Socialist Cognitive Views of Learning

What?
Social cognitive theory focuses on the influence of watching others and implementing their actions. It theorizes that behavior is influenced by observing others in the context of social interactions, experiences, and outside media influences, and the learner’s expectations. Reinforcement and punishment affect the learners' motivation, rather than causing a behavior. Also, in the heart of social cognitive theory lays modeling. Modeling can be direct (from live models), symbolic (from books, movies, and television), or synthesized (combining the acts of different models). It can influence new behaviors, help existing behaviors, change inhibitions, and arouse emotions. Learners become self-regulated when they set learning goals on their own, monitor their progress toward the goals, and assess the effectiveness of their efforts.

So What?
The social cognitive theory revolves around learning directly correlated to the observation of models and a self-regulated learning process. The self-regulated process presented involves a dynamic and reciprocal theory among personal, behavioral, and environmental influences. This theoretical account also posits a central role for the construct of academic self-efficacy beliefs and three self-regulatory processes: self-observation, self-judgment, and self-reactions. Research support for this social cognitive formulation is discussed, as is its usefulness for improving student learning and academic achievement.

Now What?
Self-efficacy is a person's belief that he or she is capable of executing certain behaviors or reaching certain goals. Social cognitive theorists propose that one's own prior successes, messages from others, and others' successes (especially the successes of peers) can all enhance self-efficacy. Therefore, in a well organized classroom setting students can observe other students and the environment, combine that with their own thoughts and behaviors and alter their own self-regulatory functions accordingly. In addition, teachers being the model in this situation it is important for the teacher to help build the students self-efficacy levels by recognizing the accomplishments made by the students.