Synopses & Reviews
This book examines the ways in which the theory and data of social psychology can be applied to teaching, learning, and other experiences in schools. Its focus ranges in level from the individual (e.g., student attitudes and attributions), to the teacher-student interaction, to the impact of society (e.g., racial and cultural influences on school performance). The editor and distinguished contributors have two major purposes. The first is to illustrate the scope and sophistication of the emerging field known as the social psychology of education. The second is to provide solid, informed suggestions to educators for the amelioration of current educational problems. To that end, each author explicitly discusses implications for educational practice.
Review
"The purpose of the book is twofold: to examine the major areas of research within the social psychology of education, and to provide 'as much practical, problem-solving advice for educational practitioners as possible.' The book succeeds admirably in both endeavors....an excellent overview of some of the most important and interesting research currently being conducted in the field of education....the approach is a refreshing one to take in a field full of theoretical work that is devoid of practical application. The book is a valuable compendium for educators, researchers, and practitioners in education who want to look at educational issues from an enriched social-psychological perspective." Susan K. Boardman, New Ideas in Psychology
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments; Introduction: the present and promise of the social psychology of education Robert S. Feldman; Part I. The Individual in a Social and Educational Context: 1. An attributional analysis of students' reactions to success and failure Donelson R. Forsyth; 2. An attributional perspective on achievement motivation and black children Sandra Graham; 3. Students' attitudes and class segment effects on patterns of classroom behaviour Howard A. Smith; Part II. Teacher-Student Interaction: 4. Four factors in the mediation of teacher expectancy effects Monica J. Harris and Robert Rosenthal; 5. Nonverbal communication in interracial teacher-student interaction Robert S. Feldman and Ronald D. Saletsky; 6. Social psychology analysis of classroom interaction Yaffa Bar-Tal and Daniel Bar-Tal; Part III. Cooperation and Conflict in the Classroom: 7. Cooperative learning: engineering social psychology in the classroom Robert E. Slavin; 8. Social categorization theory and team learning procedures Norman Miller and Marilynn B. Brewer; 9. Academic conflict among students: controversy and learning David W. Johnson, Roger T. Johnson and Karl A. Smith; Part IV. The Social Aspects of Motivation: 10. Effective motivation: the contribution of the learning environment Carole Ames; 11. Teacher socialization as a mechanism for developing student motivation to learn Jere Brophy and Neelam Kher; 12. Confronting culture with culture: a perspective for designing schools for children of diverse sociocultural backgrounds Brenda D. Baden and Martin L. Maehr; Part V. Education, Culture and Society: 13. Socialization to computing in college: a look beyond the classroom Vitaly Dubrovsky, Sara Kiesler, Lee Sproull and David Zubrow; 14. On the social psychology of using research reviews: the case of desegregation and black environment Harris M. Cooper; Author index; Subject index.