Theoretical Framework: Behaviorism

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
BEHAVIORISM
Behaviorism concerns the observable change in behavior. Behaviorists believe that

learning is provided by a change in actions through an explorative process. It exposes
individuals to external stimuli until a desired response is received. In these schools, knowledge
is transferred by the teacher while the learner is a passive participant. Nevertheless, this
knowledge is viewed as objective, factual and absolute (Harzem, 2004; Akinsanmi, 2008).
Behaviorist schools are typically framed in single buildings with several stories.
Classrooms are located at one end for new learners and moved through the other end for
upper grade learners. Classrooms are laid out in rows and columns and provided minimal room
for flexibility. The teacher’s desk is the main point of focus and has a control (Akinsanmi, 2008)
Long corridor with two side classroom is suitable for behaviorist schools. This kind of
arrangement provides desired responses of the teacher centered education.
COGNITIVE
Cognitivism emerged when researchers found out that behaviorism did not account for all
types of learning. According to this theory knowledge can be viewed as scheme, that is,
symbolic mental constructions that are organized or processed in the mind. Learning occurs
when there is a change in the learner’s schemata; the learner is an active participant (Gagne,
1984; Akinsami, 2008).
According to this theory, children need to explore, manipulate, experiment, question, and
to search for answers by themselves. Thus, school design should create sphere which stimulates
curiosity for exploration. Schools follow this theory are typically laid out like campuses and
aren’t often framed. They are usually single or two-story buildings connected by various
walkways, which provided opportunities for the students to interact with the outdoors,
supporting the explorative approach (Akinsanmi, 2008). Learning is much more meaningful if
the child is allowed to experiment on his own rather than listening to the teacher’s instruction.
This is why they need places for individual and group study besides social interaction.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.05.480
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042812016096
Behaviorism is primarily concerned with observable and measurable aspects of human
behavior. In defining behavior, behaviorist learning theories emphasize changes in behavior
that result from stimulus-response associations made by the learner. Behavior is directed by
stimuli. An individual selects one response instead of another because of prior conditioning and
psychological drives existing at the moment of the action (Parkay & Hass, 2000).
In education, advocates of behaviorism have effectively adopted this system of rewards

and punishments in their classrooms by rewarding desired behaviors and punishing
inappropriate ones. Rewards vary, but must be important to the learner in some way.
Using behaviorist theory in the classroom can be rewarding for both students and
teachers. Behavioral change occurs for a reason; students work for things that bring them
positive feelings, and for approval from people they admire. They change behaviors to satisfy
the desires they have learned to value.
Behaviorism learning theory produces three (3) types of learnings: a.) Observation (look
at what people actually do and learn how people respond to stimulus), b.) Feedback loops
(response produced based on observed behavior and feedback and responds which tends to
motivate behavior), c.) Reinforcement (learning occurs by the reinforcement of stimuli and
when a certain action produces result learners tend to learn and make association.
https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1145/3316615.3316669
https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/3316615.3316669?casa_token=vFUSkjNK8AsAAAAA:9zvcB0U-
ZrQJ8zjg2DVK46eCll-ni5nrax_Us1YNlXMAojEo-VzKJ_yCbViweQTzwoMm4nZEmS0pE3U
Behaviorist theories, including those of Pavlov ( Liddell, 1936 ; Clarke, 2004) ,

( Thorndike, 1927 ; Waters, 1934 ), Watson ( Gewirtz, 2001 ), and Skinner (1963) ,
have informed many disciplines on methods of influencing behavior, including providing
valuable insights for teaching, training, and learning in education ( Tomic,
1993 ; Bitterman, 2006 ). The theories describe how behavior can be conditioned
through varying techniques shaping the environment of a human. Classical conditioning
formalizes treatments in which stimulus is provided to induce a particular response.
Operant conditioning defines conditions where reward and consequences are issued to
reinforce behavior. Theories about conditioning offer wonderful suggestions for how to
design instruction to support learning and are important in the training of teachers.
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https://www.scirp.org/html/5-6902380_83687.htm?pagespeed=noscript
COGNITIVE
Studies related to how a person learns and how learning can be efficient have a long history.
Various theories and approaches have been developed in this field and they have had
important impact on endeavours for learning. Pedagogues make a classification based on three
basic approaches while dealing with learning theories. These are behaviourist approach,
cognitive approach and constructivism. It will be a mistake to see these three approaches as
alternative to each one or to evaluate them independently while making a classification.
Behaviourist, cognitive and constructivist ideas and principles overlap in many fields (Ally,
2008). It is difficult to classify these theories in this context. Some theories can be involved in
more than one class in different ways. For example; in some resources, Bruner’s theory of
Discovery Learning is accepted to be cognitive rather than developmental. In some other
resources, Bruner is mostly included in developmental or constructivist class. On the other
hand, while Albert Bandura is mostly classified as behaviourist, Bandura himself opposes to
behaviourism. This difficulty in classification is natural. Because it is impossible to make a
statement independent of behaviourist approach while dealing with cognitive approach or to
make a statement independent of cognitive approach while handling constructivist approach. In
other words, behaviourist approach provided a basis passing to cognitive approach while
cognitive approach provided a basis passing to constructivist approach. According to this,
cognitive approach does not deny behaviourism; it claims that cognitive process is seen in
behaviourist learning. Moreover, constructivist approach established its principles on the basis
of the principles of cognitive approach. According to behaviourist approach, learning depends
on stimulus and response to a stimulus, and the resulting behaviour should be observable and
measurable. While passing from behaviourist approach to cognitive approach, the question if
cognitive process is present in acquiring behaviour started to be asked. We cannot say that
cognitive psychologists completely exclude the findings of behaviourists. Cognitive processes
and activities such as processing information, mental representations, guesses and expectations
are accepted to be a basis in the interpretation of learning. What cognitive theorists do in
addition to behaviourists’ findings is that they claim cognitive processes are also present in the
events of an organism’s learning.
https://avesis.yildiz.edu.tr/yayin/b7a5a4ef-a206-40a3-9d57-24891a62903c/cognitive-learning-
theories-with-emphasis-on-latent-learning-gestalt-and-information-processing-theories
file:///C:/Users/acer/Downloads/009.nadir_celikoz._.pdf
Constructivism is an approach to teaching and learning based on the premise that cognition
(learning) is the result of "mental construction." In other words, students learn by fitting new
information together with what they already know. Driscoll (2000) explains that constructivist theory
asserts that knowledge can only exist within the human mind, and that it does not have to match any
real world reality. As they perceive each new experience, learners will continually update their own
mental models to reflect the new information, and will, therefore, construct their own interpretation of
reality. According to Jonassen (1994), constructivism is also often misconstrued as a learning theory that
compels students to "reinvent the wheel." In fact, constructivism taps into and triggers the student's
innate curiosity about the world and how things work. Students do not reinvent the wheel but, rather,
attempt to understand how it turns, how it functions.
(Bereiter, 1994) Constructivism is basically a theory which is based on observation and scientific
study, about how people learn. It says that people construct their own understanding and knowledge of
the world, through experiencing things and reflecting on those experiences. Constructivism has roots in
philosophy, psychology, sociology, and education. But while it is important for educators to understand
constructivism, it is equally important to understand the implications this view of learning has for
teaching and teacher professional development (Tam, 2000).Constructivism's central idea is that human
learning is constructed, that learners build new knowledge upon the foundation of previous learning.
According to Driscoll (2000), constructivism learning theory is a philosophy which enhances

students' logical and conceptual growth. The underlying concept within the constructivism learning
theory is the role which experiences-or connections with the adjoining atmosphere-play in student
education.The constructivism learning theory argues that people produce knowledge and form meaning
based upon their experiences.
https://vulms.vu.edu.pk/Courses/EDU201/Downloads/EDU%20201%20(Assignment%202).pdf

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THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

Behaviorism concerns the observable change in behavior. Behaviorists believe that

In education, advocates of behaviorism have effectively adopted this system of rewards

Behaviorist theories, including those of Pavlov ( Liddell, 1936 ; Clarke, 2004) ,

According to Driscoll (2000), constructivism learning theory is a philosophy which enhances

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