Towards a Future for School Psychology in Egypt

Abstract

This paper attempts to present a brief history of school psychology in Egypt, to outline its major trends, to evaluate its current status, and to give some guides for its future. The analysis shows that when psychology was presented for the first time in 1929 it took the form of educational psychology. In 1934 a version of educational psychology similar to school psychology was introduced in the Higher Institute of Education (now Faculty of Education, Ain Shams University), with the progress of a 'testing movement' and the foundation of the first psychological clinic for school children and adolescents. For more than 50 years both psychometric and clinical movements achieved gains and losses. At present, however, the school psychologist, unlike the social worker, is not recognized as a member of the school services team. Speculations for the future are based on Bardon's (1982) thesis of the 'industrial-organizational model', which implies that the psychometric and clinical functions are necessary but not sufficient.