Running head: SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY 1

Social Learning Theory

Delilah Munoz

National University

June 15, 2018

Joy Harris
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Introduction

Albert Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory is based on the idea that humans learn best

from a model. “Social learning theory describes human behavior in terms of continual

complementary cooperation with cognitive, behavioral, and environmental influences” (Bandura,

2016). I will be examining Annie who blatantly states that she “does not like this writing stuff”

during Language Arts time. I will be reviewing the underlying reasons why Annie might feel this

way and how she can benefit through the application of Badura’s theory.

Social Cognitive Theory

Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory consists of four main parts. Attention, Retention,

Reproduction and Motivation. Attention is the first phase in observational learning. During this

stage, the learner’s attention is captured. The learner is paying attention to the instructor or the

one modeling the desired behavior. (Slavin, 2018, p.101) The next stage is Retention. During

Retention, the learner is shown the desired behavior that is being taught. The desired behavior is

being modeled. (Slavin, 2018, p.101) Next, is the Reproduction Phase, during this phase the

learner tries to match the modeled behavior. (Slavin, 2018, p.101) The final part of Social

Cognitive theory is Motivation. During this phase the learner will continue to model the desired

behavior because they believe it will increase their chances of receiving praise. (Slavin, 2018,

p.101)

Explaining Annie’s Comment

When considering Annie’s comment, “I just can't do this writing stuff", one can use

Albert Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory, to help explain why she might say this. Bandura’s
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Social Cognitive Theory is based on the idea that humans learn best from a model. Considering

this theory, perhaps Annie has not had many opportunities of modeling strong writing skills, to

make her feel confident enough to complete this writing assignment. One could surmise then that

it makes perfect sense as to why she would express her preference for physical education or art.

Both of these activities require modeling and practice to be proficient at the desired task. Annie

may have had more experience (and success) in these areas and therefore, she may feel more

inclined to participate in physical education or art.

Source of Low Efficacy Beliefs

Annie’s low self-efficacy, which is her personal belief in her ability to organize and

execute the action needed to do an activity or simply stated, her low belief about her ability to

write effectively is on display as evidenced by her quiet and sullen attitude, as well as her

comment, stating, “I just can’t do this writing stuff.” “I am not a good student.” It is my opinion

that Annie would benefit from one to one assistance in writing. Mr. Baer needs to assess where

Annie’s low-efficacy stems from in this subject. Annie could definitely benefit from Retention

modeling. Mr. Baer could demonstrate the writing skills that he wants Annie to learn, to help her

feel more confident. Since, I do not know exactly what writing skill Annie is lacking or feeling

unsure of, it is hard for me to give specifics. Once Annie has seen Mr. Baer model the desired

skill, Annie then needs to try reproduction of that skill. If Mr. Baer stays positive with Annie

when she is modeling the desired behavior she is more likely to want to continue to try it on her

own. This would then, be the Motivational phase. Annie will continue to want to practice the

new skill because she has a newly found confidence from the positive praise or incentives, for an

example a good grade on a writing assignment might be an incentive to keep trying for Annie.
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Once Annie, feels comfortable reproducing the desired behavior she can be motivated to self-

regulate to continue achieving the desired behavior. Mr. Baer could offer praise and attention or

make a call home to let her parents know how she has improved.

Self-Regulation

If I were in Mr. Baer’s shoes and I wanted Annie to self-regulate I might create for her a

chart or a rubric that was easy for her to follow, that allowed for her to check off all the areas that

she needed to include in her writing. If she decided that she included all that she needed in her

writing she could add a sticker to her chart for the assignment. That might be one way I could

encourage Annie to self-regulate. In addition, I would also set up opportunities for peer modeling

where she can interact with her face partner or shoulder partner by reading other examples of

student work which may give her confidence that her writing is on par with her peers and she

may have unusually lofty expectations of her perceived level of performance or she may gain

new ideas and perspective on new phrases to use, incorporate elevated diction that she may have

encountered in her peers work and thus integrate it into her own writing.

Atypical, Typical Behavior

From the small amount of information given, regarding Annie and her feelings towards

writing, I feel that she demonstrates typical behavior for a child her age. It is easy for a child to

become overwhelmed when they feel that they do not know how to do an assignment, especially

writing. There are many factors as to why she may have not feel confident in her writing. It could

be that she has no interest in the topic she is writing about, she may have not acquired a specific

writing skill in previous grades to a variety of reasons. I would continue to monitor Annie and
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look at her other writing samples when doing other assignments, to help me determine if Annie

in danger of morphing into an Atypical student. I would continue to employ strategies to help

Annie with her writing.

Parental Contact

Yes, I believe it is necessary for Mr. Baer to contact Annie’s parents regarding her

behavior. I might send a note home, an email or make a phone call, stating the behavior that she

is displaying and informing her parents of the strategies that we are using in class to improve her

attitude towards writing as well as her writing skills. By informing her parents about what is

occurring in the classroom, her parents can use the same strategies at home to help her with

homework and any other writing. If the behavior continues or worsens I would then set up a

meeting with her parents to further explore additional interventions like outside tutoring, writing

labs before or after school or academic Saturday school.

Consideration for other services

I might ask Annie’s parents, if they noticed any change in her attitude towards writing

compared to last year. I would probe her parents by asking “How did she feel about writing

during the previous grades”? “Do you see this behavior at home when she is doing her

homework”? Based on her parent’s responses I might want to hold a grade level student study

team meeting (SST) and if the attitude towards writing persists and doesn’t improve, I may want

to hold a formal SST after meeting and discussing this with her parents. I would also ask my

colleagues that collaborate with me if a referral to the school psychologist may be required.
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Summary

Based on the limited information given regarding Annie and her feelings towards writing,

I believe that the four levels of social cognitive theory are not static but rather fluid. She may be

in stage one self-efficacy for her entire time in my classroom which as her teacher is acceptable

to me because I plan to meet my students where they are. If by the time she moves on to the next

grade I may be able to move her into the self-regulation stage. In addition, as mentioned earlier it

may be just plugging her into a topic that she feels is relevant to her where she will move

seamlessly through all four stages of Bandura’s theory. As long as I continue to have an intimate

understanding of her cognitive levels that may come to light during the SST process, then I can

control the environmental factors in my classroom like using a rubric to help herself regulate

then I can hopefully pave the way for Annie to be motivated to take her writing to the next level.
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References:

Index of /~eushe2/Bandura. (n.d.). Retrieved June 11, 2018, from

https://www.uky.edu/~eushe2/Bandura

Slavin, Robert E. Educational Psychology: Theory and Practice, 12th Edition. Pearson,
20170109. Vital Book File

Social Learning Theory Bandura Social Learning Theory. (2016, September 14).
Retrieved June 11, 2018, from https://www.learning-theories.com/social-learning-theory-
bandura.html