In view of the following qualifications that I have acquired, I believe that I will acquit myself satisfactorily in the prospective Ph.D. program in education that I am currently endeavoring to apply for. First and foremost, as is often claimed, one's interest is one's best director. I believe that I will do well what I am really interested in doing. Secondly, though I majored in economics as an undergraduate, my trainings during that stage helped develop effective modes of thinking and research approaches. In addition, I conscientiously self-studied many works related to education, including A Developmental History of Educational Science in the West, which enabled me to construct a solid groundwork for more advanced studies in this field. Next, it can be safely asserted that education and economics are not entirely separated. For example, it is necessary to apply many statistical methods in educational psychology and my academic record indicates that statistics is the subject that I am most good at. Last but not the least, my current teaching career and my teaching experience will play a positive role in facilitating my target degree program.

The reason why I apply for the University of ------------ is that it is the first state university with a time-honored history. The School of Education in this university is quite prominent among its counterparts in the field. I am particularly attracted by the School's powerful pedagogical resource, vibrant intellectual atmosphere and a comprehensive curriculum. I plan to apply for a degree program in Instructional Technology or Educational Psychology, both of which enjoy unparalleled academic reputation in the world. My application for Instructional Technology is motivated by my strong interest in the application of modern science and technology, especially the information technology represented by the Internet, in the field of education and in the nature of a series of revolutionary changes resulting thereof. Instructional Technology is a new discip

line that has emerged as a result of the rapid development of modern communication technology since the late 20th century. It has tremendous potential for development and commercial application. As for my motive in selecting Educational Psychology as another possible area of specialization in my degree program, it is my long-cherished interest that primarily counts. On the other hand, all the accomplished educators since the 1960's have been well-versed in psychology. Almost every important new educational theory is derived psychological findings in one way or another so that educational psychology has subsequently developed into a fundamental subject for the science of education. The tendency in the 21st century is to emphasize on the micro research of educational activities and against this backdrop educational psychology will be attached greater importance. In Instructional Technology, I would like to focus on the following studies: how to improve educational efficiency by applying research results from natural sciences and engineering technology; how to explore the combination and coordination of pedagogical contents and to improve teaching methodology by exploiting the theoretical findings from psychology and educational science concerning the process of teaching and learning. In Educational Psychology, I will concentrate on applied cognition and development, gifted and creative education, genetics and children development, personality structure and individual differences and other related subjects.liuxuepaper.com