A Critical Analysis of Research in School Education through Social-Psychological Theories

Abstract

The central focus of the social psychology of school education revolves around applying social psychology theories to the field of education. It aims to gain insight into teaching, learning, and the dynamics that occur within classrooms and extend to other contexts, all through the lens of social psychology. Over the past few decades, the significant impact of social psychology theories on school education has become evident. However, there is still a lack of understanding regarding how these theories are commonly employed to identify and comprehend the factors that influence social behavior. This chapter aims to address this lack of knowledge. It presents a set of social psychological theories that scholars or experts in school education can use to comprehend the dynamics of social psychological aspects in school education. The primary role of this chapter is to provide a review of the existing “theories” to date and also to present a comparative analysis of the notable models that may contribute to understanding the research on social psychology in school education.