Educational Psychology, Social Constructivism, and Educational Practice: A Case of Emergent Identity

Abstract Psychology has long been a field beset with identity crises of one sort or another. At midcentury, psychology openly struggled with self-definition-what is psychology?-and the role-whom or what does it serve?-it was to play in individual and societal issues. Educational psychology has suffered similar identity issues. This article examines briefly the history and futility of educational psychology's in-house fights over mission and contests for theoretical dominance, allegedly in the name of unity. This article suggests instead the desirability of collaboration among diverse participants and theoretical integration for the improvement of educational practices. This article illustrates this goal with discussion of current work within a social constructivist framework.