Social Learning Theory

 

 

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The Social Learning Theory is one among several learning theories which attempt to explain and describe the process of learning from the point of absorbing the information to that of retaining it (Schunk, 2012). This theory, by Bandura, describes the process of learning in a social setting. The view here is that learning in such a social context is not a passive process of simply receiving information, but rather an active process where the learner interacts with their environment. The main aspects of this theory include observation and mediation. A learner first observes a certain individual behaving in a certain way. This is followed by several other steps which determine whether the individual will adopt this behavior. These include paying attention to the behavior, retaining that information in the mind and attempting to replicate that behavior. It is noted that, if replicating that behavior is rewarding, then the learner will adopt it. Else, the learner will simply not adopt that behavior (Bandura, 2018).

How this theoretical framework can be used to explain the phenomena of social media use in education

This theory can be applied to the use of social media to enhance education. In this age, social media has become highly popular especially among students due to the level of connectivity and sharing of thoughts it facilitates. This can be connected to the social learning theory in this way. First, if we consider that this theory applies in a social context, it is right to say that social media offers that context (Bandura, 2009).

Secondly, observation is primary to the social learning theory, and also a major process in social media. Now let us consider the four processes in observation including attentional, retentional, production, and motivational processes. Given that students enjoy social media, it is one of the best ways to capture their attention (Deaton, 2015). If a lecturer posts a learning video in social media, the students are likely to view it simply because it’s on a social site and perhaps they have noticed that fellow students have viewed it too. This fulfills the first learning process under observation: attention. Then follows retention whereby the question is: has the learner retained the information. Students on social media are likely to discuss the content on social media with their media. These discussions bring about internalizing of the information hence they are likely to retain it in their memory. For instance, social sites offer an area for both public and private discussions such as commenting and inbox respectively. Furthermore, through social media, the shy and quiet students who may not be confident about openly sharing their thoughts, are provided with a platform where they can do so hence better learning for them (Kaya & Bicen, 2016). During the discussions, the learner is able to also apply the learned information by sharing what they thought about the lesson and what they understood by it. This can be classified under the production processes. Finally, fellow students give their feedback through comments either to agree with or correct a given view. This fulfills the motivational processes since positive feedback encourages the learner while a correction will cause the learner to perhaps modify their views.

Thus this theory is well suited to explain the application of social media for use in the classroom as an alternative means of effective learning.

 

References

Bandura, A. (2018). Albert Bandura And Social Learning Theory. Learning Theories For Early Years Practice63.

Bandura, A. (2009). Social cognitive theory of mass communication. In Media effects (pp. 110-140). Routledge.

Deaton, S. (2015). Social Learning Theory in the Age of Social Media: Implications for Educational Practitioners. Journal of Educational Technology12(1), 1-6.

Kaya, T., & Bicen, H. (2016). The effects of social media on students’ behaviors; Facebook as a case study. Computers in Human Behavior59, 374-379.

Schunk, D. H. (2012). Learning theories an educational perspective sixth edition. Pearson.

 

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