Educational psychology: The Journal and the discipline.

Abstract

In this final editorial, we cover three points: a look backward at several achievements, a comment on some disappointments, and an analysis of the task of peer review. We conclude with reminiscences and thanks.When we began this editorial tenure, our substantive goals were (a) to enhance the coherence of the Journal of Educational Psychology, (b) to encourage comprehensive multistudies, (c) to balance quantitative and qualitative methods, and (d) to highlight conceptualization and theory. Our pragmatic aims were to slow and hopefully to reverse the declining rate of submissions, to promote greater diversity in authors and reviewers, and to establish a wider forum for emerging developments in the discipline. We were ambitious; a colleague cautioned, "You can publish only what comes in the mail."The Journal reflects the discipline, which is in a state of flux (Ball, 1984;Farley & Gordon, 1981;Glover & Ronning, 1987). One touchstone is Division 15 of the American Psychological Association (APA), which has at this writing a membership of 1,800, half the peak in 1974. The 1989 membership profile was predominantly White, male, and fiftyish (APA, 1990). But a reviewer of this editorial noted that many division officers, committee members, and reviewers are now women (perhaps around half) and that recent and vigorous recruitment efforts have increased the number of student members substantially. Then again, an unknown number of educational psychologists are not aligned with Division 15; they associate with other organizations and publish in other journals. The Journal, viewed by many as the flagship of the discipline, has more institutional subscribers than any other APA publication. And finally, on the positive side, recent volumes and articles paint a picture of a field of study that is intellectually alive and socially significant (Glover & Ronning, 1987;Wittrock & Farley, 1989).Against this varied backdrop, here is our brief assessment of achievements in the Journal during the past several years. First, submissions and published pages, which were declining, have steadied and increased. The special sections were a livening event; we thank the section editors (

"Most of the subjects were White and middle class": Trends in published research on African Americans in selected APA journals, 1970–1989.

“…The UGP sponsors a mentoring program whereby junior minority scholars are “linked with a mentor who will provide substantive or methodological guidance, or both, before the manuscript is submitted to the Journal for regular review” (Calfee & Valencia, 1987, p. 362). Although it is evident that the fruits of this labor have yet to be reaped (Calfee, 1990), editors of other APA journals should follow the JEP lead so that this kind program can be further nurtured.…”

Refining Educational Psychology: The Case of the Missing Links

“…I have had several occasions to ponder these matters during the past 20 years: building a graduate course in educational psychology, editing the Journal of Educational Psychology (Calfee & Valencia, 1990), working with David Berliner to design the Handbook of Educational Psychology (Berliner & Calfee, in press), and (perhaps most interesting) developing an in-service program for improving literacy instruction in the elementary grades (Calfee, 1992). The last-mentioned activity has entailed translating cognitive psychology, linguistics, and rhetorical concepts into a coherent package that practicing teachers can grasp "on the run."…”