Application of Social Cognitive Theory in learning process

Running Head: APPLICATION OF SOCIAL COGNITIVE THEORY IN LEARNING PROCESS 1 Application of Social Cognitive Theory in learning process Seyed Ali Yousefi Namin Vancouver Community College PIDP 3100 Author Note Seyed Ali Yousefi Namin, BC Provincial Instruction Diploma, Vancouver Community College Correspondences concerning this article should be addressed to Seyed Ali Yousefi Namin, PO BOX: 19395-1331, THR, IRAN Contact: s.ali.yousefi@hotmail.com

2 Abstract There are many different theories penned about learning, from which Social Cognitive theory and its impacts on the process of learning is elaborated in this study. Three main items form the vertexes of a triangle which best describe Social Cognitive Theory including: personal factors, environmental influences and behavior. This theory which emerged primarily from Albert Bandura in 19 th century states learning as a triangle in which learning, the person and the environment are interactive and reciprocal. People watch the events taking place around them in their environment, process them in their minds and make a proper behavior or response. In this study, the role of learner and instructor are investigated as a key factor in learning process. Also, some personal examples are provided which reflect how the impact of other people and other contexts` outcomes are influential in an individual`s learning. At the end of this article, Social Cognitive Theory is introduced as the most acceptable theory among the other learning theories as it has been used by humans all through the course of history. Key Words: Social Cognitive Theory, learning theories, Introduction Social cognitive theory (SCT) refers to a psychological model of behavior that emerged primarily from the work of Albert Bandura (1977; 1986). Social cognitive theory draws from both behaviorism and cognitive theory. Born in 1925, Albert Bandura pictured his model of learning as a triangle in which learning, the person and the environment are interactive and reciprocal. So, not only information is processed cognitively through learning, we also observe others and model their behavior. These observations are also processed and often physically replicated.

3 By the 1970s these studies helped form the foundation for what Bandura initially called Observational Learning Theory and later on Social Learning Theory (Bandura, 1977). This Idea initially developed with an emphasis on the acquisition of social behaviors, SCT continues to emphasize that learning occurs in a social context and that much of what is learned is gained through observation. Also SCT states that learning can occur without an immediate change in behavior or more broadly that learning and the demonstration of what has been learned are distinct processes. SCT also assumes that learning involves not just the acquisition of new behaviors, but also of knowledge, cognitive skills, concepts, abstract rules, values, and other cognitive constructs. This division of learning and behavior is a shift from the position advocated by behavioral theories that defined learning stridently as a change in the form or frequency of behavior. It also means that students can learn but not demonstrate that learning until motivated to do so. Ultimately, Bandura noted in the preface to his 1986 treatise, Social Foundations of Thought and Action: A Social-Cognitive Theory, that, in an effort to be inclusive of these more motivational and cognitive processes, he was using the label social cognitive theory rather than social learning to describe his framework. SCT has been applied broadly to such diverse areas of human functioning as career choice, organizational behavior, athletics, and mental and physical health. SCT also has been applied extensively by those interested in understanding classroom motivation, learning, and achievement (Pajares, 1996; Schunk & Zimmerman, 1994; 1998). That is, a person's on-going functioning is a product of a continuous interaction between cognitive, behavioral, and contextual factors. For instance, classroom learning is shaped by factors within the academic environment, especially the reinforcements experienced by oneself and by others. At the

4 same time, learning is affected by students' own thoughts and self-beliefs and their interpretation of the classroom context. A closely related assumption within SCT is that people have an agency or ability to influence their own behavior and the environment in a purposeful, goal-directed fashion (Bandura, 2001). SCT considers the unique way in which individuals acquire and maintain behavior, while also considering the social environment in which individuals perform the behavior. The theory takes into account a person's past experiences, which factor will affects behavioral action. These past experiences influences reinforcements, expectations, and expectancies, all of which can shape a person who will engage in a specific behavior or the reasons why a person engages in that behavior.

5 Why This theory is the most acceptable theory for me among other learning theories. The reason for this selection can be explained by having a glance at the social cognitive theory triangle. As can be seen in this triangle, there are three main highlights including personal factors, environmental influences and behavior. In my belief, humans can t act like a mirror and just reflect back the response of stimuli to the environment. Humans have great minds and complex brains which has wonderful processing capability. Therefore, conspicuously the environmental influences the process and stimuli which could be processed by humans` mind and cause a proper behavior. Thus, as it is obvious, both environmental influences and personal factors affect human behavior. Each individual has his/her personal mind containing loads of beliefs and thoughts which are results of his/her culture, environment, context, family and so on, all of which are responsible for making a glass in front of eyes of the person`s sight which causes a specific subjective insight which I call Vision Filter. An individual looks at all his/her surrounding world through this vision filter, process the outcome of this filter and makes the proper response to a stimulus. This hypothesis can be easily proved when different individuals show different reactions facing the same stimulus. Role of Instructor When you are trying to educate a group of learners you seem to be the captain of the ferry who tries to guide the ferry and its passengers to a certain destination. In the same extent, the classroom is the ferry, the learners are passengers and the teacher is the captain. Considering this metaphor, we can easily find out that even when the destination is clear and the passengers are aware of it and well interested to reach their ultimate goal, if the captain does not conduct the ferry properly it never meets the destiny. The metaphor clearly explains the role of instructor. As it is

6 discussed before, different learners have different vision filters. Also, they have their own mind, beliefs and thoughts. By remembering the triangle and also considering this example, instructor does not have any control on personal factors and also vision filters. Thus, the only factor which can be controlled by instructor is environmental influences. This is the art of the instructor to create an atmosphere in which all learners could reach the concept. In the metaphorical ferry, the captain needs to consider condition of all passengers regarding and at the same time regardless of their every single filter vision and mind. The same function is applicable to my present teaching condition as an IB teacher. I teach in an international environment and my role is much more complex and difficult comparing to normal learning contexts. In my classroom, my learners sit closed to each other while each one talks in different language, have their own religion, beliefs and thoughts and live in different continent of the world than other classmates. So, a great power is needed to find methods and items by which the ferry reaches to its destination successfully. Role of Learner Learners also have their important role in this area. First of all, they have to be interested in the subject they are going to learn otherwise they can t focus their mind on what the instructor tries to teach them. I personally think even their vision filters can work like a camera`s professional lens. The photographer can regulate and set the lens in order make it focused on the main target. In the same extent, if students show interest to the subject they focus their mind to concentrate on the teaching material and set their vision filter in optimum manner to achieve the most possible learning level. There are many factors which affect this interest such as the instructor, subject, time, environment and etc. The reason for placing the instructor in the first position will be explained in classroom examples in the following sections.

7 Another influential factor which affects learning process is learner`s capacity which includes their mental capacity-deriving from their talent- and personal behavioral features. Learner`s capacity needs to be considered by the instructor to provide proper educational methods and learning atmosphere as both excessive and insufficient volume of concepts are harmful for learning process and can lead to learning deficiencies. Thus, the capacity of learners as well as their interest to the teaching subject accompanied with the mental picture of the teacher they have in mind are main factors which affect the learning. The role of learner in this theory is shown in the following examples. Examples of Social Cognitive Theory in learning process Social cognitive theory includes many instances some of which are mentioned in this section. As an instructor, not only your knowledge, but also your character and personality traits affect your learners. As a successful person in scientific life, business life or social life, a teacher can be assumed as a role model for the learners. Regarding a personal experience, through the many years of teaching I have encountered many learners who disliked chemistry due to having an instructor improper to their age groups or characteristics which cause them despise this subject. Showing enthusiasm for learners, and highlighting the common points the learners and the instructor share as well as the projection of the future in which the students may have the same position as their teacher, and can cause a real big change. Internationally known IB (International baccalaureate), provides learners with 6 subjects to choose at beginning of their course. Later, they have to continue studying the selected subjects for two years. Last September when I entered to my class, they were 9 pupils who were sitting and waiting for choosing their proper subjects. When I asked them how many of them were willing to select Chemistry as one of those subjects, I realized only that two pupils were keen. Then, I asked them

8 to listen to my lecture about chemistry and I gave them a demo of my teaching Short after that, I ended up having 9 students in my Chemistry class more than all other subject classes. In the same way, there are many reports from parents stating the increasing affinity of the students to this subject while it had been one of their worsts in last academic year. As this example shows, the instructor`s character and the interaction they have with learners can cause a big change in learners` interest to a certain subject which affects the learning process significantly. Another example of social cognitive theory can be sought in the lab activities of learners. Chemistry is one of experimental sciences and about half of its concepts can be taught to student using practical experiments. Among students, there are some who are lab-based or practical, which is the title instructors use to explain the learners who are interested in using practical methods of learning rather than theoretical; while the other group is theory-based due to being focused on theoretical methods rather than practical implications. When a practical chemistry experiment is ongoing by some groups of learners, the latter group, the theory-based group, always tries to find out what special methods are under application by the practical-based group which leads them to approach the proper results. The theory-based group watch what the Practical-based group perform and sometimes asks them such questions: How many grams of that powder have you used to reach the color change? or What temperature is optimum to reach the highest yield in this experiment? In previous example, it is clearly shown that the three items of Social Cognitive Theory are exactly mentioned. The theory-based learners see the practical behavior of the practice-based learners, process it in their mind and may accomplished with applying some changes to improve the results to show the proper behavior. In the end, the instructor could approach his goal which is acquiring of the process by learners.

9 Furthermore, as an international curricula instructor, the process of revision before final assessments is very important for learners. In some international diploma curricula like International Baccalaureate (IB), the learners study a subject for two years and take a single final exam at the end. Regardless of advantages and disadvantages of this educational system which is not the focal point of this study, the process of revision plays an important role in approaching better results for learners. In order to have a good revision, learners need to access to a good and well-prepared summaries. In a very effective activity which I call Induced Social Cognitive. a few months before the final assignments, the writer of one of the best student s summaries is invited to give a short speech about it. After introducing his/her work and appreciating his/her work, the student is asked to explain the work of other learners. As it is frequently seen, other learners listen to their peer`s speech carefully and sometimes take notes. The methods by which the successful summarizer has prepared his/her summary can be seen by other learners, processed in their mind, accomplished by some personal ideas which make some changes, and finally led to an acceptable and useful summary. Regarding all mentioned parts, Social Cognitive Theory is more acceptable and applicable than other learning theories as it has been intertwined with humans since the very beginning phases of humans` life. Human being always has showed a certain interest in social life from ancient time; by living in a social community, being affected by other people is inevitable. When man figured out how to use his mind and brain for survival, he could connect the three items of Social Cognitive triangle and applied it in order to survive. During the course of history, man has observed the advantages of the others` behaviors and tried to process them in his mind; then localized it in order to defeat the threat of extinction. Consequently, humans learned to travel to learn about the

10 achievements of other nations and localize them for their own benefits. Today, we can see the application of such theory in real life from the smallest and the most trivial samples seen in children, as they appeal what their peers crave, to even bigger magnitudes of mobile phone manufacturers who take benefit of adult s hidden competition to own the most fashionable mobile which are all examples of the mentioned theory.

11 References http://www.education.com/reference/article/social-cognitive-theory http://www.esourceresearch.org/default.aspx?tabid=734 Sharan B.Merriam & Laura L.Bierema. (2014) Adult Learning Linking Theory and Practice, Traditional Learning Theories 35-36. http://sphweb.bumc.bu.edu/otlt/mph-modules/sb/sb721-models/sb721-models5.html