BSc (Hons) Developmental and Education Psychology

Analysing Attitudes to Work & Performance

This module helps define a range of everyday experiences using psychological models of attitudes, as you learn how to analyse attitudes and explore psychological constructs, methodology and theories associated with experiences. Fundamental data analysis skills will be developed through lectures and the use of statistical software, with a focus on understanding patterns of data via visualisation.

Assessment

You will be assessed through a coursework assignment and a practical report.

Education, Philosophy and Thinking – Historical Perspectives

You’ll begin to explore the key debates in philosophies of education with a particular focus on personal and institutional value systems and how educational contexts have developed over time.

The module introduces a coherent historical framework, which helps you to understand how educational perspectives and values change and evolve.

Equality of Opportunity and Diversity

This module will explore relationships between cultural identity, social policy and issues of equality and diversity.

You will examine key features of the theory and practice of social and educational inclusion from several perspectives, and explore issues central to inclusion, human rights, equal opportunities and social justice.

You will explore patterns of inequality in selected areas of social policy and provision with reference to the British experience and some international issues.

Experimental Design in Context: Usability and Cognition

This module explores functions and experiences relevant to using technology, focusing on the criteria used to assess technology’s usability and how human limitations relate to this usability and usage. You will be introduced to certain psychological theories and empirical findings from investigations into information processing by the mind, and discuss a range of methodologies and analyses such as laboratory experimentation and inferential statistics.

Assessment

You will be assessed through a practical report and research participation.

Learning Communities – Children Learning, Children Thinking

This module explores the sociological influences relating to our success as learners.

You will use research on thinking, learning and development to consider how individuals can maximise learning opportunities for themselves and help others to learn.

In addition, you will explore influences on learning, development and identity and discuss how learners are included or excluded from education settings.

Central to the module is a sociocultural perspective on learning and education that looks beyond the individual to communities and the historical contexts in which learning takes place.

Perspectives On Psychology

This module seeks to enable you to understand the contribution of key thinkers to the development of modern psychology and to appreciate their biographical backgrounds. The lives and work of key thinkers will be introduced and contextualised with reference to contemporary ideas and more.

Study & Research Skills for Social Scientists

This module is an opportunity to advance your personal, research and study skills and will support other content-led teaching. You will be assessed through a report and research participation.

The Study of Human Interaction

This module explores the functions of understanding relationships. You will study the processes related to forming an impression of someone and forming a relationship with them through a variety of behaviours.

Certain psychological theories and empirical findings will form investigations into attraction, prejudice and stereotyping, and a range of methodologies and analyses, such as interviewing, content analysis and observational approaches will be explored.

Biological Psychology

This module explores the ways biological processes have been studied, for example through brain lesions and cell stimulation methodologies.

The areas of behavioural genetics, neuro-imaging, neuropsychology, socio-biology and evolutionary psychology will be investigated in terms of underlying theory and empirical research.

Cognitive Psychology

This module will introduce you to the ways cognitive processes have been studied in the past. This includes studying experimental and cognitive neuropsychological methodologies. You will investigate the areas of attention, perception, learning, thinking and language and relate your findings to underlying theory and empirical research.

Developmental Psychology

This module explores the study of development and maturation in cognitive, personality and social processes, as well as introduces you to basic theory, research findings and methods of investigation in childhood, adolescence and lifespan development.

You will consider the ways in which behaviour is influenced by developmental factors, the nature of developmental processes and the ways in which empirical research can help us to understand how developmental processes influence what we do.

Forest Schools Principles and Practices

A forest school is a journey of self-discovery and awareness in the outdoors in which participants are given the freedom to explore their surroundings, themselves and others through their curiosity and imagination.

The approach is heralded by some as inspirational but described by others as re-branding of old ideas giving questionable impact.

This module explores principles that underpin the forest school approach and reflects on evidence for its effectiveness.

Global Citizenship: Living and Working in A Diverse and Interconnected World

This module allows you to critically engage with some of the key global issues of our times and prepares you to think beyond your immediate locality about how you are connected with people and environments that you may never have seen.

Individual Differences Psychology

On this module, you will be introduced to how individual differences processes have been studied in the past, for example through psychometrics and case study methodologies.

You will investigate areas of personality, intelligence, cognitive style, motivation, gender, and ethnicity in terms of underlying theory and empirical research.

Assessment

You will be assessed through an essay and a lab report.

Research Methods: Experimental Designs & Analysis

This module will develop your understanding of experimental designs and associated methods of analysis, and introduce you to research ethics.

Research Methods: Survey and Qualitative Designs and Analysis

The module aims to develop your understanding of survey and qualitative designs and associated methods of analysis related to Psychology.

Creativity, Technology and Learning

This module will enable you to investigate, both academically and practically, how innovative technologies can be used in learning and teaching in a wide variety of mainstream and specialist educational settings.

Exploring Mathematical Thinking

What is mathematics and why does it seem to matter so much? This module will inspire you to reflect on this question and, in doing so, increase your critical knowledge of mathematics education. Your own relationship with the subject will be explored, as will ideas on the beauty and power inherent within the subject.

Independent Project

In this module, you are encouraged to adopt a problem-oriented approach. The first stage is to identify a problem in psychology of interest and relevance to your studies.

You will determine an appropriate approach to addressing the problem through discussion with tutors who have relevant theoretical and practical expertise.

Your investigation may be based within a single discipline, or it may involve more than one discipline, but it must be based within your chosen degree programme.

Project Management and Presentation Skills

This project will support you to develop a wide range of skills from project management to the ability to present your research results in an accessible form. You will develop their scientific reasoning and reporting skills and produce a poster to present your research work.

Wellbeing and the Developing Person

This module aims to provide insight into influential theories of human psychological development.

During this module you will critically evaluate the historical context of theories of development and explore ways in which developmental theories have enhanced the understanding of the developmental course of mental health and individual wellbeing.

You will also examine ways in which developmental theories have improved outcomes for children and provided insights into ways in which children’s flourishing can be enhanced.

You will also apply theories of development to real-world contexts in terms of children’s social experience and educational careers.

Work-Based Placement

This module broadens your knowledge of a range of educational contexts and provides you with insights from beyond the classroom as you undertake a placement experience in an education setting of your choice.