What are the functions of the educational psychologist?

When you mention the word psychology to a person, it is normal that the stereotype of the clinical psychologist comes to mind. However, the truth is that psychology is a much broader discipline: it is the science that studies human behavior and its mental processes. Within psychology we can find multiple professionals, such as the educational psychologist, a figure that we are going to delve into in this article.

Our intention will be to make known the functions and current situation of the educational psychologist. We are talking about a professional who performs essential functions wherever he seeks quality in educational practice. However, it is still possible to find different obstacles, social and institutional, that hinder and limit his professional activity.

Who is the educational psychologist?

The educational psychologist is the psychology professional whose mission is the study and intervention on human behavior in the context of education. Its objective is the development of the capabilities of people, groups and institutions. Furthermore, the definition understands the term educational in the broadest sense of training, that which enables personal and collective development.

The field of study and action of the educational psychologist is related to the cognitive processes associated or derived from learning. He reflects and develops his work at all levels of psychology, whether the social, personal, biological, health level, etc.

It is normal to confuse the educational psychologist with other professionals: we are talking about pedagogues or clinical child psychologists. In this sense, the pedagogue is responsible for the study of education and educational models and clinical child psychologists aim to treat mental disorders that appear in childhood. Although they are very different professions, everyone working together is necessary to achieve quality education.

As in any science, in educational psychology we can find two main aspects: the theoretical and the applied. In theory we find those psychologists who are in charge of research, that is, the deepening and extension of the theory and procedures of educational psychology. On the other hand, in the applied aspect there would be psychologists who use knowledge derived from academic research to improve the quality of education.

Functions of the educational psychologist

Below are the functions of the educational psychologist:

Intervention in the educational needs of students: must be responsible for studying and anticipating the educational needs of students. Thanks to this, you can act on them to improve their educational experience.Functions linked to Guidance, professional advice and vocational: The general objective of these processes is to collaborate in the development of people’s skills. Through the clarification of their personal, vocational and professional projects, so that they can direct their own training and decision-making. Preventive functions: they must intervene in the application of the necessary measures to avoid possible problems in the educational experience. It is important to act on all educational agents (parents, teachers, children, counselors…) Intervention in improving the educational act: it is of great importance to pay attention to the instruction applied by educators. Studying and applying the best educational techniques is necessary for the student’s learning and development to be optimal. Family training and counseling: an important part of education is that provided by the family. Through the study of the family and subsequent advice, efficient family educational models are achieved. And with this we increase the quality of life of all family members. Socio-educational intervention: academic and family life are not the only ones that educate human beings, their entire environment does so. It is the responsibility of the educational psychologist to be in charge of studying how the current social system influences education. And thus try to intervene in those aspects that are susceptible to improvement. Research and teaching: so that all other functions can be fulfilled, strong research is necessary that shows the directions to take. And all research would be useless without teaching that expands knowledge among other professionals and students.Bullying prevention: The reality of bullying cannot be ignored. It is the role of the educational psychologist to implement prevention and intervention programs for these cases.

For Maite Garaigordobil, from the University of the Basque Country, The main functions of an educational psychologist in relation to the parents of school-aged children are equally fundamental. These, he maintains, are those related to diagnostic information and advice; training in topics that may be of interest to them and first-level therapeutic intervention, with the family group.

Current situation of the educational psychologist

Currently, the figure of the educational psychologist faces a variety of problems.. The most relevant are:

Lack of knowledge on the part of the population. Little support from public administrations. Professional confusion. A hostile educational system.

The majority of the population is still unaware of the existence of this particular field of psychology. This leads to educational psychology having little visibility, making it difficult to disseminate its knowledge and obtain funding to support research in this field.

Public administrations do not differentiate the professional role of the educational psychologist. Those who train in this area are usually recognized in the eyes of the state as child psychologists or psychopedagogues. This lack of support and differentiation causes that in the same job the same person ends up performing the functions of the pedagogue, the educational psychologist and the clinical child psychologist. Instead of one person doing everyone’s job, there should be a well-coordinated team of professionals working together for the well-being of the entire educational community.

Likewise, the current educational system is full of errors that make the practice of educational psychologists difficult. We are still facing an education model whose objective seems different from what was initially pursued with its design.

To conclude, note that education is a very important area due to the influence it has on the training of future generations. Thus and for this reason, we need get to know the professionals who work there and the difficult role they play.

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