Social Learning Problems with Children
Children with social learning problems are characterized by lack of attention, motivation to work hard, and at some extreme levels, the lack of enthusiasm to improve. These children are in need of expert assistance in order to improve on their learning skills. Learning problems do not have to do with ones intelligence rather they tend to forces more on the social constraints that hinder ones capability to learn. Learning problems mainly originates from differences in the brain. These differences have an effect on how an individual’s brain receives information, processes and, relay it. People who have learning disorders have a problem in processing of sensory information. This is because they hear, see and have an understanding of things in a different way. Most parents think that a learning disability will only affect the education of a child. However, theorists have concluded that a learning disability will also affect the social aspects of a child. Children are normally known to be out going and friendly to everyone and this helps them enjoy and appreciate life (Singer, 2004, p.464).
Most children who experience a problem in social learning are normally laid back. They do not mix and mingle with other children meaning they do to play around with other children. This affects the way they view the world since it is paramount for children to exercises their brain through playtime. In most cases of this nature, a child’s brain is always affected by the lack of socializing which in turn affects the child’s learning. For instance, a child can develop mental breakdowns because of the fact that he or she has no one to share his or her feelings with. Research done by many children institutes, shows that, children normally have an extremely soft and growing brain. If a child is forced to think of himself or herself as a no body due to his lack of learning skills, he might develop severe conditions that might force him to pull back to himself.
Research shows that male children are better in dealing with rejection from the society than female children are. However, this does not mean that the male child is capable of dealing with the social factors that might affect his social learning. Social factors that might affect a child’s learning ability include poverty and abuses from parents and peers. It also includes long-term diseases that might affect the child, and some cases poor parental care. Linking poverty to social learning problems in children is not that hard. Poverty affects a child's learning capability because of the environment exposed to them. Children who grow up in poverty are mostly forced to fend for themselves at an early age. This affects the child’s capability of learning because the child is forced to work for a living at a critical and tender age. This affects his social life in a big way. This is because when peers his age are out playing, he is working trying to earn a living. It makes the child feel as though he is an outcast. Some children might even start questioning why God had brought them to the world to suffer. Eventually, the lack of social living and friends affect the child’s learning to a point where the child is forced to drop school (Rotter, 2004, p.34).
Poverty has been known to affect children learning abilities. Poverty drives most children to loosing motivation for learning since they are forced to grow up in an early age. Most end up as dropouts hence the vicious circle of nature where the rich get richer as the poor get poorer. This makes the child feel as though he or she is lost in the world because of the lack of a healthy social life. Another aspect that might have a serious effect on social learning in children occurs when parents and peers constantly abused a child physically (Rotter, 2004, p.39). The constant violence that surrounds the child makes them grow up knowing nothing else but violence.
This means that by constantly abusing a child physically, one will be planting the seed of violence and anger within a child. In most occasions, a child that is constantly abused by his parents’ turns out to be a socially repressive person who cannot control his or her anger. Most physically abused children within the community may end up being serial killers because of the anger issues they may harbor in their lives. The learning ability of a child who is abused mostly by his parents and peers is extremely low because the child is not motivated (Bandura, 2009, p.52).
Between all the beating and bullying, a child has no room left for comprehending and understanding whatever it is that children are taught in school. The love shown to a child by his or her parents help a lot in motivating a child to understanding whatever it is he, or she is taught in school. This is because a child is at peace with himself, is more capable of comprehending and understanding whatever it is that is being taught. It is constantly argued out that a child should be punished. Some people claim that it is a God given right since the bible approves of it. However, what most parents do not understand is that caning does not mean beating a child half to death. In fact, most research done shows that a child who is constantly beaten ends up being socially depressed and mentally incapable of learning anything than that who is not (Singer, 2004, p.467).
Long-term diseases like cancer might affect the child ability of learning and growing socially. This is because children who are affected by long-term diseases are normally locked in doors. This deprives them of an extremely vital component in learning which happiness is. Instead of being out playing with other children, a child is locked away in his or her own world. This courses many irregularities within the child’s brain (Hale, 2006, p.62). A child’s brain is designed to explore things in the outside world. The child gets the opportunity to learn by exploring various things (Bandura, 2009, p.67). This opens out the child and broadens up his thinking ability. This is considered help full to a child because it helps him understand the way that life is. However, long-term diseases such as cancer affect a child learning capability. Between all the constant and unending pain, there are minimal chances of broadening their mind through exploring, lack of space to grow, and learn fundamental aspects of life a child is left with nothing and no strength to learn or do anything constructive (Lauridsen, 2008, p.89).
For a child to grow and develop excellent social learning capacities, the right environment should surround him or her. However, it does not mean that all the children who grow in poverty are socially incapable of learning. By environment, one does only mean the surroundings although they are also crucial in a healthy growth. One means the social factors that affect a child mostly inwardly. These factors include love, caring, concern, commitment devotion, and providing an environment where a child feels secure. For a child to excel better in social learning, he or she is meant to feel loved. This will help make him feel more appreciated and understood. Love makes a child feel wanted which makes him relaxed and focused. This also helps a child to focus his energy towards something else like learning. The first duty to a parent should always be the child (Whyte, 2008, p.26).
Prioritization of a child’s education helps in making him, or her feel loved. This facilitates their social growth, which is extremely crucial in the learning process. Caring for a child means that the parent and the people around the child listen to the child. It also means that the child is provided the necessities such as food clothing and shelter that are vital for the growing up of the child. Security is one of the most vital things to provide for a child in order to enhance the child’s learning capability. If a child does not feel safe within the environment, it might distort his or her learning abilities. Overall the most influential and vital aspect in order to help a child grow in social learning is showing understanding of the problem and working to change it (Dollard, 2001, p.18).
References
Bandura, A. (2009). Social Learning Theory. General Learning Press.
Dollard, J. (2001). Social Learning and Imitation. Yale University Press.
Hale, R. (2006) The Application of Learning Theory to Serial Murder. Mississippi. Vol 17(2),
37–45.
Lauridsen, K. (2008) Learning Assistance Centers. New Directions Sourcebook. Jossey-Bass,Inc.
Rotter, J. (2004). Social Learning and Clinical Psychology. Prentice-Hall.
Singer, S. (2004). Applying Social Learning Theory to Childhood and Adolescent Fire setting:
Can it Lead to Serial Murder? International Journal of Offender Therapy and
Comparative Criminology. Vol 48 (4), 461–476.
Whyte, C. (2008). Effective Counseling Methods for High-Risk College Freshmen,
Measurement and Evaluation in Guidance.
