Based on the analysis of publications, four stages of environmental studies of personal development in Russian psychology were identified: «pedological» – 1920s – beginning of 1930s; «cultural-activity» – the 1930s – 1960s; the «spatial» – 1970s; «personal-environmental» – since the mid 1990s; ecological and psychological – since the beginning of the XXI century; and ecological and pedagogical is being formed at the present time. A comparative analysis is conducted of the main methodological approaches, on the basis of which the study of educational environments in modern Russian pedagogical psychology and pedagogy is done: the collector's approach, spatial-objective approach, socio-psychological approach, environmental approach in education, cultural-historical approach and ecological approach. The possibility is proved for the generalized theory formation of environment for personality development  on the basis of synthesis of key provisions of these approaches. The conceptual-terminological and structural-contensive voluntarism is revealed, which reduces the quality of research on the environment of personality development. The acquisition of developmental opportunities of the environment by the personality is considered as the main psychological mechanism of interaction of personality with environment and as the content of psychological design of the personal developmental environment. The concept of the educational environment was formulated and its structural and contensive model was designed that synthesizes the key provisions of different schools of thought. The educational environment is understood as a spatially and / or event-limited set of opportunities for personal development that arise in its interaction with its social and spatial-objective environment. A complex of systemic parameters for the description of environment is proposed, which meaningfully integrates various areas of research on environment of personality development: breadth, intensity, awareness, generality, emotionality, dominance, coherence, social activity, structure, mobility, security and stability. The emerging scientific direction of ecological psychology of education can become the basis for the creation of ecological pedagogy that provides the design for personal developmental social and educational environments. Ecological psychology of education creates a «psychological matrix» (processes, mechanisms, principles, methods), which can be overlaid with appropriate «pedagogical blueprint» (technologies, techniques, practices).