ERIC EJ843455: Commentary: Similarities and Differences among Educational Psychology Textbooks--An Author's Perspective

2006·0.12 MB·English

by  ERIC

Commentary: Similarities and Differences Among Educational
Psychology Textbooks: An Author’s Perspective
Jeanne Ellis Ormrod
In 1997, Ken Kiewra and Patti Gubbels increasingly reflecting on what and how we’re
published an article in Educational Psychology writing and are, of our own accord, trying to
Review proposing that educational psychology practice what we preach. But second, the
textbooks be guided by several basic market for educational psychology textbooks is a
principles—for instance, that textbooks: very competitive one. Textbook publishers are
well aware that educational psychology courses
• Reflect a clear model of teaching are included in the great majority of teacher
• Facilitate effective cognitive processes education programs across the country and that
in readers publishing a popular textbook for such courses
• Integrate theory and practice can be highly profitable. To capture a significant
• Provide opportunities to practice share of the introductory educational psychology
teaching skills market, a textbook must be a very good one that
an instructor will want to use semester after
In Kiewra’s and Gubbels’s analysis, semester. In fact, it must be good enough to
textbooks of the time came up short in many enable its publisher to recoup the many
respects. Overall, the texts did not practice what thousands of dollars (sometimes as much as a
they preached. quarter of a million, I’ve been told) that have
been expended in bringing the book to fruition in
Educational psychology textbooks have the first place.
come a long way since 1997, and increasingly, I
think, they do follow the principles that Kiewra SIMILARITIES AMONG TEXTBOOKS
and Gubbels enumerated. Although they don’t
necessarily identify a particular underlying To some extent, competition in the
teaching model, principles from information marketplace leads to similarities across
processing theory and constructivism are clearly textbooks. Oftentimes instructors switch from
at work in every one of them. For instance, one book to another only if the switch doesn’t
many texts begin each chapter with objectives or require much change in classroom lectures,
advance organizers, provide concrete examples activities, and so on (this is the inertia factor).
to illustrate abstract ideas, and promote Furthermore, a new book must be at least as
meaning-making and elaboration through visually enticing to readers as the old one (this is
occasional higher-level questions that ask the captivation factor). Such factors lead to at
readers to extend the material they’re learning. least three similarities across many textbooks
Furthermore, most current texts closely link currently on the market:
theory and application both within the running
text and through specific application features 1. General topics covered. Instructors
with such titles as “What Would You Do?,” expect certain topics to be in an educational
“Classroom Connections,” and “Suggestions for psychology textbook, and they won’t adopt a
Teaching in Your Classroom.” Many also embed book from which these topics are missing. For
opportunities for practice and reflection within example, in an earlier edition of my own
each chapter, perhaps by asking readers to Educational Psychology: Developing Learners
analyze case studies or interpret classroom book, my editor and I initially planned to leave
artifacts. out classical conditioning so that we could
devote more space to cognitive processes in
These recent improvements in educational learning. (“Yes, classical conditioning is
psychology textbooks are probably the result of important,” we reasoned,” but not as important
two factors. First, of course, we authors are as, say, metacognition and self-regulation, and
Fall, 2006 Teaching Educational Psychology, Vol. 1:3
Educational Psychology Textbooks: An Author’s Perspective 2
we have only so much space in the book.”). than its competitors—ideally, sufficiently better
Several of our reviewers complained—“I won’t that it entices instructors away from other books.
use the book without it,” they told us—and so Furthermore, some instructors become
classical conditioning remains in the book to this increasingly dissatisfied with the book they are
day. currently using, perhaps because it doesn’t
adequately address topics they think are
2. Organizational scheme. The order in important or perhaps because students regularly
which topics are addressed is fairly consistent complain about it on teacher evaluations (this is
across books: development and diversity; then the dissatisfaction factor). Then sometimes
learning and cognition; then motivation, instructors become frustrated by how little their
instruction and classroom management (with the students seem to be learning and remembering
order of these three topics varying a bit from from a book or how rarely students can apply
book to book); and finally assessment. There what they’ve learned to actual teaching
are certainly logical rationales for this sequence; situations (this is the ineffective pedagogy
for instance, it makes sense to talk about how factor).
children learn before talking about what
motivates them to learn, and instruction typically Over the past few years, such factors
precedes assessment in actual classroom have led to a variety of improvements in
practice. Yet cases could be made for other educational psychology textbooks, with textbook
sequences as well. I’ve recently written a book authors and publishers often taking somewhat
that presents some of these topics in a different different approaches. Current texts now differ in
order; for example, it discusses cognitive at least five critical respects. Three of
processes before cognitive development, and it these—specific content, writing style, and
talks about motivation before social pedagogy—are largely in the hands of the
development. The book reflects the sequence I author. The fourth—design—is largely in the
now use in my own educational psychology hands of the editorial staff. The fifth—ancillary
courses, but only time will tell whether others will package—is in the hands of several individuals
see rhyme and reason to my approach. who sometimes work collaboratively but more
often work independently of one another.
3. Visual appeal. The most popular
educational psychology textbooks now have 1. Specific content. If you look at
many visual features—photos, cartoons, vivid subheadings and at lengths of specific sections
colors, and so on—that capture instructors’ and in different textbooks, you will find considerable
students’ attention and pull them into the book, variation among textbooks in coverage of certain
at least temporarily. In recent years, the topics. Some topics—for instance, physical
bestselling books have all been printed in four development, schedules of reinforcement,
colors—a process that adds considerably to the learning styles, self-handicapping,
cost—rather than in black and white. Think humanism—appear in some books, but not in
about it: When a new but unrequested textbook others. When most or all books address a
arrives in your mailbox and you flip through its particular topic—as is true for, say, language
pages, what things first catch your eye? If you’re development, metacognition, or attribution
like most human beings, it might very well be the theory—they differ considerably in the depth of
colors and other salient visual features (I myself coverage. Chapters on child development reflect
zero in on the cartoons). A textbook without a common divide among developmental
these features very quickly gets relegated to the psychologists about whether to use a topical
look-at-when-I-have-spare-time pile or, perhaps, approach (cognitive development, social
to the give-to-a-used-book-buyer pile. development, etc.) or a chronological approach
(early childhood, middle childhood, etc.). An
DIFFERENCES AMONG TEXTBOOKS especially noticeable source of variability is the
extent to which textbooks focus on particular
theorists (e.g., Piaget, Vygotsky, Kohlberg,
Competition in the textbook market also
Erikson), on the one hand, or on contemporary
leads to some important differences among
research centered around particular topics (e.g.,
texts. With each new edition of a textbook,
theory of mind, development of learning
editors and authors are looking for ways in
strategies), on the other. I suspect that such
which to make their book in some way better
differences are the result not only of perceived
Fall, 2006 Teaching Educational Psychology, Vol. 1:3
Educational Psychology Textbooks: An Author’s Perspective 3
market demands, but also of textbook authors’ edition of my Educational Psychology:
differing epistemological beliefs about Developing Learners book, basic colors—fire
educational psychology as a discipline. engine red, kelly green, sky blue—were used to
demark certain pedagogical features. Later
2. Writing style. Educational psychology editions have gone to more muted, “interior
texts differ quite a bit in writing style. Some texts decorator” colors that comprise a carefully
fall closer to the “formal, professional” end of chosen color palette, the assumption perhaps
what we might call the academic writing being that such colors are less brash and more
continuum. Writing at this end of the continuum soothing to the eye. Trim size—the size of each
is characterized by the use of third person page, which affects apparent (but not real)
almost exclusively, by descriptions of many overall length of a book—is also a design
research studies, and by fairly terse consideration. The general rule of thumb is that
explanations. Thus it mimics the writing seen in instructors won’t adopt a book that exceeds 600
professional journals to some degree. The other pages of text. Given market demands for so
end of the continuum could be labeled “informal, many topics—educational psychology classes
personal.” This type of writing is characterized often provide students’ only exposure to child
by considerable use of first and second person; development, special education, and
research, although cited, is not necessarily assessment—keeping a book under 600 pages
described in detail; and explanations include can be a tall order for any author. An alternative
personal examples and anecdotes. Authors who is to increase trim size—that is, to make each
prefer more formal writing are presumably trying page as big as possible.
to help readers “grow” in their ability to read and
learn from academic writing. Authors who use 5. Ancillary package. To be competitive
an informal style are perhaps concerned more in the introductory educational psychology
about helping readers understand psychological market, publishers must offer a variety of
concepts than about promoting growth in materials—test banks, study guides, instructor’s
academic reading comprehension skills per se. manuals, videos, companion Websites, and so
on—that support instruction. Typically such
3. Pedagogy. The pedagogy of a book ancillary materials for instructors are no-cost
includes the specific features that are “freebies,” although publishers often don’t send
intentionally used to facilitate readers’ learning. them until instructors specifically request them.
Some pedagogical elements are obvious: tables, Some ancillary materials for students (e.g.,
diagrams, illustrative student artifacts, margin companion Websites) are freebies as well, and
glossary notes, application boxes, and so on. instructors can often request that textbooks be
Others, such as concrete examples that shrink-wrapped, at no extra charge, with study
illustrate abstract concepts and questions that guides or semester-long “subscriptions” to
ask readers to self-reflect, may be integrated Websites with extensive resources (e.g., see
into the running text and so don’t necessarily Merrill Education/Prentice Hall’s Educator
stand out on first inspection. But each of these Learning Center or Allyn & Bacon’s
features reflects the author’s beliefs about how MyLabSchool). Ancillary materials differ
he or she can best help readers understand, considerably in quality, however, depending on
remember, and apply important concepts and who has authored them (for example,
principles. The presence of very few such sometimes publishers hire graduate students
features in a book suggests, to me at least, that who have little or no experience in writing test
either the author is writing for a fairly items or who mistakenly conceptualize a “good”
sophisticated audience (which is sometimes study guide as being one that asks students to
true) or hasn’t given much thought to how best memorize definitions and other isolated facts).
to help readers learn (which unfortunately is also Shrewd instructors carefully scrutinize the
sometimes true). In any case, all of the content of any ancillary materials they plan to
bestsellers in the introductory educational use, being especially attuned to the extent to
psychology market have a fair number of which ancillaries encourage conceptual
pedagogical features. understanding, transfer, problem solving, and
other higher-level thinking skills.
4. Design. The design of a book includes
its use of specific color, fonts, illustrative NO ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL
photographs, and so on. For instance, in the first
Fall, 2006 Teaching Educational Psychology, Vol. 1:3
Educational Psychology Textbooks: An Author’s Perspective 4
Is there a best body of knowledge to varying circumstances. I strongly urge my
include in a book, a best writing style to employ, colleagues who teach educational psychology to
a most effective combination of pedagogical reflect carefully on what their circumstances
features to provide, an ideal book design to are—what specific concepts and principles they
promote learning, or a best package of believe are most important for their students to
ancillaries to use? Of course not. Educational master, how metacognitively sophisticated their
psychology courses serve somewhat different students tend to be, and so on—and to choose
purposes in different teacher preparation their textbooks accordingly. There is simply no
programs, and particular textbooks and one-size-fits-all in educational psychology texts.
ancillaries may be more or less suited for
REFERENCE
Kiewra, K. A., & Gubbels, P. S. (1997). Are educational psychology courses educationally and
psychologically sound? What textbooks and teachers say. Educational Psychology Review, 9, 121–149.
Fall, 2006 Teaching Educational Psychology, Vol. 1:3