Location: By Percival 202

​

Teachers have to know not only the many subjects that they teach - history, science, mathematics, literature, art - but they also had to know how students learn and what social and psychological factors contribute to their learning.

 

In 1934 General Education Psychology was first offered as a course at Fitchburg Normal School. Harry Percival was selected to teach the class. This was the first time any psychology course was offered at the Fitchburg Normal School and is the start of what has grown into one of the major departments on Fitchburg State University’s campus.

 

Between the 1930s and 1950s the psychology department was closely associated with and even housed under the education department. As Percival’s area of research was in child and adolescent psychology, the fit likely seemed natural. This connection between psychology and education likely stemmed from the John Thompson days of teaching “Child Study” as a pedagogical research methodology in the late 1890s and early 1900s. Now debunked as unethical, child studies of this era often read like child stalking

 

In 1953 Percival moved away from his professor position to become Director of Graduate Work and the psychology department became a stand alone department under the guidance of Max M. Kostik and Josephine A Bolger.

 

Over next 15 years, the psychology department frequently switched between being a stand alone department and part of the Education Department. Departments were rather fluid  and worked largely to service the teacher education programs on campus. However, as the population of students grew and with the general education program President Sanders introduced, course lists grew and discipline specific departments and majors flourished. 

 

The “Psychological Science Department” now offers 3 seperate major concentrations: General Psychology, Cognitive Science, and Applied Psychology, as well as two minors: Psychological Science and Neuroscience, Behaviour, and Cognition. The department employs 12 professors and has 5 student run clubs.

 

Psychology, like many other fields on campus, grew away from strictly serving the needs of student-teachers towards creating all sorts of professionals to benefit the Commonwealth.