Learning Theories An Educational Perspective

A comprehensive look at the key theoretical principles, concepts, and research findings about learning, with special attention paid to how these concepts and principles can be applied in today’s classrooms.

This widely used and respected resource introduces readers to the key theoretical principles, concepts, and research findings about learning and helps them see how to apply that theory and research as educators. Learning Theories begins with a discussion of the relationship between learning theory and instruction. It then looks at the neuroscience of learning. Six chapters cover the major theories of learning — behaviorism, social cognitive theory, information processing theory, cognitive learning processes, and constructivism. The following three chapters cover key topics related to learning — motivation, self-regulated learning, and contextual influences. And the final chapter, Next Steps, helps students consolidate their views about learning. The 8th Edition has been significantly updated with a number of new features and the most current thinking and research.

Dale Schunk is a professor in the Department of Teacher Education and Higher Education, School of Education, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. From 2001 to 2011 he served as Dean of the School of Education. He received his PhD in Educational Psychology from Stanford University. Previously he was a faculty member at the University of Houston and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Prior to his move to UNC Greensboro in 2001 he was Head of the Department of Educational Studies at Purdue University.

His research focuses on the effects of social and instructional factors on students’ cognitive processes, learning, self-regulation, and motivation, with special emphasis on the application of social cognitive theory. He teaches graduate courses in learning, motivation, and educational psychology, and undergraduate courses in foundations for learning and educational psychology. He has published over 130 articles and chapters, is author of Learning Theories: An Educational Perspective (7th edition) and (with Judith Meece and Paul Pintrich) Motivation in Education: Theories, Research, and Applications (4th edition), and has edited nine books on self-regulation and motivation. His awards include: the Barry J. Zimmerman Award for Outstanding Contributions, American Educational Research Association, Studying and Self-Regulated Learning Special Interest Group; the Senior Distinguished Research Scholar Award, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, School of Education; the Distinguished Service Award, Purdue University, School of Education; the Early Contributions Award in Educational Psychology, American Psychological Association, Division 15 — Educational Psychology; and the Albert J. Harris Research Award, International Reading Association. He is listed in Who’s Who in America.

1. Introduction to the Study of Learning
2. Neuroscience of Learning
3. Behaviorism
4. Social Cognitive Theory
5. Information Processing Theory: Encoding and Storage
6. Information Processing Theory: Retrieval and Forgetting
7. Cognitive Learning Processes
8. Constructivism
9. Motivation
10. Self-Regulated Learning
11. Contextual Influences
12. Next Steps