Reference Reviews

Lawrence Looks at Books

The Encyclopedia of Educational Psychology, edited by Neil J. Salkind. 2 vols. 1,081p. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2008. 978-1-4129-1688-2; 2007-29846. $350.

Sage Reference has carved a niche for itself by identifying new areas of professional or academic endeavor and producing well-written guides that help to define the fields for students or new professionals. Typically, these encyclopedias introduce the concepts and issues essential to the developing field of learning. Experts explore and explain both theory and practice. The history of the discipline and the development of professional standards also are surveyed. Biographical entries highlight the work of key contributors to that process. Other entries focus on the training necessary for professional participation and the specialties possible within the field. In this case, Sage has applied its well-tested method to educational psychology. On some levels, educational psychology has been around for years, as both a career path and a field of study. For decades academic and career counselors have guided students in making choices about their future. Researchers of language, learning and cognitive development have long studied peer influences, memory, creativity and other factors in relation to school children. Recently, these disparate areas of activity are increasingly viewed both as integrally related and as an important specialty within the field of education. Many related areas of research involve this nexus of education and psychology. Individual academic achievement, classroom management, gender differences in learning, intelligence, social development, as well as testing and measurement all fall within the scope of this encyclopedia. Public policies have also impacted the role of psychology with a host of mandated educational directives on everything from standardized testing to drug prevention and sex education. Professional standards are addressed in discussions of national organizations, research methods and teaching. Such social factors as family, ethnicity and culture are also explored. From applied behavior analysis to vicarious reinforcement, overviews of theories outline concepts basic to the field of educational psychology. Each of the 275 scholarly articles gives ample suggestions for further research. All told, the set provides a useful introduction to a bourgeoning area of study and is highly recommended for academic libraries.