Zimmerman, Barry J. & Schunk, Dale H. (Eds).(2003). Educational Psychology: A Century of Contributions [A Project of Division 15 (Educational Psychology) of the American Psychological Association]. Reviewed by Naomi Jeffery Petersen, Indiana University, South Bend

	Zimmerman, Barry J. & Schunk, Dale H. (Eds).(2003). Educational Psychology: A Century of Contributions [A Project of Division 15 (Educational Psychology) of the American Psychological Association]. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum Pp. xiii + 490. $125 (Cloth)     ISBN 0-8058-3681-0 $55.00 (Paper) ISBN 0-8058-3682-9 Reviewed by Naomi Jeffery Petersen Indiana University, South Bend November 12, 2004 In the Educator’s Studio: 16 Icons of Educational Psychology Before a brief tour of the book’s organization and content, let’s agree that Educational Psychology: A Century of Contributions is a gem for its scope, accuracy, and voice. It is the voices of the authors assembled by editors Zimmerman and Schunk that make the volume prizeworthy. Many (including the editors themselves) have also contributed substantially to the field of educational psychology and thus warrant a chapter profile in such a collection. Perhaps the reason the august authors are paying, instead of receiving, tribute is that they are contributing still; the profiles are of people nearly all deceased. This brings us to the distinguishing characteristic of A Century of Contribution its poignancy. These are professionally informed yet very personal portraits in most cases, focusing on the biography as much as the legacy of each icon. Their goal is not the technicality but the dynamic; not the products but the process of organizing and beefing up the perspective of educational psychology: “We want readers to know these pioneering scholars as real humans who responded to the challenges of their time in personal and collective ways that changed the course of educational psychology” (p. vii). The separate voices range from textbook neutral (Jarvin & Sternberg on Binet; Gutek on Montessori) to reflective (Pajares on William James; Bredo on Dewey; Morris on Skinner) to downright chatty (Berliner on Nate Gage; the editors on Al Bandura). Whatever the degree of formality, the chapters are unfailingly respectful if not reverential. If these were broadcast, they would be In the Actor’s Studio. Barry Zimmerman and Dale Schunk are no strangers to each other (e.g. Schunk & Zimerman, 1998; Zimmerman & Schunk, 1989) nor are they strangers to every education student who ever Googled ‘self-regulated learning’, their own significant contribution to the field of educational psychology (e.g. Schunk, 1991; Zimmerman, 1990). There is every possibility that Educational Psychology: A Century of Contributions, which they edited and helped write, will increase their citation frequency. It’s a keeper and will no doubt be required reading on many syllabi. The 2001 publication demanded a hefty $110 in hardcover, but the 2003 softcover edition is half that price, and therefore in league with most textbooks these days. By the way, this time it’s Barry’s turn to be first author. This is an inspiring if at times opinionated history suitable for a foundations course in American education, for it demonstrates the historical paths of the science of psychology and the philosophies of schooling. More than portraits drawn of iconic figures, it is a trajectory drawn of brilliant minds developing powerful models in the context of their circumstances, their information, and their interactions. This volume concentrates the legacy. The editors carefully explain in the preface how the selection was made, based on an advisory board. Perhaps the board members could be analyzed for their biases, but the sixteen who made the cut are unquestionably important. They are to be commended for considering contributions rather than limiting themselves to the posthumous: unlike others profiled, Jerome Bruner remains very much with us but is legacy is so great that he could not be excluded for such a minor deviation as survival. If any omissions distract from the power of the collection (i.e., Lewin, 1935), it is good to respect their focus not people who profoundly influenced not education but more narrowly the field of educational psychology, by which they mean generating further publishable research or the use of rigorous scientific thinking. The respect for data is a powerful criteria such as Mayer points out regarding Thorndike: The emphasis on reward over punishment had a widespread influence on educational practice, helping to end the practice of punishing students for giving incorrect answers. More importantly, this episode demonstrated the integrity of a scientist who valued the role of data so much that, when confronted with overwhelming evidence, he was willing to acknowledge that his most important discovery was wrong” (p. 133). Ultimately, the book is not a series of tributes to exemplary individuals but a collective cheer for in the relay race against ignorance. The challenge is issued: What will you contribute in the next century? What established knowledge will you revise in the face of new evidence? Each chronological section begins with an overview chapter that situates the contributions in theory and current events to the development of a hybrid field replacing purely abstract theorizing or concrete folk wisdom. The divisions of the century into three periods are not marked by such familiar turning points as technological or political events, such as Sputnik or Brown v. Topeka. Written by distinguished authors, these three chapters provide an elegantly succinct summary that could easily serve as a brief for an undergraduate course in foundations; the bibliographies alone for each chapter are also resources in themselves. Vernon C. Hall introduces the 1890-1920 ‘founding period’ with a succinct four-point context (Progressive movement, Great War, Technology, and Darwinism) after which he situates its six biographies –James, Binet, Dewey, Thorndike, Terman, and Montessori. This first set suggests the emphases of psychological theory, research methodology, and pedagogical practice that are the conceptual foundation of the field. William Asher summarizes the 1920-1960 ‘rise to prominence’ period with a nod toward the measurement interest for which he is well known (e.g. 1976; with Lauer, 1988). The rise refers to the emerging stature of educational psychology as a focus for publishable works that influenced the methods and rigor of research, seen in the work of Skinner, Cronbach, and Gagne. Vygotsky and Piaget are included in this section; although they were active in their own countries during this period, their influence in America did not occur until the next period in which Bruner promoted them in translation, according to Lutkehaus and Greenfield in Chapter 17. Michael Pressley (2001; 2003; Block & Pressley, 2002; Brainerd & Pressley, 1985; Pressley & McCormick, 1995) is the voiceover for the most recent era from 1960 to the present—personified by Bloom, Gage, Bruner, Bandura, and Brown—with his characteristic blend of personal and professional meaningfulness much like his lucid review (1997) of E.D. Hirsch. The separate biographical chapters within each section can then be studied for an in-depth look at each icon of the field. The paths of discovery, the responses to chance opportunities, and the human characteristics influencing the work are detailed as much as the legacy of practical application of their theories. The decisions they made to pursue a particular idea are mentioned as if to demonstrate that there are always more aspects of education to investigate. For instance, the story of Thorndike’s research on chickens with the generous mentoring by William James (who housed the chickens in his basement, thereby providing entertainment for the James’ children in addition to supporting Thorndike’s budding scholarship) never fails to remind me of the personal and practical aspects of teaching educational research. Although some of the details may be found in foundational texts, typical students may skip over the sidebars of personal anecdote in their race to find soundbites for an exam. In this volume, though, the anecdotes are key to understanding the person, and the person is key to understanding the development of the field. The portraits are human and the history very real. One theme is the frequent rejection experienced by creative thinkers, and the triumphant irony of becoming more highly regarded than one’s early critics. Yet another feature common to several portraits is the combination of compassion and oblivion, of perseverance and impatience, of difficulties transferring private insight to collective good. Also mentioned are the accidents and campaigns that lead to individuals becoming known outside their countries or in the unlikely position to influence public policy. The entire work demonstrates the fluid and dynamic function of scholarly discovery and discourse. A useful companion to A Century of Contribution would be Flinders and Thorntons’ (1997) Curriculum Studies Reader, a collection of original texts from these key figures and more. This would supplement the necessarily restricted list. The editors usually matched authors to icons based on existing scholarly connections, although the connection may not be immediately obvious. Brainerd is known for his forensic science (Brainerd & Ornstein, 1991) but his focus is on the testimony of young children, revealing an enduring interest in their cognition (1973; Seigel & Brainerd, 1978). In Chapter 11 he extends his study of and centennial tribute to Piaget (1984; 1996). In contrast, Gerald Gutek (1997; 2004) has written his own comprehensive texts of educational thought and thus has a broad general interest; his task of profiling Maria Montessori remains a comparatively impersonal academic exercise although his list of references is brief. Chapters toward the back of the book, i.e., featuring the more recent icons, were increasingly memoirs of shared experience: Zimmerman and Schunk worked closely with Bandura and they share fond memories. Lorin Anderson (2001) was part of Bloom’s team developing the famous cognitive taxonomy, and just recently published a revision after Bloom succumbed to Alzheimer’s disease; Palincsar was a close colleague and friend of Anne Brown and her chapter is infused with grieving remembrance. It is thus a fitting final chapter in the volume, personifying the personal connection we can all make to scholars before us. The author-subject connection in the ‘intellectual biography of Jerome Bruner’ chapter is noteworthy for its interdisciplinary aspect. Nancy Lutkehaus is an anthropologist (e.g. Huber & Lutkehaus, 1999) as is her colleague Patricia Greenfield . Lutkhaus is current working on curriculum for Bruner’s MACOS [Man A Course of Study] while Greenfield has worked with him variously for decades (Bruner, Oliver & Greenfield, 1966). Of interest is their opening description of their ‘sources and perspectives” (p. 410) in which they explain these connections and also what they based their chapter content on. Greenfield analyzed his four major books; Lutkehaus is currently working on a book analyzing his impact on psychological anthropology. Although familiar with The Culture of Education (1996), we teacher educators might not always consider the reverse trend of education influencing the fields it studies. How does this differ from a standard textbook? Missing are the laborious exercises, the distracting illustrations, the self-referential process of insisting it is somehow linked to achievement. What a relief, and all the more reason to choose it. An exercise I can imagine posing to teacher education students would be to organize the information in these three chapters into timelines and maps, showing interaction between the people and events, for this is the point of such a book: To show the dynamic, or even organic, process of developing a field of study and that all members of the field, if not humanity, are a part of the endeavor to understand and improve the way we nurture learning, and that all thoughts are somehow situated in the context of one’s perspective. An interesting graphic would be the connections between all of the authors and subjects, a sort of ‘six degrees of separation’ exercise. Thus it provides the opportunity for many creative uses while its structure engages and guides the reader. Educational Psychology: A Century of Contributions, more than any other, reveals the multiple perspectives of the many who defined the field of educational psychology. Any educator’s personal library is richer for including it; library reference shelves cannot be without it. References Anderson, L., Krathwohl, D., Airasian, P., Cruikshank, K. Mayer, R., Pintrich, P., Raths, J., & Wittrock, M. (2001). A taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing: A revision of Bloom’s Taxonomy for educational objectives. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Allyn & Bacon. Asher, J. W. (1976). Educational research and evaluation methods. Boston: Little, Brown. Block, C., & Pressley, M. (Eds.). (2002). Comprehension Instruction: Research-Based Best Practices. Guilford Brainerd, C.J. (1973). Neo-Piagetian training experiments revisited: Is there any support for the cognitive developmental stage hypothesis? Cognition, 2, 349-70. Brainerd, C. J. (1978). Learning research and Piagetian theory. In L.S. Siegel and C.J. Brainerd (Eds.), Alternatives to Piaget: Critical essays on the theory. New York: Academic Press. Brainerd, C. J. (1984). Piaget and instruction. In O. Selfridge, E. 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Child Development, 38. 1111-27. Lauer, J. & Asher, J. W. (1988). Composition research: Empirical designs. Oxford University Press. Lewin, K. (1935) A dynamic theory of personality. New York: McGraw-Hill. Pajeres, F. (2001). Toward a positive psychology of academic motivation. The Journal of Educational Research, 95. Pressley, M. & McCormick, C. B. (1995). Advanced educational psychology for educators, research, and policymakers. New York: HarperCollins. Pressley, M. (2001). Reading instruction that works: The case for balanced teaching (2nd ed.). Guilford Press. Pressley, M. (2003) A few things reading educators should know about instructional experiments. Reading Teacher, 5. 64-72. Schunk, D. H. (1991). Self-efficacy and academic motivation. Educational Psychologist, 26. 207-232. Schunk, D. H., & Zimmerman, G. J. (Eds.). (1994). Self-regulation of learning and performance: Issues and educational applications. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. Siegel, L.S. and Brainerd, C.J. (Eds.). (1978) Alternatives to Piaget: Critical essays on the theory. New York: Academic Press. Flinders, D., Thornton, S., & Thornton, D. (1997). The curriculum studies reader. London: Routledge. Zimmerman, B. J. (1990. Self-regulating academic learning and achievement: The emergence of a social-cognitive perspective. Educational Psychology Review, 2: 173-201. Zimmerman, B. J., & Schunk, D. H. (Eds.). (1989). Self-regulated learning and academic achievement: Theory, research and practice. New York: Springer-Verlag. About the Reviewer Naomi Jeffery Petersen [NJP@iusb.edu] is an Assistant Professor of Education at Indiana University South Bend. Her research interests include classroom educator role profiles and the roles of adjunct faculty in schools of education.