Efrain Sanchez Hidalgo

Born: April 29, 1918 in Moca, Puerto Rico
Died: 1974

Education and Work

He attended Moca elementary school and Aguadilla secondary school in the island of Puerto Rico.
He attended the University of Puerto Rico where he received a Bachelor’s degree specializing on education in 1939.
Upon graduation he decided to move to New York and enrolled at Columbia University. In 1940 he received a Master’s degree in Educational Psychology from this institution.
That same year he was hired as a docent in the College of Pedagogy of University of Puerto Rico.
After a year of working as a professor he was drafted to serve in the war by the United States Army. He served as the Director his regiment’s program of education and orientation until 1946.
After the war, he was hired by the Veterans Affairs Rehab Center in San Juan, Puerto Rico as an official and Director of training.
He returned to Columbia University and obtained his PhD in Social Psychology in 1951.
His thesis titled “A Study of the Symbiotic Relationships Between friends” was considered to be one of the best studies on friendship. His most prominent mentor on this topic was Edward L. Thorndike.
In 1953 he was hired at the University of Puerto Rico with full professorship.

He was the first Puerto Rican to receive a PhD in Psychology in the United States.
Founded the scholarly magazine named Pedagogía.
In 1971 He was honored with the Outstanding Educators of America Award.
He has more tan 150 publication.
He wrote several acclaimed books including Psicologia Educativa (Educational Psychology) which has been edited and republished seven times and is used as the standard textbook in nearly all Latin American countries, the Philipines, and Spain