Expanding the social psychological study of educators through humanizing principles

Abstract

The social psychological study of education contains growing potential to contribute to the understanding of learning and the design of effective learning environments that support youth development. As research on educators in particular expands, there are key insights and perspectives from areas outside of psychology that can help to guide the direction of new studies and approaches. Humanizing frameworks are especially well suited to inform the social psychological study of educators, as they address the ways that institutions deny the humanity of people from groups that face economic and ethnic-racial marginalization in the United States. By following principles of humanization to evaluate, deepen, and broaden social psychological approaches, future research becomes more likely to advance knowledge in ways that embrace the inherent value of students as whole people. Identity-based motivation theory provides an example of a social psychological approach expanding to emphasize the role of educators with attention to principles of humanization.