Introduction
Human beings learn through different techniques and learning through observation is one of the most important ones. The concept of learning through observation is called observational learning. Although, people of all ages use this technique to learn, children use this technique for learning very often. They observe their surroundings like a sponge and imitate the behavior of other people around them. Children's observational learning might be the motivator in their participation in community activities. This statement can be evaluated by referring to theories related to the topic. The most relevant theory is social learning theory by Albert Bandura.
Theories and research on observational learning
According to Albert Bandura, found out in his theory of social learning that the process of learning would require a lot of effort and could also be dangerous in case everyone had to learn everything on their own. The learning in this case would be a pattern of trial and error. However, most types of human behavior is learned by the act of observing and listening which means we observe people and then try to imitate their actions to perform the same actions (Bandura, 1986) He believed that participation of children in community activities can allow them to learn through observation. Some households involve their children in day to day activities and conversation as soon as they are old enough to do so. The linguistic development in children, who observe conversations in adult settings and try to imitate them , is comparatively faster. This concept is known as intent participation and it helps children learn faster through observation. For example, they can learn their first language while observing adults or perform a motor task because they see their elders do it and they are successful when they try to attempt the task (calteach.ucs.edu, 2003) Many studies have been undertaken in the behaviorist tradition that have determined that observation can be very effective for learning (Abravanel & Ferguson, 1998). For example, children can learn complex concepts such as conservation, rules of games, categorization schemes, and rules of syntax from modeled examples, without explanations (Zimmerman&Rosenthal 1974).
Observational learning as a motivator for community activities.
These theories present evidence that community activities is promoted in many cultures because of the observational learning it has on the children. The children also feel that they have accomplished something when they are able to perform task they had observed their elders doing. The child are eager to learn by nature and learning through observation in anticipation of participation, seems to be especially valued and emphasized in communities where children have access to learning from informal community involvement. They observe and listen with intent concentration and initiative, and their collaborative participation is expected when they are ready to help in shared endeavors (calteach.ucsc.edu, 2003).We learn through observing other people's behavior, attitudes, and outcomes of those behaviors.
Social learning theory
The social learning theory by Bandura suggested that people find it easier to learn by observing a certain act performed by another person. This concept of learning through observation was called observational learning by him. His theory was formulated by him to in order to study and explain a variety of human behaviors (Bandura, 1986). According to Bandura, the 3 integral parts of the social observational theory are; the notion that learning is possible through observing another person, mental state and internal locus is important for the process of learning and the theory suggests that if a person learns something through observation, it does not always mean that it will ultimately alter his behavior in some way (Bandura, 1986).
Experiments in social learning theory
Bandura conducted "Bobo doll" studies, he tried to capture the behavior patterns of children after engaging in observational learning experiments. These experiments supported his theory that observational learning changed the pattern of behavior of children. The child copied and performed the acts of people they had observed. The people that the children were observing were asked to be violent with the toward a Bobo doll. The child acted in the same violent way later when they given Bobo dolls to play (Bandura, 1986).
Observational learning and cognitive development
Bandura's theory is well known for its practical implications and how his experiments led to the connection of observational learning and cognitive development. His "Bobo" doll experiments are well known and they demonstrated that children were more likely to repeat aggressive behaviors modeled on film than by live actors. Perhaps his most disturbing finding was that children were most likely to imitate aggression observed in cartoon characters. This suggests that what children see on television, in movies and on the Internet may have a greater impact on their behavior and learning than what they see in real life (Bandura, 1986). They were also likely to exhibit positive behavior when they observe good behavior around them. If a child sees his parents or caregivers doing acts of kindness then he is likely to exhibit the same kind of behavior after the observational learning. Violence has a great impact on kids and they tend to repeat actions that they observe cartoon characters or people are doing on screen. This was one of the most disturbing findings because television has become an integral part of our lives and children have access to it almost all the times. Parents let their children watch television so that they would be busy and the parents can continue with their work.
Social learning theory is a general theory of human behavior, but Bandura and people concerned with mass communication have used it specifically to explain media effects. Bandura warned that "children and adults acquire attitudes, emotional responses, and new styles of conduct through filmed and televised modeling, it affects the cognitive development of children by making them behave in a aggressive manner. For example the children behave aggressively when they watch a lot of violence on television. They have a notion in their mind that violence is okay. (Bandura, 1986).
In his social learning theory, Bandura stated that the learner's mental state greatly impacts the learning process and the cognitive development of a child. He believed that internal factors were equally important to learning as external factors. Feelings of accomplishment, honor and achievement are great motivators when it comes to learning. He laid stress on internal factors that affect learning and that gave rise to connection of learning theories to cognitive developmental theories. While many textbooks place social learning theory with behavioral theories, Bandura himself describes his approach as a 'social cognitive theory' (Bandura, 1986).
The model of Bandura's social learning theory had four steps.
Attention - The children need to pay attention if they are to learn something. Any disturbance or distractions will lead to negative effect on the learning. In case a child is learning something entirely new, he is more likely to pay more attention and it contributes positively to the cognitive development.
Retention - The second step in the learning process is retention. Retention is the process of storing information that we derived from a learning session. Children tend to retain better if they were paying attention during the learning process. Repeated actions leads to building muscle memory in brain.
Reproduction - It means that the child can perform an action that uses the knowledge learned during the prior learning process. Performing the observed behavior is one of the keys of successful motor skill development in children. More practice of the learned behavior leads to better performance.
Motivation - Motivation plays an important part in observational learning. The behavior observed should be motivating enough that it needs to be imitated in order to learn it successfully and performed later. The concepts of reinforcement and punishment play an important role in motivation. For example a candy as a reward might motivate toddlers to walk a few steps and ultimately result in them learning to walk. Participating in community activities proves to be a great motivation factor for children because they feel they are a part of the community and they are eager learners who want to learn the same things that their adults can do with ease (Bandura, 1986)
In 1920, Piaget's theory was formulated on cognitive development and it stated that the children are self motivated to learn and do not need reward from adults to promote their learning. The theory supports the fact that children observe and learn on their own but it understates the importance of social settings in the process of children's learning.
Observational learning - self efficacy and intrinsic motivation
In 1995, Albert Bandura defines self-efficacy is as the belief in one’s capabilities to organize and execute the courses of action required to manage prospective situations. Intrinsic motivation can be defined as indulging in an activity for its inherent satisfaction instead of some other factors of motivation . There are no outside pressures or rewards involved. The self efficacy and intrinsic motivated is closely related in children specially in learning through observation in community settings because they learn for self satisfaction and are self motivated. The elders usually encourage the learning of children in community settings and watching a task many times, increases the self efficacy of children which is reinforced when they are finally able to complete a task they watch someone else perform. The social learning theory and Piaget's theory, reinforce the findings that children experience improved self efficacy when they successfully perform a task after learning it in an observational learning setting. It contributes to increase in confidence and better cognitive development.
Conclusion
According to the social learning theory formulated by Albert Bandura, participation in community activities or social activities help the children learn faster and complete the four steps of learning process effectively. Other scholars also agree with the fact that children learn fast and observation and listening play an important role in it. Further research can be conducted on the types of settings that help children learn faster and what is the difference between the learning curve from observation activities and in other settings.
The critics of the social learning theory, mainly criticize it based on the fact that Badura failed to take into account the normal reactions for children that come naturally to them and attribute most of their reactions and learning to observational learning. Especially in the Bobo doll experiment, when the children behaved in an aggressive manner, the observation might not be the only reason for it. There could be other factors such as prior experience.
References
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