The foundations of educational psychology: The legacy of Cyril Burt

Abstract

This paper asserts that the profession of educational psychology has been built, and has continued to evolve, on what may be referred to as a ‘Burtian foundation’. The individual contribution of Burt himself to building and developing that foundation is nothing less than immense. Burt espoused and promoted almost all of the key elements that characterise modern educational psychology practice. He was totally committed as an individual psychologist, as a systems psychologist and as an academic psychologist. He combined within one discipline both the educational and the clinical aspects of the work of the educational psychologist. He believed in an ecological model of assessment. Also, in carrying out his own work, he established a basis for the core functions of educational psychology practice across the domains of consultation, assessment, intervention, training and research.