I am currently a graduate student in the education psychology pathway program. I am applying to transfer to educational psychology program Fall2016.
The reason I am interested in Educational Psychology
The first time I got in touch with educational psychology was during my applied psychology master program in China. At that time I became aware that learning can be so different from what I used to know. Learning seems like a quotidian practice, however so many things can affect the outcome of learning. Educational Psychology is a major to focus on such issue. It is about educational setting which not only for schools and it also apply for anywhere people learn. The goal of Education Psychology is to assure the students can learn as best of their potential. The more I approach it, the more I am curious how to achieve the optimal condition of people’s learning and ultimately reach the best of their potential. This curiosity drives me to head out to learn more about Education Psychology.
Moreover, there is a widely acknowledgment that the education between eastern and western is quite divergent. As a person grown up in eastern education, I heard of lot of excessive praise to the western education. It made me wonder if it is really as good as what is being described. On the other hand, what is the unsatisfactory section of the western education? Is there any possibility to integrate the advantage from both system to achieve an optimal condition? This eager pushed me to step out from my country and came to the US to observe and experience for more.
In my personal level, study in educational psychology is also a good chance to get to know myself better. During my long educational journey, I used to straggling in burn out and learn helplessness. I found difficulty to cope with such situation. While I get in touch with the program, I remind myself that this situation happens to almost everyone. It may due to the improper motivation or personal attribution. I became clear of my attribution type is performance-approach goal oriented which fostered from Chinese educational system. Moreover, I well versed in the good from the bad of this type after study. This helps me to achieve a better outcome. The application, experience, and knowledge accrued from study in Educational Psychology. It propel me toward the major further.
Another trigger for me to study in educational psychology is my son. I pay close attention on children development since my son born. Through my observation of him, I find that children learnt from various aspects. His attitude of learning can be influenced widely from room setting to toy choice, from reward to punish. Moreover, his relationship with me is even a focal element. I gradually became aware that I play such an important role for my son’s mentally rather than physically. I start understand the idiom in Chinese that “How high the son can fly depends on the level of his mom.” I don’t know how far my son could go, but I am willing to enrich my knowledge in aim to assure he is in the right trail before taking off.
My education background and work experience
I obtained my bachelor degree from Beijing Foreign Affair College majored in English. Then I earned my master degree from University of Chinese Academy Sciences majored in Applied Psychology, human resources concentration. My last job was a Learning and Development trainer of a department store called Lane Crawford. The main job was to conduct five full days orientation per month; conducting courses i.e. “Adapting to change” which is a course provide methods to allow new staffs quick on boarding. “Service standard training” which provides staffs some tips to communicate with customers. “Time management” which is a course helping staffs to recognize the priority from multiple tasks. Also, I was the leader of company recreation team. This team aimed to enrich staff’s life and engage charity to the people in need.
In addition, I attended summer camp for continuous three years for Type 1 Diabetes (T1D). One of my jobs is to communicate with those children and motivate them to live with diabetes under self-management and self-determination. Such experience provides me a chance to observe people through their behaviors. I also gain plenty of both good and bad examples related to motivation and cognition.
My qualification for Educational Psychology
I had taken three core courses here in Mason which are “Theories of Learning and Cognition (EDEP550)”, “Introduction to Human Development through Research Method (EDEP632)” and “Principles of Learner Motivation(EDEP551)”. My scores are “A” in these three courses. Moreover, I got full score for a case study in “Principles of Learner Motivation” class. Also my study in applied psychology program back in China scaffold me to approach to Educational Psychology better since I had gain the basic knowledge such as development psychology and Personality Psychology.
Apart from education background, my working experiences as a trainer provide me hands-on knowledge refer to teaching. The trainer experience allows me to experience numerous sample in classroom from how to motivated learner to classroom settlement; also from curriculum setting to classroom atmosphere construction. My working experience also fulfilled me in many ways, such as good communicate with people especially strangers, high self-motivation, well classroom management and time management. As being a leader of recreation team, I enhanced the ability of team work, independent learning skills, problem solving skills and leadership. These experiences allow me to consider from theory to practical.
My career objective
In terms of career objective, I have passion to become a Consultant to families of children with specific needs in students’ are of specialty. Since my concentration is “Learning, Cognition & Motivation”, I can utilize my knowledge to consult children. Quite a number of family with special need are facing the problem of motivate children. In similar, parents and children may perceive study in different way, and then incur a contradiction. Also, as a people emerge in two educational systems, I would like to make my contribution on comparing the difference between the elementary education of the US and China. My strength of similar with two perspectives of education would help me delve into topic. More than that, I am willing to integrate the goodness of two systems to achieve an optimal condition of learning.
All in all, through my personal experience I know the power of education. I can see the role of psychology plays in the learning procedure. It would be my great pleasure if I could use my knowledge to help others out or even assist them to reach the optimal learning way for any particular them. I hope this goal statement supports my application and demonstrate that I am enthusiastic, self-discipline and hardworking student with key interests in Education Psychology.