Educational psychology focuses on research into cognitive, motivational and social processes relevant to learning, achievement, teaching techniques and instructional design. This research stream is complemented by a dedicated community of academics, the Educational Psychology Research Group, led by UNSW Professor Andrew Martin.
Cognitive load theory is an instructional concept derived from our knowledge of the evolutionary bases of human cognitive architecture. It has generated a large range of instructional effects that can be used by teachers, instructors and researchers.
Research into motivational and social processes in education focus on theories and factors relevant to students, teachers, and the academic context that impact learning and achievement.
Aim of research
The Educational Psychology Research Group at UNSW focuses on:
- Instructional design that adapts to learners as they learn (current)
- Instructional guidance in complex problem solving (current)
- Cognitive load perspectives on the effect of emotions on cognitive processing (planned)
- Student motivation and engagement (current)
- Teacher wellbeing and workplace engagement (current)
- Student and teacher resilience and adaptability (current)
- Instructional approaches supporting the motivation of diverse learners (current)
Current activities
- Educational Psychology Research Group (EPRG) Roundtable (monthly, Co-Chairs Prof Andrew Martin and Dr Keiko Bostwick)
- Motivation and Cognitive Load Lab (fortnightly, Chair A/Prof Paul Evans)
- Professional Learning workshop in CLT for teachers (annual)
- ARC DECRA Fellowship (Teacher Wellbeing, A/Prof Rebecca Collie)
- ARC Linkage Grant (Biological Psychological Approaches to Science Motivation and Engagement, Prof Andrew Martin)
- NSW Department of Education Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation (CESE) project into growth goal setting
- Alliance of Girls’ Schools Australasia project investigating academic buoyancy among girls (A/Prof Rebecca Collie and Prof Andrew Martin
- Jacobs Foundation and European Association for Research in Learning and Instruction (EARLI) investigating educational and biopsychology (Prof Andrew Martin one of the Chief Investigators)
Who we are