Research Paper on Theories of Learning

Introduction

Learning is a process that involves various interactive components based on what the learners already know, new knowledge and the activities that they carry out in the process of learning. Some of the aspects involved in learning include language, memory, attention, critical skills and the ability to organize and process information (Olson, 2015). A theory of learning is a conceptual framework which describes how a learner absorbs, processes and retains knowledge upon going through the learning experience (Entwistle & Ramsden, 2015). Although there are various theories of learning, most of them revolve around cognition, motivation, and constructivism.

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Motivation

Motivation is generally defined as the reason behind a person's actions and willingness to pursue a certain goal (Beatty, 2009). Although educational psychology mainly focuses on motivation for learning, it can also be applied for behavior. The motivation for learning can be both intrinsic and extrinsic (Schunk & Zimmerman, 2012). According to Schunk and Zimmerman (2012), intrinsic motivation is derived from a learner's inherent desire to learn while extrinsic motivation is derived from external sources such as reward and recognition. A major proponent of the motivation model is Maslow in his Hierarchy of needs. In reference to Maslow's theory, there are deficiency needs that a person has to meet before they get to the growth needs (Illeris, 2018). The deficiency needs include physiological, safety, belongingness and esteem needs while the growth ones include cognitive, aesthetic needs and self-actualization (Beatty, 2009). These needs motivate the individual to work towards each. An instructor can promote motivation in learners by arousing and maintaining interest in a certain area of knowledge, stimulus variation, and collaboration to help learners set their own goals.

Cognition

Cognitive theories describe learning with regards to the processing of information. When the mind receives external information, it processes it, discards or stores it by initially processing it in the working memory, and then retaining what is to be stored in the long-term memory (Resnick, 2017). One of the applicable theories of learning, in this case, is the schema model. In this theory, the learned material is clustered into meaningful sets of information (Kalyuga et al., 2010). These sets of information are also referred to as schemas. The schema model is emphasized in Jean Piaget's theory of cognition. According to Piaget, a newborn baby has a few innate schemas that are genetically programmed into it in terms of reflexes (Henson, 2015). These schemas are the ones that help the child experience cognitive development. Piaget believed that cognitive growth happens through assimilation, accommodation, and equilibration Inhelder et al., 2014). He argued that although environmental and biological factors may influence cognitive development, each child is bound to go through four stages of intellectual growth. These stages include the sensorimotor, pre-operational, concrete operational and, finally, the formal operational stage (Resnick, 2017). Since the cognition requires an active learner, an instructor can apply it by focusing on the learning process, facilitating the discovery and restructuring of knowledge, encouraging individual activities relevant to the learning process and evaluating the progress of the learners.

Constructivism

Constructivism involves the deliberate creation or construction of knowledge based on past experiences. The main focus of constructivism in the learning process is on the thinking of the learner (Henson, 2015). Although there are divergent theories of constructivism, they are grouped into two: social constructivism and psychological constructivism. While proponents of social constructivism believe that an individual's capacity to learn is related to their interaction with more knowledgeable persons, those of psychological constructivism associate learning with the individual's ability to mentally organize information (Amineh & Asl, 2015). A major proponent of psychological constructivism is a 20th-century educational philosopher, John Dewey, who argued that learners naturally build their own knowledge thus policymakers ought to create a curriculum that fits the learner's prior interests and knowledge (Henson, 2015). On the other hand, social constructivists such as Lev Vygotsky, a Russian psychologist argued that a learner's thinking, interests, and knowledge are highly influenced by their interaction with an expert or a person who has more experience in that area (Amineh & Asl, 2015). Despite the differences, constructivism is applicable in the learning process. In learning, the instructor can systematically organize the items of knowledge using Bloom's Taxonomy (Illeris, 2018). The items begin with simple concepts and move towards more complex knowledge to fit the learner's needs. This will help with self-reflection and allow the teacher to transfer knowledge to the learner as appropriate thus improving learning.

How Students Learn

Students have different capacities to learn. This implies that they prefer different techniques for them to understand and retain the relevant knowledge. Some of these techniques are represented by the chart below.

Source: Entwistle, N., & Ramsden, P. (2015). Understanding student learning (Routledge Revivals). Routledge.

The above data shows that the most preferred modes of learning include social interactions, visual and verbal techniques. Students learn better from others, from what they see and what they hear.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is clear that learning is a process. It involves aspects of motivation, constructivism and cognition. Various theorists have come up with theories that help in explaining how students learn. Nevertheless, no theory can be applied in seclusion since students learn in a diversity of ways.

References

Amineh, R. J., & Asl, H. D. (2015). Review of constructivism and social constructivism. Journal of Social Sciences, Literature, and Languages, 1(1), 9-16.

Beatty, B. R. (2009). Theories of learning. In an International handbook on the preparation and development of school leaders (pp. 154-178). Routledge.

Entwistle, N., & Ramsden, P. (2015). Understanding student learning (Routledge Revivals). Routledge.

Henson, K. T. (2015). Curriculum planning: Integrating multiculturalism, constructivism, and education reform. Waveland Press.

Illeris, K. (2018). A comprehensive understanding of human learning. In Contemporary Theories of Learning (pp. 1-14). Routledge.

Inhelder, B., Sinclair, H., & Bovet, M. (2014). Learning and the Development of Cognition (Psychology Revivals). Psychology Press.

Kalyuga, S., Renkl, A., & Paas, F. (2010). Facilitating flexible problem solving: A cognitive load perspective. Educational Psychology Review, 22(2), 175-186.

Olson, M. H. (2015). Introduction to theories of learning. Routledge.

Resnick, L. B. (2017). Toward a cognitive theory of instruction. In Learning and motivation in the classroom (pp. 5-38). Routledge.

Schunk, D. H., & Zimmerman, B. J. (Eds.). (2012). Motivation and self-regulated learning: Theory, research, and applications. Routledge.