Education Psychology

About Us - Department of Education Psychology

Psychology is a relatively young field of study, breaking away from mainstream philosophy in the latter part of the nineteenth century. Its name is derived from two Greek terms namely psyche – meaning mind, and logos meaning science or the study of. In general, psychology defined as the scientific study of behaviour. Science is used to imply that observations are used in the study of behaviour.

The key purpose of psychology is to use theories and principles obtained from empirical studies describe, predict and understand human behaviour. Psychologists use basic psychological knowledge to solve human problems in different settings such as Clinical Psychology that seeks to understand and treat personal problems and correct abnormal behavior; Counseling Psychology which helps people with personal problems, for example in grieving, careers and family issues; Industrial Psychology which is concerned with recruitment , motivation and enhancing job satisfaction of employees; Developmental Psychology which is concerned with changes that take place in people during their lifespan; Social Psychology that studies the behaviour of people in groups; Cognitive Psychology that deals with mental processes such as problem solving, creativity, intelligence and memory, among others. Education is a complex social process that was defined by Aristotle as the process of training a person to fulfill their purpose by exercising all faculties to the fullest extent as a member of society. Education presents various problems to which psychology has responded through its branch of Educational Psychology.

 Educational Psychology is a field of study that applies Psychological theories and principles to develop effective methods of teaching and learning as well as solving psychological problems in schools. The rise of Educational Psychology as a distinct field of study in the late 19 th and early 20 th century is credited to the works of pioneer scientists of that era who applied psychological methods to educational problems. These include luminaries like William James, Alfred Binet, Jean Piaget and Edward Thorndike. This was the period that most government around the world had begun to modernize their respective country’s education sectors and these thinkers proposed ways that could improve the educational process using psychological principles. These principles were built on the works of pre-Psychology classical thinkers such as Heinrich Pestalozzi, Jean Roseau and John Locke. The golden era in the growth of educational psychology was in the middle years of the 20 th century where formal departments were set up in various universities and teacher training institutions around the world. It is here that various scholars published theories and established specific schools of thought that shaped modern educational psychological principles. These include constructivists Lev Vygotsky and Jerome Brunner as well as behaviourists Benjamin Skinner and Albert Bandura.

Over the years, Educational Psychology became entrenched in both the pre-service and in-service teacher training curricula. The course provides important background knowledge that pre-service and in-service educators can use as the foundation for professional practice. This field guides onhow to achieve the goals of education efficiently by providing answers to questions such as – when are children ready to start learning certain types of subject matter? What is the best method for teaching certain skills? How can retention be improved? How do you know that learning has taken place? Knowledge of educational psychology helps the teacher to respond differently to learners of different ages, genders and socioeconomic backgrounds, formulate effective teaching strategies to meet needs of learners and to use acceptable approaches to discipline, among others.

Apart for training teachers, Educational Psychology is provided as an advanced course for specialists in the Education sector. These scholars have been instrumental in advancing research that has impacted in educational policy as well as initiating reforms in the conduct of education. Notably in Kenya, Educational psychologists were instrumental in the writing of the 2017 Basic Education Curriculum Framework by providing theoretical foundations for the Competency Based Curriculum. The department of Education Psychology is one of the oldest at the Kenyatta University having begun its existence in the year 1973 when it was transferred from the university of Nairobi during the inception of the Kenyatta University College. Following is a schedule of the previous and the current heads of the department;

Term                     Name

1973 - 1974 Dr Schmalgemeir
1974 – 1977 Dr A. Khan
1977 – 1980 Prof. B. Otaala
1981 – 1985 Prof. D. Kiminyo
1986 – 1988 Dr. G.K. Karugu
1989 – 1993 Prof. S. Bali
1994 – 1997 Dr. F. Ingule
1998 – 2000 Dr. Mary Mwangi
2001 – 2003 Dr. Sammy Tumuti
2003 – 2007 Dr. Philomena Ndambuki
2011 – 2015 Dr. Tabitha Wang’eri
2015 – 2019 Dr. Peter A. M. Mwaura
2019 – 2024 Dr. David G. Kariuki
2024 - Present - Dr. Doyne Mugambi

Over the years, the Department has birthed other related departments. These are; Early Childhood, Special Needs (School of Education) and Psychology (School of Humanities and Social Sciences). Given the radical evolution of psychological needs especially in the 21 st century Education sector, the Department of Educational Psychology will continue to grow and specialize to meet these challenges.