Educational Psychologist As A Critical Friend: Contributions And Possibilities For School Change And Improvement

This essay presents the need to connect the role of educational psychologist with the concept of critical friend, as co-investigator and promoter of reflective processes that facilitate educational transformation. This is because educational psychology has based its work on a traditional paradigm, predominantly of a clinical-rehabilitative perspective, leaving little scope for professionals to focus on community development and promote collaborative inquiry in the institutional context. This role of critical friend is supported by the ability to promote action research in schools, maximizing an open participation from the different actors of the community. It is concluded that this role is positive for educational psychology since it would allow to strengthen a personal and critical view, as well as the enrichment of the repertoire of educational institutions to favor change and improvement in schools generating, finally, a more relevant and valued image in the educational community towards the work of the professional psychologist.

Keywords : Educational Psychology; Social Role; Education; Participatory Research.