Teaching educational psychology as both a required and an elective course: Explorations of students' perceptions

Educational psychology is often perceived as a necessary component in teacher preparation due to its unique contribution about the learner and about the learning and teaching process. The purpose of this study was to investigate students' views and needs of studying educational psychology as there was very little work to assess the value of such a course from students' perspectives. Twenty-seven undergraduates were studied. Students' perceptions were studied through a questionnaire and students' self-reflection portfolios describing their own learning journey in the course. The present findings shed light on students' perceptions of their needs and interest in studying educational psychology.