Background: Educational psychology ranks second, after clinical psychology, in terms of professional activity profiles but in recent decades, the role of the educational psychologist has blurred. Method: The specialized literature was reviewed, and previous works by the author on the subject were updated. Results: This article emphasizes the relevance of educational psychology for the prevention and promotion of child and adolescent mental health. For this purpose, we must delimit the functions of the psychologist in educational contexts, differentiating it from other professional roles. To this end: (1) the main functions of the educational psychologist with students, their families, and teachers are proposed; (2) the postgraduate training necessary to perform these functions is described; and (3) the relevant role that educational centers can play in the promotion of child and adolescent mental health is shown, using, as an example, two problems: Bullying-cyberbullying and depression in childhood and adolescence. Conclusions: Schools should incorporate educational psychologists to develop assessment, prevention, and intervention activities, and schools must be contexts where emotional well-being is promoted and psychological and mental health problems are prevented. The work makes a proposal for intervention from educational psychology.

Validity is a core topic in educational and psychological assessment. Although there are many available resources describing the concept of validity, sources of validity evidence, and suggestions about how to obtain validity evidence; there is little guidance providing specific instructions for planning and carrying out validation studies. Method: In this paper we describe (a) the fundamental principles underlying test validity, (b) the process of validation, and (c) practical guidance for practitioners to plan and carry out sufficient validity research to support the use of a test for its intended purposes. Results: We first define validity, describe sources of validity evidence, and provide examples where each of these sources are addressed. Then, we describe a validation agenda describing steps and tasks for planning and developing validation studies. Conclusions: Finally, we discuss the importance of addressing validation studies from a comprehensive approach.

The main objective of the research was (1) to identify different profiles of students based on three purposes they had for homework (academic, self-regulatory and approval-seeking) and (2) to analyze their relationship with the homework effort, completion, and math achievement. Method: The study involved 3,018 eighth-grade students from various areas in China. Data were analyzed with Mplus using Latent Profile Analysis (LPA).