How learning happens: seminal works in educational psychology and what they mean in practice

Abstract

behind many of the works of these thinkers. While the book is not specifically focused on educational research methodology, it would be useful to understand how these theories were developed. The book is also unclear about whether it is about how these theories have been, or should be practised in reality. Although, at the beginning of this volume, the authors claim to provide some suggestions for application, there is a lack of evidence on where these theories could be applied. For instance, in the section Applying the Theory, the authors mention several times that “this theory has been practised by many countries/schools/teachers” (e.g., Chapters 3 and 17), but provide no evidence, references, or the context within which they were used. The suggestions offered in many chapters were unclear about whether they are evidence-based or simply hypothetical. For example, they argue that multiple intelligences can improve children’s selfesteem and confidence to support the application of this theory, but they present no robust empirical evidence to support this. In summary, this book provides a useful introduction to the thinking of contemporary educational theorists. It is beneficial to novices in education or anyone who is looking for a whistle-stop tour of contemporary educational theories, though their origins in research and evidence are unclear.