1

Running Head: LEARNING THEORISTS RESEARCH REPORT

Learning Theorists Research Report

Adam Jernigan

Coastal Carolina University

EDIT 704, Section

July 20, 2019

 2
LEARNING THEORISTS RESEARCH REPORT
Introduction

Over the many years of growth and change in the field of education there have been an

array of concepts and theories that have governed the successful acquisition of new knowledge.

The theories that have evolved education to the art that it is today have left a mark and value that

stands the test of time. These theories may have changed by addition or manipulation, but they

are still applicable to today’s learning.

This report will focus on discussing three of these theorists, three different theories, and

how these theories relate to education today. The three theorists will include B.F Skinner, Lev

Vygotsky, and Jerome Bruner. These three theorists each represent three of the predominate

educational theories over the past several decades that will be discussed, including behaviorist

theory, constructivist theory, and cognitivist theory.

Educational Theories

The concept of behaviorist theory has deep roots that can be traced as far back as

Aristotle (Mergel, 1998) with multiple key individuals that have followed up his theories. The

fundamental concept of behaviorism is a study of how behaviors are established and changed

over time. One of the cornerstones for behaviorism is that it has the ability to be scientifically

viewed since behaviors can be observed and measured to establish their effects. Through the

proliferation of the concept of behaviorism since Aristotle two major sects of behaviorism have

developed, giving rise to Classical Conditioning and Operant conditioning.

Constructivist theory is a relatively new spin on some of the previous theories. This

theory focuses on the construction of knowledge by the learner. This is referred to as a more

hands-on method that requires a more active role by the learner. Constructivism is considered to
 3
LEARNING THEORISTS RESEARCH REPORT
be a more active learning theory, as compared to some of the other theories. “If we accept the

constructivist position we are inevitably required to follow a pedagogy which argues that we

must provide learners with the opportunity to: a) interact with sensory data, and b) construct their

own world” (Hein, 1991). Under the constructivist theory’s paradigm, the student becomes the

focus and are presented with a sea of information and encouraged to draw their own conclusions,

construct their own reality.

To contrast the previous two theories cognitivists would encourage that learning is

influenced by the incorporation of schema, previously learned information, into the learning

process. “Thus, a cognitivist views the learning process as an internal and active mental process,

which develops within a learner, increased mental capacity and skills in order to learn better”

(McLeod, 2003). This concept dictates that learners incorporate new knowledge through a cycle

of receiving, storing, and retrieving information. Leaving individuals to discover information for

themselves and make connections with previously learned information.

Educational Theorists

Above, behaviorist theory was discussed, leading to one of the theorists that is most well

known as a behaviorist, B.F. Skinner. Behaviorists typically fall into two main categories,

classical or operant conditioning, to describe the process around which people learn. Skinner

was a proponent of operant conditioning, yielding learning to performing a task so as to receive a

reward. Operant conditioning is a big advocate of positive reinforcement. There are multiple

factors that are included in operant conditioning including neutral operants, reinforcers, and

punishers as described by Saul McLeod in “Skinner-Operant Conditioning”:

 4
LEARNING THEORISTS RESEARCH REPORT
“• Neutral operants: responses from the environment that neither increase nor decrease

the probability of a behavior being repeated.

• Reinforcers: Responses from the environment that increase the probability of a

behavior being repeated. Reinforcers can be either positive or negative.

• Punishers: Response from the environment that decrease the likelihood of a behavior

being repeated. Punishment weakens behavior.” (McLeod, 2015).

“Lev Vygotsky, the founding father of social constructivism believed in social interaction

and that it was an integral part of learning” (Kalina, 2009). Vygotsky believes that learning is

controlled best by interactions that can help the individual construct their own reality of the truth.

The question that Vygotsky would pose in a learning environment is, what else in the

environment is the student learning from? The reference here refers to interactions, does the

student only interact with the teacher, one providing instruction? Are their other interactions that

need to be considered? Vygotsky would say that the student is interacting with the textbook,

other students, and manipulatives in the classroom. He would theorize that the culmination of

these social interactions helps to create the knowledge base of learning.

Jerome Bruner was an advocate of the cognitivist theory as it relates to education. As

previously discussed cognitivists stated that learning was based on making mental connections

with new information and developing schema. Bruner developed the concept of discovery

learning, “Bruner argued that discovery learning inherently urges learners to take responsibility

for their own learning and helps them not only remember important factual information but also

develop their high-order thinking skills” (Yilmaz, 2011). This is the foundation of today’s push
 5
LEARNING THEORISTS RESEARCH REPORT
towards a student-centered classroom, where the focus is on the students and they are urged to

forge their own educational journey.

Summary

Educational theories have led to the development of the educational system as we know it

today. These theories have been fundamental in creating educational opportunities for a vast

array of people, the proper question is which one is right? Which theory creates the best

opportunity for every student? The answer is none of them, singularly, provide the best

educational opportunity for every student. I would postulate that the best answer would be a

blended form of all these theories. There are opportunities for each of these theories to have a

positive effect on the learning process, given the culture we currently live in negative and

positive reinforcement must be taken into account towards the cumulation of new information.

However, today more than ever technology allows for the constructivist view to show the role of

social interaction on learning. Lastly, the interactions between previously learned schema also

plays a role in learning. Yielding to the premise that adequate learning should be a well blended

incorporation of all three of these learning paradigms. Each has its proper time and place for

implementation.
 6
LEARNING THEORISTS RESEARCH REPORT
References

Hein, G. (1991). Constructivist learning theory. Institute for Inquiry. Available at:/http://www.

exploratorium. edu/ifi/resources/constructivistlearning. htmlS.

Kalina, C., & Powell, K. C. (2009). Cognitive and social constructivism: Developing tools for an

effective classroom. Education, 130(2), 241-250.

Mergel, B. (1998). Instructional design and learning theory.

McLeod, G. (2003). Learning theory and instructional design. Learning Matters, 2(3), 35-43.

McLeod, S. (2015). Skinner-operant conditioning. Retrieved from.

Yilmaz, K. (2011). The cognitive perspective on learning: Its theoretical underpinnings and

implications for classroom practices. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational

Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 84(5), 204-212.