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Social Cognitive Theory and Self-Regulated Learning: Dale H. Schunk

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266 views2 pages

Social Cognitive Theory and Self-Regulated Learning: Dale H. Schunk

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Dada Aguilar Delgaco
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4.

Social Cognitive Theory and


Self-Regulated Learning

Dale H. Schunk

Current theoretical accounts of learning view students as active seekers and proces-
sors of information (Bandura, 1986; Pintrich, Cross, Kozma, & McKeachie, 1986).
Learners' cognitions can influence the instigation, direction, and persistence of
achievement-related behaviors (Brophy, 1983; Como & Snow, 1986; Schunk, 1989;
Weiner, 1985; Winne, 1985). Research conducted within various theoretical tradi-
tions places particular emphasis on students' beliefs concerning their capabilities to
exercise control over important aspects of their lives (Bandura, 1982; Como & Man-
dinach, 1983; Covington & Omelich, 1979; Rotter, 1966; Weiner, 1979).
This article focuses on self-regulated learning, or learning that occurs from stu-
dents' self-generated behaviors systematically oriented toward the attainment of
their learning goals. Self-regulated learning processes involve goal-directed cogni-
tive activities that students instigate, modify, and sustain (Zimmerman, 1986).
Students' cognitions include such activities as attending to instruction, processing
and integrating knowledge, and rehearsing information to be remembered, as well
as beliefs concerning capabilities for learning and the anticipated outcomes oflearn-
ing (Schunk, 1986). The topic of self-regulated learning has recently entered the
research literature, but it fits well with the notion that, rather than being passive
recipients of information, students contribute actively to their learning goals and
exercise a large degree of control over the attainment of those goals.
My plan for this chapter is initially to present a theoretical overview of self-
regulated learning. The conceptual focus is based on Bandura's (1986) social-
cognitive learning theory. I then summarize the key subprocesses involved in self-
regulated learning, along with research bearing on each subprocess. Implications of
this view for how aspects of self-regulation are developed and acquired are dis-
cussed. The chapter concludes with an example of how social-cognitive principles
can be applied in a learning context to enhance students' achievement cognitions and
behaviors.

B. J. Zimmerman et al. (eds.), Self-Regulated Learning and Academic Achievement


© Springer-Verlag New York Inc. 1989
84 D.H. Schunk

BEHAVIORS

ENVIRONMENTAL
VARIABLES
~ COGNITIONS
............---~)O~ PERSONAL FACTORS

FIGURE 4-1. Human functioning as reciprocal interactions between behaviors, environmen-


tal variables, and cognitions and other personal factors.

Theoretical Overview
Social-Cognitive Theory

RECIPROCAL INTERACTIONS

Bandura's (1986) social-cognitive learning theory views human functioning as


reciprocal interactions between behaviors, environmental variables, and cognitions
and other personal factors (Figure 4-1). I will exemplify this reciprocity with an
important construct in Bandura's theory: perceived self-efficacy, or beliefs concern-
ing one's capabilities to organize and implement actions necessary to attain desig-
nated performance levels. Research in achievement settings shows that students'
efficacy beliefs influence such achievement behaviors as choice of tasks, persis-
tence, effort expenditure, and skill acquisition (Schunk, 1989). In turn, students'
actual behaviors modify their efficacy beliefs. For example, as students work on
tasks they note their progress toward their learning goals (e.g., completing work-
book pages, finishing sections of a term paper). Such progress indicators convey to
students that they are capable of performing well, which enhances self-efficacy for
continued learning.
The interaction between self-efficacy and environmental factors has been shown
in learning disabilities research. Many learning-disabled students hold a low sense
of efficacy for performing well (Licht & Kistner, 1986). Individuals in students'
social environments may react to students based on attributes typically associated
with them rather than based on what students actually do. Teachers often judge
learning-disabled students as less capable than nondisabled students and hold lower
academic expectations for them, even in content areas where learning-disabled stu-
dents are performing adequately (Bryan & Bryan, 1983). In turn, teacher feedback
can have an impact on self-efficacy. Persuasive statements (e.g., "I know that you
can do this") can raise students' efficacy beliefs.
Students' behaviors and classroom environments influence one another in many
ways. Consider a typical instructional sequence in which the teacher presents infor-
mation and asks students to direct their attention to a nearby chart. Environmental
influence on behavior occurs when students turn their heads without much con-

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