school athletes
  • The moderating role of sleep on mental toughness and sports performance in Olympic athletes
  • The use and perception of technology in sports training and performance in little league softball

Free Webinar: How To Find A Dissertation Research Topic

Psychology-Related Dissertations & Theses

While the ideas we’ve presented above are a decent starting point for finding a research topic in psychology, they are fairly generic and non-specific. So, it helps to look at actual dissertations and theses to see how this all comes together in practice.

Below, we’ve included a selection of research projects from various psychology degree programs to help refine your thinking. These are actual dissertations and theses, written as part of Master’s and PhD-level programs, so they can provide some useful insight as to what a research topic looks like in practice.

  • Effects of a Patient Question Prompt List on Outpatient Palliative Care Appointments (McDarby, 2022)
  • The role of affect and exercise goals in physical activity engagement in younger and older adults (Stojanovic, 2022)
  • Lay Theories about Whether Emotion Helps or Hinders Reasoning and Well-being (Karnaze, 2022)
  • The effects of blast-induced traumatic brain injury on two transgenic models of Alzheimer’s Disease (Gann, 2020)
  • Understanding the parental mind: Examining the stability of parental reflective functioning across the birth of a child and associations with maternal mind-mindedness (Pitzen, 2021)
  • An investigation of ineffective ally behaviours (Collier, 2019)
  • Response Inhibition-Related Beta Power: Distinguishing Cognitively Intact Elders by Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease (Evans, 2021)
  • Recognition Memory of Extremely High-Frequency Words (Miller, 2019)
  • The Relationship between Dementia Caregiver Burden and Caregiver Communications in a Memory Clinic Setting (Martin, 2021)
  • Examination of Maternal Versus Paternal Ratings of Child Pre-Injury Functioning in Predicting Child Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms (Sayer, 2021)
  • Electromyography As A Means of Predicting The Rubber Hand Illusion (Teaford, 2021)
  • Linking Diversity Climate and Feedback Seeking Through Interpersonal Processes and Race Effects (Flores, 2021)

Looking at these titles, you can probably pick up that the research topics here are far more specific and narrowly-focused , compared to the generic ones presented earlier. This is an important thing to keep in mind as you develop your own research topic. That is to say, to create a top-notch research topic, you must be precise and target a specific context with specific variables of interest . In other words, you need to identify a clear, well-justified research gap.

Fast-Track Your Topic Ideation

Still unsure about how to find the right topic for your research project? Check out our private coaching services , where we work with psychology students on a 1:1 basis to help them find the perfect topic.

You Might Also Like:

Topic Kickstarter: Research topics in education

10 Comments

Mariam Nakamanya

Great insight

Tom Byaruhanga

A very interesting site that offers a variety of options regarding research topics.

Derek Jansen

You’re most welcome

Aiman Kanwal

A good platform to get information

Chiemerie Lucy Okolo

Amazing and interesting options 👌

Mahwish Haris Awan

Very useful but had not any field of research in health psychology

Aishah

I feel honored going through this lovely stuff put together. Thank you so much

Olaniyan Olatunbosun

I need counseling psychology research topics

Fiso Ncube

very empowering and insightful presentations. Can I be assisted in crafting a school psychology-related research topic about African context

Submit a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

  • Print Friendly

Home » Blog » Dissertation » Topics » Psychology » Educational Psychology » 80 Educational Psychology Research Topics

Dissertation Help Logo

80 Educational Psychology Research Topics

FacebookXEmailWhatsAppRedditPinterestLinkedInFor students embarking on the journey of crafting a thesis or dissertation in the realm of Educational Psychology, the search for the perfect research topics can be exciting and daunting. This pivotal phase of your academic journey demands your intellectual prowess and your passion for understanding the intricate dynamics of learning, teaching, and human development. […]

Educational Psychology Research Topics

For students embarking on the journey of crafting a thesis or dissertation in the realm of Educational Psychology, the search for the perfect research topics can be exciting and daunting. This pivotal phase of your academic journey demands your intellectual prowess and your passion for understanding the intricate dynamics of learning, teaching, and human development. The choices are endless with the wealth of opportunities this field offers, from undergraduate research to doctoral-level investigations. In this guide, we’ll delve into an array of intriguing research topics and explore the avenues for exploration that can fuel your academic pursuits in the captivating world of educational psychology.

Educational Psychology, often called “School Psychology,” is the branch of psychology that focuses on understanding how people learn and develop within educational settings. It explores the cognitive, emotional, and social processes that influence learning and teaching, ultimately aiming to enhance educational practices and outcomes.

A List Of Potential Research Topics In Educational Psychology:

  • Examining the relationship between homework load and student well-being.
  • Investigating the effects of pandemic-related disruptions on students’ motivation and engagement.
  • Examining the effectiveness of inclusive educational policies on students’ social integration.
  • Assessing the impact of inclusive classroom practices on students’ attitudes towards diversity.
  • Exploring the effects of mindfulness interventions on reducing students’ test anxiety.
  • Examining the effectiveness of positive behaviour interventions in reducing classroom disruptions.
  • Investigating the effects of bilingual education on language development and academic success.
  • Analyzing the impact of bullying prevention programs on school climate.
  • A synthesis of research on the effects of bullying prevention programs in schools.
  • Assessing the impact of Brexit on the educational experiences of international students in the UK.
  • Investigating the factors influencing parental involvement in early childhood education.
  • Examining the role of school leadership in implementing UK curriculum reforms.
  • Assessing the influence of teacher training programs on classroom diversity awareness in the UK.
  • Examining the relationship between school climate and student mental health.
  • Exploring the relationship between socioeconomic disparities and educational outcomes in the UK.
  • Investigating the influence of teacher expectations on student performance.
  • Examining the effectiveness of cooperative learning strategies in diverse classrooms.
  • Assessing the impact of early childhood education programs on school readiness.
  • Analyzing the role of cultural diversity in shaping classroom dynamics in UK schools.
  • Exploring the effects of peer mentoring on students’ social and emotional development.
  • Analyzing the impact of inclusive education on the social integration of students with disabilities.
  • Exploring the relationship between students’ resilience and their academic performance post-COVID.
  • The role of self-efficacy in student motivation: A blend of educational and positive psychology .
  • Examining the role of technology in bridging educational gaps exacerbated by the pandemic.
  • Analyzing the effects of school-based nutrition programs on students’ cognitive development.
  • A critical analysis of the effectiveness of interventions for improving students’ self-regulation skills.
  • A critical analysis of the literature on the impact of parental involvement on student success.
  • Examining the role of metacognition in students’ problem-solving abilities.
  • Exploring the relationship between teacher-student trust and academic performance.
  • Examining the effects of standardized testing policies on student well-being in the UK.
  • Exploring the relationship between teacher expectations and gifted students’ performance.
  • Analyzing the role of parental involvement in reducing student dropout rates.
  • Investigating the effectiveness of online social-emotional learning programs post-COVID.
  • Exploring the relationship between teacher autonomy and job satisfaction.
  • Investigating the effects of peer tutoring on students with learning disabilities.
  • Exploring the relationship between socioeconomic status and academic achievement.
  • Examining the use of virtual reality in enhancing learning experiences in higher education.
  • Exploring the relationship between parental involvement and student achievement in the UK.
  • Analyzing the role of teacher professional learning communities in improving instruction.
  • An overview of the research on the effects of standardized testing on educational equity.
  • Investigating the effectiveness of government policies in promoting inclusive education in the UK.
  • Assessing the effectiveness of character education programs in preventing bullying.
  • Analyzing the role of emotional intelligence in teacher-student interactions.
  • A comprehensive review of the effectiveness of different teaching methods on student outcomes.
  • Analyzing the role of teacher adaptability and flexibility in online instruction post-COVID.
  • Assessing the influence of cultural sensitivity training on teacher attitudes and practices.
  • Examining the use of educational technology in promoting literacy skills in preschoolers.
  • Exploring the relationship between sleep patterns and academic achievement in adolescents.
  • Utilizing quantitative research methods to assess learning outcomes in educational psychology.
  • Assessing the long-term psychological effects of remote learning on students.
  • Exploring the relationship between students’ self-perception and academic success.
  • Investigating the effects of the UK’s transition from primary to secondary education.
  • Examining the impact of school climate on student mental health and well-being.
  • Investigating the effectiveness of peer tutoring in improving academic performance.
  • Analyzing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on educational equity in UK schools.
  • Exploring the relationship between gender stereotypes and STEM career choices.
  • Analyzing the impact of teacher burnout on classroom management and student learning.
  • Assessing the influence of parental involvement in remote learning environments.
  • Investigating the effects of school choice on student academic achievement.
  • Exploring the impact of COVID-19 on teacher-student relationships and classroom dynamics.
  • A meta-analysis of interventions aimed at reducing student test anxiety.
  • Supporting student mental health through the lens of school psychology in educational settings.
  • A systematic review of studies examining the relationship between teacher expectations and student performance.
  • Exploring the role of technology in promoting inclusive education for students with disabilities.
  • Analyzing the role of teacher-student relationships in enhancing academic achievement.
  • Analyzing the role of motivation in the development of early literacy skills.
  • Exploring the relationship between self-regulation and academic achievement in adolescents.
  • Investigating the effects of parental involvement on students’ career aspirations.
  • Examining the role of peer feedback in enhancing writing skills.
  • Assessing the influence of teacher feedback on student motivation and self-efficacy.
  • Exploring the effects of arts education on creativity and cognitive skills in children.
  • Analyzing the impact of teacher-student rapport on classroom behaviour.
  • Investigating the effectiveness of restorative justice practices in reducing school suspensions.
  • Examining the use of technology in promoting personalized learning in higher education.
  • Analyzing the influence of parental involvement on college readiness among high school students.
  • Assessing the impact of teacher professional development on classroom instructional practices.
  • A comprehensive review of studies exploring the relationship between teacher burnout and student achievement.
  • Assessing the effectiveness of character education programs in fostering moral development.
  • Examining the role of school leadership in shaping teacher professional development.
  • Examining the use of gamification in enhancing learning outcomes in primary education.

In Educational Psychology, the research topics are as diverse as the students who embark on this academic voyage. From exploring innovative teaching strategies to investigating learners’ psychological challenges, these topics offer an exciting avenue for intellectual growth and contribution to the field. Whether you are pursuing an undergraduate, master’s, or doctoral degree, the world of educational psychology welcomes your curious mind. So, choose your path, dive into your selected research, and embark on your academic journey with the conviction that your work can improve education and understanding of the human mind. Happy researching!

Order Educational Psychology Dissertation Now!

External Links:

  • Download the Educational Psychology Dissertation Sample For Your Perusal

Research Topic Help Service

Get unique research topics exactly as per your requirements. We will send you a mini proposal on the chosen topic which includes;

  • Research Statement
  • Research Questions
  • Key Literature Highlights
  • Proposed Methodology
  • View a Sample of Service

Ensure Your Good Grades With Our Writing Help

  • Talk to the assigned writer before payment
  • Get topic if you don't have one
  • Multiple draft submissions to have supervisor's feedback
  • Free revisions
  • Complete privacy
  • Plagiarism Free work
  • Guaranteed 2:1 (With help of your supervisor's feedback)
  • 2 Installments plan
  • Special discounts

Other Posts

  • 80 Clinical Health Psychology Research Topics September 7, 2023 -->
  • 80 Clinical Neuropsychology Research Topics September 7, 2023 -->
  • 80 Community Psychology Research Topics September 8, 2023 -->
  • 80 Comparative Psychology Research Topics September 8, 2023 -->
  • 80 Consumer Psychology Research Topics September 8, 2023 -->
  • 80 Counseling Psychology Research Topics September 8, 2023 -->
  • 80 Cross-Cultural Psychology Research Topics September 8, 2023 -->
  • 80 Cultural Psychology Research Topics September 8, 2023 -->
  • 80 Developmental Psychology Research Topics September 8, 2023 -->
  • 80 Environmental Psychology Research Topics September 8, 2023 -->
  • 80 Evolutionary Psychology Research Topics September 8, 2023 -->
  • 80 Experimental Psychology Research Topics September 8, 2023 -->
  • 80 Forensic Psychology Research Topics September 8, 2023 -->
  • 80 Geriatric Psychology Research Topics September 9, 2023 -->
  • 80 Health Psychology Research Topics September 9, 2023 -->
  • 80 Human Factors Psychology Research Topics September 9, 2023 -->
  • 80 Industrial-Organizational Psychology Research Topics September 7, 2023 -->
  • 80 Military Psychology Research Topics September 9, 2023 -->
  • 80 Neuropsychology Research Topics September 7, 2023 -->
  • 80 Pediatric Psychology Research Topics September 7, 2023 -->
  • 80 Political Psychology Research Topics September 9, 2023 -->
  • 80 Positive Psychology Research Topics September 7, 2023 -->
  • 80 Psychology Research Topics July 30, 2023 -->
  • 80 Psychometrics Research Topics September 7, 2023 -->
  • 80 Psychopathology Research Topics September 9, 2023 -->
  • 80 Quantitative Psychology Research Topics September 9, 2023 -->
  • 80 Rehabilitation Psychology Research Topics September 7, 2023 -->
  • 80 School Psychology Research Topics September 7, 2023 -->
  • 80 Social Psychology Research Topics September 9, 2023 -->
  • 80 Sports Psychology Research Topics September 9, 2023 -->

WhatsApp us

College of Education and Human Development

Department of Educational Psychology

Research topics: Opportunity gaps

Working toward greater educational equity.

Our researchers study educational outcomes and disparities and strive to improve how we identify and serve students who need additional supports in order to succeed in schools.

Panayiota Kendeou

Kendeou (psychological foundations of education) investigates the development of higher-order language and cognitive skills that support reading comprehension. She also conducts lab-based studies investigating how people learn new knowledge and revise pre-existing knowledge during their reading experiences.

Michael Rodriguez

Rodriguez (quantitative methods in education) is the dean of the College of Education and Human Development, Campbell Leadership Chair, and co-director of the Educational Equity Resource Center. His research focuses on understanding the psychometric properties of tests. This work has included research on the effects of item formats and the use of constructed-response versus multiple-choice items. Dr. Rodriguez has a strong interest in applied measurement, spending a good deal of time working with schools and school districts to develop methods for improving their use of large-scale test information for planning and evaluation. He also works on issues related to improving accessibility of assessment of students with disabilities and English language learners.

Amanda Sullivan

Sullivan (school psychology) focuses her research on describing special needs among children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and understanding the educational and health services they receive. She is particularly interested in elucidating disparities in the educational treatment and outcomes of students with and at-risk for disabilities and identify malleable factors related to outcomes in order to inform policy and practice to better support students’ educational needs. Much of her work entails secondary analyses of large-scale datasets that allow for population estimates of students’ characteristics, experiences, and outcomes.

Sherri Turner

Turner (counselor education) studies ways to address disparities in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) among college students, youth living in the inner-cities, and Native American youth. She also studies relationships between counseling, cultural engagement and Native American adolescents’ academic achievement and college-decidedness.

Alisha Wackerle-Hollman

Wackerle-Hollman (school psychology) is a research associate professor and PI for Spanish Individual Growth and Development Indicators (S-IGDIs). S-IGDIs is a project designed to develop and evaluate Spanish measures of early literacy designed for Spanish-English bilinguals. Wackerle-Hollman also has a strong interest in community based participatory research, and as a result, she is currently a Co-PI on two Family Academy projects within the federally funded promise neighborhood in North Minneapolis (Northside Achievement Zone) where her work centers around developing robust, evidence-based practices in parenting intervention.

Related labs and projects

  • Educational Equity Resource Center
  • Increasing Native American Engineering Faculty
  • Reading + Learning Lab

share this!

March 12, 2024

This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

fact-checked

trusted source

Innovative approaches for addressing difficult topics in K-12 schools

by Pennsylvania State University

Innovative approaches for addressing difficult topics in K-12 schools

Three journals have recently published research papers by Penn State's Hammel Family Human Rights Initiative. The papers illustrate how the initiative's programs help K-12 educators address difficult issues such as racism.

The three journals that published the initiative papers are School-University Partnerships , Journal of Practitioner Research and Journal of Teacher Education . Some of the scholars who independently reviewed the papers described the initiative's research-based, nonpartisan approach, which combines practitioner inquiry with trauma-informed and asset-based practices, as novel, innovative and widely needed.

"We spend a great deal of energy and time conducting rigorous research into our work for several reasons," said Boaz Dvir, the initiative's director and an associate professor in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications. "These include improving our programs, strengthening our approach, collaborating with partners and participants, and sharing our findings with the world so others can challenge and/or adopt our approach."

The initiative partners with educational entities such as school districts to offer customized professional learning opportunities to K-12 educators in Pennsylvania and around the country. Program participants identify difficult issues in their curriculum or setting, come up with compelling questions about these issues, seek credible sources, collect and analyze data, investigate their findings with colleagues and initiative facilitators, and design and implement classroom- or school-application plans.

The initiative offers year- and semester-long programs, workshops and asynchronous, self-paced online modules .

To examine the initiative's yearlong program, the researchers interviewed participating teachers, generated field notes, collected program artifacts, reviewed teachers' lesson plans and conducted classroom observations.

The core research team included Dvir; initiative affiliate faculty member Logan Rutten, a University of North Dakota assistant professor; and Danielle Butville, the initiative's assistant director. The team collaborated with educators from Pennsylvania's Red Lion Area School District—Wendy Smith, a veteran fifth-grade teacher, and Eric Wilson, who at the time served as the district's chief instructional officer—to co-author two of the publications.

All three journals provide open access , so readers can download the papers for free. As much as possible, the initiative aims to publish its research in such accessible spaces.

"These papers carve a distinctive niche in the research on teachers' professional learning," Rutten said. "At a time when many teachers are seeking support to address the difficult topics they face in their curriculum and school communities, our research clearly illustrates how inquiry-based approaches can offer a hopeful path forward."

The initiative team continues to examine various key aspects of its work.

"In our ongoing and future research, we are studying the impact of our programs on collective K-12 teachers' efficacy and students' learning experiences, as well as our learning as facilitators and teacher educators," Butville said.

Based in Penn State's Bellisario College, the Hammel Family Human Rights Initiative and the Holocaust, Genocide and Human Rights Education Initiative offer intensive professional learning programs throughout Pennsylvania and around the country to support educators in their instruction of a variety of difficult issues.

Logan Rutten et al, Practitioner Inquiry for Turbulent Times: Learning to Take an Inquiry Stance Toward Teaching Difficult Topics Through a Teacher Inquiry Community, Journal of Practitioner Research (2023). DOI: 10.5038/2379-9951.8.2.1251

Logan Rutten et al, Leaning Into Difficult Topics: Inquiry Communities as Teacher Professional Learning for Turbulent Times, Journal of Teacher Education (2024). DOI: 10.1177/00224871241231543

Provided by Pennsylvania State University

Explore further

Feedback to editors

research topics on educational psychology

Air quality in Europe shows significant improvements over the last two decades, study finds

2 hours ago

research topics on educational psychology

A simple and robust experimental process for protein engineering

3 hours ago

research topics on educational psychology

Team makes progress with fluorescent dyes to better visualize lipid membrane order in live cells

10 hours ago

research topics on educational psychology

Giant sequoias are a rapidly growing feature of the UK landscape

12 hours ago

research topics on educational psychology

Tsetse fly fertility damaged after just one heat wave, study finds

13 hours ago

research topics on educational psychology

Alaska dinosaur tracks reveal a lush, wet environment

14 hours ago

research topics on educational psychology

Researchers connect declining atmospheric sulfur dioxide levels to rise in Legionnaires' disease

research topics on educational psychology

Condor telescope reveals a new world for astrophysicists

15 hours ago

research topics on educational psychology

New method finds higher carnivorous dinosaur biodiversity in Kem Kem beds of Morocco

research topics on educational psychology

Zero-boil-off tank experiments to enable long-duration space exploration

Relevant physicsforums posts, the new california math framework: another step backwards.

Mar 11, 2024

The changing physics curriculum in 1961

Feb 26, 2024

Rant about working in the tutoring lab: How should I deal with this?

Feb 25, 2024

Are Degree Apprenticeships a Good idea

Feb 23, 2024

Opinion: When Pro Scientists Explain Using Pop Science

Feb 15, 2024

Various Intuitions and Conceptualizations of Measurable Cardinals.

Feb 14, 2024

More from STEM Educators and Teaching

Related Stories

research topics on educational psychology

AI can teach math teachers how to improve student skills

Dec 8, 2023

research topics on educational psychology

Representation matters in asynchronous, scripted online learning environment

Nov 15, 2023

research topics on educational psychology

Rural educators find solutions to support multilingual learners

Mar 28, 2023

research topics on educational psychology

Study identifies best ways of helping teachers adopt supports for students with autism

Aug 16, 2023

research topics on educational psychology

Why is tech giant Apple trying to teach our teachers?

Jul 18, 2022

research topics on educational psychology

How teachers can use social media to improve learning this fall

Jun 24, 2020

Recommended for you

research topics on educational psychology

Research finds a college degree remains a sound investment despite rising tuition

23 hours ago

research topics on educational psychology

Research unveils effective STEM program models for high school students from historically marginalized communities

Mar 8, 2024

research topics on educational psychology

Doing more but learning less: Addressing the risks of AI in research

research topics on educational psychology

How to build your own robot friend: Making AI education more accessible

research topics on educational psychology

Study reveals racial disparities in school enrollment during COVID-19

research topics on educational psychology

Biology textbooks do not provide students with comprehensive view of science of sex and gender, say professors

Feb 22, 2024

Let us know if there is a problem with our content

Use this form if you have come across a typo, inaccuracy or would like to send an edit request for the content on this page. For general inquiries, please use our contact form . For general feedback, use the public comments section below (please adhere to guidelines ).

Please select the most appropriate category to facilitate processing of your request

Thank you for taking time to provide your feedback to the editors.

Your feedback is important to us. However, we do not guarantee individual replies due to the high volume of messages.

E-mail the story

Your email address is used only to let the recipient know who sent the email. Neither your address nor the recipient's address will be used for any other purpose. The information you enter will appear in your e-mail message and is not retained by Phys.org in any form.

Newsletter sign up

Get weekly and/or daily updates delivered to your inbox. You can unsubscribe at any time and we'll never share your details to third parties.

More information Privacy policy

Donate and enjoy an ad-free experience

We keep our content available to everyone. Consider supporting Science X's mission by getting a premium account.

E-mail newsletter

Join thousands of product people at Insight Out Conf on April 11. Register free.

Insights hub solutions

Analyze data

Uncover deep customer insights with fast, powerful features, store insights, curate and manage insights in one searchable platform, scale research, unlock the potential of customer insights at enterprise scale.

Featured reads

research topics on educational psychology

Product updates

Dovetail retro: our biggest releases from the past year

research topics on educational psychology

Tips and tricks

How to affinity map using the canvas

research topics on educational psychology

Dovetail in the Details: 21 improvements to influence, transcribe, and store

Events and videos

© Dovetail Research Pty. Ltd.

11 social psychology research topics to explore in 2024

Last updated

6 March 2024

Reviewed by

Miroslav Damyanov

Social psychology is a constantly evolving field of study. It explores how our environment and other people influence our thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and goals. Social psychology uncovers how social interaction, perception, and influence impact individuals and groups. 

Taking a specific path to follow your interests and learn more about available areas can narrow your focus to find the ideal research project. 

Let’s take a look at current topics in social psychology to inspire your research. 

  • Understanding social psychology research

Psychologists conduct experiments to better understand how different environmental factors and the influence of other people shape feelings and behaviors. 

Research projects explore various topics, from how a position of power can change behavior to the impact of positive social interactions. 

Various research designs allow researchers to develop projects that range from observational to experimental. 

What is an example of social psychology research?

Zimbardo randomly assigned college students the roles of prison guards or prisoners in a simulated prison environment. Despite knowing their roles were random, the guards exhibited increasing cruelty towards the prisoners. 

Researchers halted the study after six days due to extreme psychological distress. It revealed the profound impact of social roles and situations on human behavior, highlighting how people can adopt negative behaviors when given authority, even in a controlled setting.

  • How to choose social psychology research topics

Social psychology is a diverse, highly studied area of science, so developing a unique project on a relevant topic can be challenging. 

When choosing a subject, begin by exploring your interests. After considering questions you'd like answers to and topics that intrigue you, narrow your scope. Explore specific areas of research, research designs, and subtopics. 

Once you've narrowed down your choices, seek literature and past studies on the subject. Consider how past research can raise additional questions about the topic. 

Develop your ideas by determining how to measure and test your research questions. 

Once you have a firm plan for your project, talk to your instructor for advice and approval before launching your studies. 

  • Social psychology research topics

Social psychology has many nuances that influence human beliefs and behavior. Various elements of situations and relationships affect short- and long-term emotions and actions. 

The major research areas in social psychology are an ideal starting point to investigate as part of a psychology research project. 

These key focus areas within social psychology can be compelling psychology research topics:

1. Attitudes and attitude change

Research projects surrounding attitudes generally examine the components of attitudes and how they develop and can be changed. 

The three components of attitude are affective, behavioral, and cognitive. They’re also known as the ABCs. 

We form attitudes through a combination of upbringing, experience, and genetics. People can self-measure them in surveys or through researchers’ observations. 

Attitudes can change due to influence and environmental factors. They hugely affect human behavior, making them an important research topic in social psychology.

2. Attachment and relationships

Social connections shape our lives from the earliest moments, taking various forms that significantly impact our well-being. These connections have numerous advantages, such as heightened happiness and satisfaction. 

Social psychology explores these connections, examining diverse attachment styles to explain love, friendship, and attraction. 

Research in this domain investigates the repercussions of poorly formed social bonds and seeks to answer questions about how relationships influence group behavior. 

Additionally, studies in social psychology dissect the elements contributing to attraction, shedding light on the intricate dynamics that shape our social bonds and interactions. 

3. Authority and leadership

As revealed in the Stanford Experiment, authority can directly affect behavior. 

However, social psychology can further delve into the dynamics of people interacting with those in leadership roles. 

Milgram's Obedience to Authority study exemplifies this exploration. Stanley Milgram wanted to investigate how easily authority figures could influence people to commit atrocities.

In this study, participants assumed the role of teachers administering electric shocks to learners for incorrect answers. 65% delivered 450 volts of electricity under the directive of an authority figure. 

Research can consider the positive or negative elements of authority based on specific applications, settings, and environments. 

For example, we might consider obedience to authority positive in the workplace or classroom.

Social psychology research about groups delves into how behavior changes in group settings. 

Groups form for various reasons, and everything from leadership to group dynamics can impact how people behave. These behavioral changes can be beneficial or harmful. 

Research into group behavior can focus on decision-making, internal conflicts, conflicts with other groups, how groups affect individual identities, and much more. 

Studies can also investigate how positive group behaviors can influence someone. 

5. Prejudice

Prejudice and discrimination take different forms, which people may not be aware of. The origin and consequences of prejudice present many topics of study for researchers. 

Topics related to how prejudices form and why people maintain inaccurate stereotypes can uncover why people depend on stereotypes to make decisions. 

Many studies focus on the effects of discrimination and how to reduce prejudice. 

Research in this category can overlap with many other categories. For instance, group behavior and social influences can contribute to the formation of stereotypes and social categorization. 

6. Self and social identity

Many elements form the human perception of self. How we perceive ourselves may be substantially different from the viewpoint of others. 

Social psychologists are interested in learning how a person’s self-perception can influence factors like behavior and internal feelings like confidence. 

Our concept of self derives from various sources, such as abilities, social comparisons, interactions with others, and status. 

Researching how the perception of the inner self impacts social behaviors can unveil how social factors influence critical feelings like self-esteem. 

7. Pro- and anti-social behavior

How people’s social surroundings impact the way they respond to certain situations is defined as pro- or anti-social behavior. 

Positive and negative behaviors are based on accepted social norms. How someone responds during a specific event can reinforce or undermine those norms. 

For example, helping a stranger is prosocial, while vandalism is antisocial behavior. 

Studies have shown that prosocial behavior is contagious: Those who experience or observe it are more likely to help others. 

Antisocial behavior can have a similar effect but in a negative direction. Observing seemingly harmless acts, like littering and graffiti, can weaken social norms. This potentially invites more dangerous antisocial behavior.

Researchers can elaborate on this knowledge to consider why people help others without considering personal costs. They can also dig into what deters someone from taking an action they know is "the right thing to do." 

Exploring how society impacts positive and negative behaviors can shed light on ways to reduce negative behavior.

8. Social influence

Persuasion, peer pressure, obedience, and conformity are all forms of social influence. Like other areas of social psychology, these influences can be positive or negative. 

One of the earliest studies on social influence was Soloman Asch’s Conformity Line Experiment . 

Researchers put a participant in a test with seven conformists without knowing the conformists weren't true participants. Researchers asked them to compare the image of a target line with lines A, B, and C on another image. 

Early in the experiment, all conformists answered correctly, followed by the participant, who was always last. 

After a few rounds, the conformists began to provide wrong answers unanimously. On average, about a third of participants followed along with conformists to confirm clearly incorrect answers. 75% of participants confirmed at least one wrong answer. 

The control group had no conformists. Less than 1% of participants gave the wrong answer. 

Doctor and author Robert Cialdini takes the concept of influence further. He identified six universal principles of influence and persuasion to help people defend against dishonest influences. 

His studies conclude that these influences can sway people:

Reciprocation: The feeling we should repay what someone has provided

Social proof: When unsure about a decision, we follow the actions of others 

Liking: We generally agree with people we like and want them to agree with us

Authority: We are more likely to say yes to authority figures

Scarcity: We want more of what is less available

Commitment and consistency: Once we make a choice, we follow it with corresponding actions to justify the decision (even if we no longer believe in the choice)

Researchers can study how social influence guides the decision-making process and explore the positive and negative effects of conformity. Other experiments can explore the consequences of peer pressure and whether it can be beneficial. 

9. Social cognition

In the most basic sense, cognition is the brain gathering and understanding knowledge through sensations, thoughts, and experiences. It allows us to make sense of new information. 

Social cognition is how the brain processes information about individuals and groups of people. It includes the role of heuristics . These mental shortcuts enable us to function without constantly stopping to interpret everything in the environment. 

Research under the umbrella of social cognition can explore first impressions, how appearance affects our judgment, and how social interactions affect behavior. 

These studies can help psychologists understand how someone’s perception of social norms affects their self-image and behavior.

10. Violence and aggression

Exploration into violence and aggression attempts to better understand the factors and situations that cause aggression and how it impacts behaviors. 

Several types of aggressive behavior exist, ranging from gossiping to physical violence. Studies in this area examine the different types of aggression and the variables contributing to aggressive behavior. 

For instance, a pattern of aggression may relate to witnessing the behavior of a family member or traumatic experiences. Conversely, situational variables may trigger a single incidence of aggression.

A greater understanding of the role of social learning in aggressive behavior can lead to research about how social norms and public policy can decrease violent behavior. 

Learning more about the variables contributing to aggression and violence means researchers can use new knowledge to work toward solutions. 

11. Social representations

Social representations are a form of heuristics: a set of beliefs that make something unfamiliar easily understood. They allow people to apply specific bits of evidence-based data to individuals’ or groups’ actions to make ideas more familiar. 

Researchers may study the role of social representations in making new psychological or scientific information accessible to the average person. Studies may explore how we make sense of new information and how people organize and separate facts for rapid learning.

Get started today

Go from raw data to valuable insights with a flexible research platform

Editor’s picks

Last updated: 21 September 2023

Last updated: 14 February 2024

Last updated: 17 February 2024

Last updated: 19 November 2023

Last updated: 5 March 2024

Last updated: 5 February 2024

Last updated: 15 February 2024

Last updated: 12 October 2023

Last updated: 6 March 2024

Last updated: 31 January 2024

Last updated: 10 April 2023

Latest articles

Related topics, log in or sign up.

Get started with a free trial

  • Frontiers in Psychology
  • Performance Science
  • Research Topics

Innovation in Developmental Psychology, Education, Sports, and Arts: Advances in Research on Individuals and Groups - Volume II

Total Downloads

Total Views and Downloads

About this Research Topic

This Research Topic is the second volume of the Research Topic "Innovation in Developmental Psychology, Education, Sports, and Arts: Advances in Research on Individuals and Groups" Please see the first volume ...

Keywords : Growth and Performance in Education, Arts and Sports, Learning Strategies, Socio-emotional, Cognitive and Psychomotor Development, Education and Performance Throughout Life, Increase Performance Levels in Children, Adolescents and Adults

Important Note : All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

Topic Editors

Topic coordinators, recent articles, submission deadlines, participating journals.

Manuscripts can be submitted to this Research Topic via the following journals:

total views

  • Demographics

No records found

total views article views downloads topic views

Top countries

Top referring sites, about frontiers research topics.

With their unique mixes of varied contributions from Original Research to Review Articles, Research Topics unify the most influential researchers, the latest key findings and historical advances in a hot research area! Find out more on how to host your own Frontiers Research Topic or contribute to one as an author.

IMAGES

  1. Educational psychology topics for a research paper

    research topics on educational psychology

  2. Educational Psychology by Wendy M. Williams, Paperback, 9780205626076

    research topics on educational psychology

  3. (PDF) Educational Psychology: Contemporary Perspectives

    research topics on educational psychology

  4. 32 Educational Psychology Dissertation Topics & Ideas

    research topics on educational psychology

  5. HSSL Publishing @ McGraw-Hill Education: Educational Psychology by

    research topics on educational psychology

  6. (PDF) Educational Psychology: Learning and Instruction

    research topics on educational psychology

VIDEO

  1. Information about psychology

  2. what psychology is ? 🙄🔥🙃

  3. #Educational Psychology#1grade

  4. Educational psychology part 2

  5. Educational psychology part

  6. Educational psychology part-7

COMMENTS

  1. Research topics in educational psychology

    About our research. Our research helps tackle some of the toughest issues in education today, including achievement gaps, autism, and behavioral and social-emotional development. We're dedicated to improving students' mathematical thinking and reading comprehension skills and analyzing student changes.

  2. Journal of Educational Psychology

    The main purpose of the Journal of Educational Psychology® is to publish original, primary psychological research pertaining to education across all ages and educational levels. A secondary purpose of the journal is the occasional publication of exceptionally important meta-analysis articles that are pertinent to educational psychology.

  3. Educational Psychology, School Psychology, and Training

    Spotlight Articles. The multicultural play therapy room: Intentional decisions on toys and materials. from International Journal of Play Therapy. February 6, 2024. Finding your people and your space on the internet: The web as a source of support for trans students of color. from Journal of Diversity in Higher Education.

  4. Frontiers in Psychology

    Best Practice Approaches for Mixed Methods Research in Psychological Science - Volume II. Gudberg K. Jonsson. Mariona Portell. M. Teresa Anguera. José Luis Losada. Judith Schoonenboom. 2,145 views. 2 articles. This multidisciplinary section explores the psychology and practice of education, drawing on the best science from areas of the social ...

  5. Insights in Educational Psychology 2021

    This Research Topic is part of the Insights in Psychology series. We are now entering the third decade of the 21st Century, and, especially in the last years, the achievements made by scientists have been exceptional, leading to major advancements in the fast-growing field of Psychology. Frontiers has organized a series of Research Topics to highlight the latest advancements in science in ...

  6. How Scientific Is Educational Psychology Research? The ...

    The field of educational psychology has been moving away from intervention and experimental methods and toward observational and correlational methods (Hsieh et al., Journal of Educational Psychology, 97(4), 523-529, 2005; Reinhart et al., Journal of Educational Psychology, 105(1), 241-247, 2013; Robinson et al., American Educational Research Journal, 44(2), 400-413, 2007). Additionally ...

  7. Frontiers in Psychology

    Learn more about Research Topics. This multidisciplinary section explores the psychology and practice of education, drawing on the best science from areas of the social sciences.

  8. Contemporary Educational Psychology

    Contemporary Educational Psychology publishes empirical research from around the globe that substantively advances, extends, or re-envisions the ongoing discourse in educational psychology research and practice. Publishable manuscripts must be grounded in a rich, inclusive theoretical and empirical framework that gives way to critical and timely questions facing educational psychology.

  9. (PDF) Educational Psychology: Contemporary Perspectives

    This chapter illustrates how the field of educational psychology represents an important area of psychological research, theory, and practice. Five major areas of contemporary research and ...

  10. Latest articles from Educational Psychology

    The reciprocity between various motivation constructs and academic achievement: a systematic review and multilevel meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. Tuong Van Vu, Aurelia Lilly Scharmer, Elise van Triest, Nienke van Atteveldt & Martijn Meeter. Published online: 29 Feb 2024. 0 Views. 0 CrossRef citations. 0 Altmetric.

  11. 50+ Topics of Psychology Research for Your Student Paper

    Topics of Psychology Research Related to Human Cognition. Some of the possible topics you might explore in this area include thinking, language, intelligence, and decision-making. Other ideas might include: Dreams. False memories. Attention. Perception.

  12. What Is Educational Psychology? 6 Examples and Theories

    Educational Psychology Research Topics Recent research in educational psychology has included an emphasis on how social-emotional factors affect student achievement. For example, Zysberg and Schwabsky (2020) examined the relationships between positive school culture or climate, students' sense of self-efficacy, and academic achievement in ...

  13. Educational Psychology and Research

    As a student in the Educational Psychology concentration, you will take several courses on foundational topics in our field such as development (child, adolescent, and/or adult), learning and instruction, cognition, and motivation as well as topical seminars. You can focus on quantitative or mixed methods research; between your research courses ...

  14. 99 Educational Psychology Dissertation Topics

    Educational psychology research topics can focus on schools as centres of learning or they can integrate professional learning and training for skill development and advancement. The opportunities presented by educational psychology for exploration of dissertation topics are virtually unlimited. The following is a sizable list of research ...

  15. 50 Expert Educational Psychology Research Topics

    However, we have some top educational psychology research topics for you. The role of emotional teaching: Gender difference in teaching approaches. Educational psychology in rural contexts: Ethical, professional, and legal issues. Psychology practice in rural schools: Guidelines and implications. Educational implications on psychological ...

  16. 170+ Research Topics In Education (+ Free Webinar)

    A comprehensive list of research topics and ideas in education, along with a list of existing dissertations & theses covering education. About Us; Services. 1-On-1 Coaching. ... I would to inquire on research topics on Educational psychology, Masters degree. Reply. Aron kirui on October 15, 2023 at 7:45 am

  17. Methods and Applications in Educational Psychology

    This series aims to highlight the latest experimental techniques and research methods used to investigate fundamental questions in Educational Psychology. Systematic reviews, insightful methodological critiques, meta-analyses that employ research designs of studies as a moderator variable in meta-regression, theoretical papers, and applied research highlighting new and cutting-edge ...

  18. Educational Psychology Dissertation Topics

    The more thoroughly you research your ideas, the easier it will be to succeed. The topic you choose must also be engaging. Your educational psychology dissertation topic should address all development difficulties, such as self-concept, self-regulation, environmental factors, motivation, knowledge, and cognitive development.

  19. Research topics: Instruction and intervention

    The second goal of this research is to investigate the factors that support positive youth development. Keisha Varma. Varma (psychological foundations of education) explores the cognitive processes that underlie science learning. Her work is at the intersection of educational psychology, cognitive science, and the learning sciences.

  20. Research Topics In Psychology (+ Free Webinar)

    Research Ideas: Developmental Psychology. The impact of maternal affection on cognitive, social, and emotional development. The effects of parenting styles on children's executive function. The impact of late-night screen use on child development. The role of digital play on child development outcomes.

  21. 80 Educational Psychology Research Topics

    A List Of Potential Research Topics In Educational Psychology: Examining the relationship between homework load and student well-being. Investigating the effects of pandemic-related disruptions on students' motivation and engagement. Examining the effectiveness of inclusive educational policies on students' social integration.

  22. Research topics: Opportunity gaps

    Amanda Sullivan. Sullivan (school psychology) focuses her research on describing special needs among children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and understanding the educational and health services they receive. She is particularly interested in elucidating disparities in the educational treatment and outcomes of students ...

  23. Educational perspectives and highlights in Educational Psychology: a

    Authors are encouraged to identify the greatest challenges in the sub-disciplines, and how to address those challenges. The goal of this special edition Research Topic is to shed light on the progress made in the past decade in the educational psychology field and on its future challenges to provide a thorough overview of the state of the art ...

  24. Innovative approaches for addressing difficult topics in K-12 schools

    More information: Boaz Dvir et al, Partnering to support K-12 instruction of difficult topics through inquiry-based professional learning, School-University Partnerships (2023).DOI: 10.1108/SUP-03 ...

  25. APA calls for prohibiting punitive isolation of youths in juvenile

    Washington — The American Psychological Association has called for prohibiting the placement of youths in isolation in juvenile justice settings, except for emergencies, citing the research showing its detrimental effects on mental health and development. "APA stands firm in its opposition to the isolation of youth in juvenile justice settings," said APA President Cynthia de las Fuentes ...

  26. Social Psychology Research Topics For College Students In 2024

    They hugely affect human behavior, making them an important research topic in social psychology. 2. Attachment and relationships. Social connections shape our lives from the earliest moments, taking various forms that significantly impact our well-being. These connections have numerous advantages, such as heightened happiness and satisfaction.

  27. Innovation in Developmental Psychology, Education, Sports ...

    This Research Topic is the second volume of the Research Topic "Innovation in Developmental Psychology, Education, Sports, and Arts: Advances in Research on Individuals and Groups" Please see the first volume here. Due to the expansion of knowledge around us, we are "besieged" by a multitude of data that attracts our attention and pressures us to interact with it, motivating us to receive ...