Course Title: Strategic Human Resource Development (SHRD) (MGT-503)

Chapter03: Perspectives on Learning in HRD

Chapter Objectives
Perspectives on Learning in HRD (149-157)
What is Learning?
Major Theories of Learning
• Behaviorism
• Cognitivism
• Humanism
• Social Learning
• Constructivism
Definitions: Learning is:
1. “a persisting change in human performance or performance
potential . . . (brought) about as a result of the learner’s interaction with
the environment” (Driscoll, 1994, pp. 8-9).

2. “the relatively permanent change in a person’s knowledge or behavior

due to experience” (Mayer, 1982, p. 1040).

3. “an enduring change in behavior, or in the capacity to behave in a given

fashion, which results from practice or other forms of experience” (Shuell,
1986, p. 412).
Major Theories of Learning

 Behaviorism- the role of environmental factors in influencing behavior

Cognitivism- the role of senses, experience, intuition help in learning

Humanism - Learning comes about concerned with development by the whole person.

Social Learning – Learning is ability of people to watch others and determine behaviors
and the related consequence

Constructivism – An approach to learning that holds that people actively construct or

make their own knowledge and that reality is determined by the experiences of the
learner
1. Behaviorism Theory of Learning

Behaviour means physical activities that can be judge.

Main Contributors are- I. Pavlov, J.B. Watson, E. L. Thorndike, B.F.
Skinner.
J.B. Watson is knowns as Father of Behaviorism. He wrote a book
“Behaviorism” in 1924 and from there it became very famous. He
influenced from I. Pavlov.
I. Pavlov famous dog experiment treated as mile stone in this theory. He
got Nobel Price in 1904 for his contribution. Watson influenced with
Pavlov along with his “little Albert experiment”
Behaviorism Theory of Learning

Two Main Study

1. I. Pavloc - Classical Conditional

2. B. F. Skinner – Operant Conditioning

I. Pavloc -Classical Conditional
B. F. Skinner – Operant Conditioning
B. F. Skinner – Operant Conditioning
Behaviorism Theory of Learning

Main Point in Behaviorism (Assumptions)

1. Change in Behaviour (must be seen in change)

2. Animal and human have same way of learning
3. Forcefully (Can only be done by Reward and Punishment)
4. Empty brain (Blank Slate, Tabula Rasa)
5. Learning is largely the result of environmental events.
Behaviorism in the Classroom
Rewards and punishments

Responsibility for student learning rests squarely with the teacher

Lecture-based, highly structured

Behaviorism in the Organisation
Lower Level Staff Management
Routine task
Highly Structured Task
Organizational Behavior Management (OBM) focuses on assessing and
changing the work environment to improve employee performance and
workplace culture. OBM consultants and managers work in a variety of
industries (e.g., health care, human services, education, government,
nonprofits, manufacturing, financial services, retail) to achieve
meaningful and sustainable behavior change and improved business
outcomes.
2. Cognitivism Theory of Learning
Grew in response to Behaviorism

Knowledge is stored cognitively as symbols

Learning is the process of connecting symbols in a meaningful &

memorable way

Studies focused on the mental processes that facilitate symbol

connection
Cognitive Learning Theory
 Cognitive psychologists acknowledge the importance of internal
mental conditions like thoughts, emotions, feelings and desires in
influencing the day to day behavioural patterns

 The key areas of research interest in Cognitive Psychology are

memory, attention, perception, learning, thinking, language,
categorization, etc.
Three Key contribution of Cognitive Learning Theory

1. Information processing - Central to cognitivism is the concept of the

human mind as an information processor.
2. Metacognition - This concept is more commonly known in HRD and
adult learning as “learning how to learn.”
Cognitive development- is now generally accepted that cognitive
development continues throughout adulthood.
Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development
Cognitivism
Information Processing looks at how information is retrieved and stored.

Learning is attained through rehearsal and consistent use of the

information.
• Retention strategies such as breaking down information and
comparing the information to long term storage are great techniques.
Cognitivism in the Classroom
Inquiry-oriented projects

Opportunities for the testing of hypotheses

Curiosity encouraged

Staged scaffolding (based on development stage- Age)

Cognitivism in the Organisation
Information Processing Model
Corrective feedback
Mnemonics
Repeating practice
Summaries
Mind Mapping Tool
Visual
3. Humanism Theory of Learning
The work of Abraham Maslow (1968, 1970) and Carl Rogers (1961)
provides the core of humanistic psychology.
The person as a whole is the main subject of humanistic psychology.
Humanistic psychology is concerned with the knowledge of a person’s
entire life history.
Human existence and intention are also of great importance. Life goals
are of equal importance.
Both above scientist  emphasized the importance of the self-actualizing
tendency in shaping human personalities
Humanism Theory of Learning
Humanism adds yet another dimension to learning and has dominated
much of adult learning. It is most concerned with development by the
whole person.

Humanists view individuals as seeking self-actualization through

learning and of being capable of controlling their own learning process.
Adult learning theories, particularly andragogy, best represent it in
HRD. In addition, self-directed learning and much of career
development are grounded in humanism.
Humanism Theory of Learning
All students are intrinsically motivated to self actualize or learn
Learning is dependent upon meeting a hierarchy of needs
(physiological, psychological and intellectual)
Learning should be reinforced.
4. Social Learning Theory
Social learning focuses on how people learn by interacting with and
observing other people. This type of learning focuses on the social context
in which learning occurs.

A foundational contribution of social learning is that people can learn

vicariously by imitating others. Thus, central to social learning processes
is that people learn from role models.

Albert Bandura is probably the best-known name in this area. It was his
works in the 1960s and extending through the 1980s that fully developed
social learning theory.
Social Learning Theory (SLT)
Grew out of Cognitivism

A. Bandura (1973)

Learning takes place through observation and sensorial experiences

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery

SLT is the basis of the movement against violence in media & video
games
Social Learning Theory
Four interrelated processes establish and strengthen identification with
the model:
1. Children want to be like the model
2. Children believe they are like the model
3. Children experience emotions like those the model is feeling.
4. Children act like the model.
Social Learning Theory in the Organisation

Collaborative learning
and group work

Modeling responses
and expectations

Opportunities to
observe experts in
action
5. Constructivism Theory of Learning
constructivism states that learning is an active, contextualized process of
constructing knowledge rather than acquiring it.

Knowledge is constructed based on personal experiences and

hypotheses of the environment. Learners continuously test these
hypotheses through social negotiation.

 Each person has a different interpretation and construction of

knowledge process. The learner is not a blank slate (tabula rasa) but
brings past experiences and cultural factors to a situation
Constructivism Theory of Learning
Constructing ones own knowledge through past experiences and group
collaboration.
Modeling
Coaching
Scaffolding (refers to a variety of instructional techniques toward
stronger understanding and, ultimately, greater independence in the
learning process)
Problem-Based Learning
Cognitive Flexibility Hypertexts
Object-based Learning
METATHEORIES OF LEARNING

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