Introduction to Educational Psychology
Description of the Examination
The Introduction to Educational Psychology examination covers material that is usually taught in a one-semester undergraduate course in this subject. Emphasis is placed on principles of learning and cognition, teaching methods and classroom management, child growth and development, and evaluation and assessment of learning.
The examination contains approximately 100 questions to be answered in 90 minutes. Some of these are pretest questions that will not be scored. Any time candidates spend on tutorials and providing personal information is in addition to the actual testing time.
Knowledge and Skills Required
Questions on the Introduction to Educational Psychology examination require candidates to demonstrate one or more of the following abilities.
- Knowledge and comprehension of basic facts, concepts, and principles
- Association of ideas with given theoretical positions
- Awareness of important influences on learning and instruction
- Familiarity with research and statistical concepts and procedures
- Ability to apply various concepts and theories as they apply to particular teaching situations and problems
The subject matter of the Introduction to Educational Psychology examination is drawn from the following topics. The percentages next to the main topics indicate the approximate percentage of exam questions on that topic.
5%
Educational Aims and Philosophies
- Lifelong learning
- Moral/character development
- Preparation for careers
- Preparation for responsible citizenship
- Socialization
15%
Cognitive Perspective
- Attention and perception
- Memory
- Complex cognitive processes (e.g., problem solving, transfer, conceptual change)
- Applications of cognitive theory
11%
Behavioral Perspective
- Classical conditioning
- Operant conditioning
- Schedules of reinforcement
- Applications of behavioral perspectives
15%
Development
- Cognitive
- Social
- Moral
- Gender identity/sex roles
10%
Motivation
- Social-cognitive theories of motivation (e.g., attribution theory, expectancy-value theory, goal orientation theory, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, self-efficacy, self-determination theory)
- Learned helplessness
- Teacher expectations/Pygmalion effect
- Anxiety/stress
- Applications of motivational theories
17%
Individual Differences
- Intelligence
- Genetic and environmental influences
- Exceptionalities in learning (e.g., giftedness, learning disabilities, behavior disorders)
- Ability grouping and tracking
12%
Testing
- Assessment of instructional objectives
- Bias in testing
- Classroom assessment (e.g., grading procedures and formative evaluation)
- Descriptive statistics
- Norm- and criterion-referenced tests
- Scaled scores/standard deviation
- Test construction (e.g., classroom tests)
- Test reliability
- Test validity
- Use and misuse of assessment techniques
10%
Pedagogy
- Advance organizers
- Bilingual/ESL instruction
- Clarity/organization
- Classroom management
- Cooperative learning
- Discovery and reception learning
- Instructional design and technique
- Psychology of content areas
- Teacher expectations/Pygmalion effect/wait time
5%
Research Design and Analysis
- Experiments
- Longitudinal research
- Qualitative research/case studies
- Research analysis and statistics
- Surveys
Start Studying
CLEP® Introduction to Educational Psychology Examination Guide
The Intro to Educational Psychology exam covers cognition, teaching methods, child development, and learning assessment.
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