Group 6

Members: 1. Muhammad Akbar

2. Jusmawati
3. Mutiah

Behaviorism and Constructivism

In attempt to describe how humans learn, learning theory comes up. Learning theory
pays attentions about how a person learns. It is pays attention about how someone influences
other people to create the learning process. By the government itself learning theory is used
to determine the appropriate learning method to get the optimal result. So, the learning theory
is the bunch of collection of methods, ideas, thoughts, and system and other elements in
learning activity. There are two types of learning theory we will discuss, behaviorism and
constructivism.

A. Behaviorism
1. Definition
The first famous learning theory is behaviorism and this theory is concerned with
observable and measurable aspects of human behavior. Behaviorism is a learning theory that
only focuses on objectively observable behaviors and discounts any independent activities of
the mind. So, learning is nothing more than the acquisition of new behavior based on
environmental conditions (stimulus). Behaviorist learning theories emphasize that changes in
behavior is the result from stimulus-response. They believe that by giving specific stimulus to
the learner they will result response accordingly or the teacher or educator expect. In other
words, behaviorism doesn’t recognize the intelligence, talents, interests, and feelings of
individuals in a study. It is train reflexes in such a way (this is the stimulus is given) that they
become habits that are mastered by individuals (response that expected). So we can
understand that behaviorism is a learning theory that focuses on measurable and observable
aspects of human behavior and discounts mental aspects; and by giving specific stimulus to
the student they will adjust and give specific response that expected.

2. Figures/ scientists
 Watson
Watson's basic premise was that conclusions about human development should be
based on observation of overt behavior rather than speculation about subconscious motives or

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latent cognitive processes. Watson's view of learning was based in part on the studies of Ivan
Pavlov (1849-1936). He was studying the digestive process and the interaction of salivation
and stomach function when he realized that reflexes in the autonomic nervous system closely
linked these phenomena. To determine whether external stimuli had an affect on this process,
Pavlov rang a bell when he gave food to the experimental dogs.
He noticed that the dogs salivated shortly before they were given food. He discovered
that when the bell was rung at repeated feedings, the sound of the bell alone (a conditioned
stimulus) would cause the dogs to salivate (a conditioned response). Pavlov also found that
the conditioned reflex was repressed if the stimulus proved "wrong" too frequently; if the bell
rang and no food appeared, the dog eventually ceased to salivate at the sound of the bell.
 Skinner
Skinner developed a more comprehensive view of conditioning, known as operant
conditioning. His model was based on the premise that satisfying responses are conditioned,
while unsatisfying ones are not. Operant conditioning is the rewarding of part of a desired
behavior or a random act that approaches it. Through Skinner's research on animals, he
concluded that both animals and humans would repeat acts that led to favorable outcomes,
and suppress those that produced unfavorable results.
In his experiment on rat if a rat presses a bar and receives a food pellet, he will be likely
to press it again. Skinner defined the bar-pressing response as operant, and the food pellet as
a reinforcer. Punishers, on the other hand, are consequences that suppress a response and
decrease the likelihood that it will occur in the future. If the rat had been shocked every time,
it pressed the bar that behavior would cease. Skinner believed the habits that each of us
develops result from our unique operant learning experiences.

3. How to apply in the learning process

Behaviorist techniques have long been employed in education to promote behavior that
is desirable and discourage that which is not. Based on the skinner and Watson experiment
we can understand that we can give a specific stimulus to student or make a condition that
allow and motivated student to learn and make it their habit. Among the methods derived
from behaviorist theory for practical classroom application are contracts, consequences,
reinforcement or punishment, extinction, and behavior modification.
 Contract
Simple contracts can be effective in helping children focus on behavior change. The
relevant behavior should be identified, and the child and counselor should decide the terms of

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the contract. Example: A student is not completing homework assignments. The teacher and
the student design a contract providing that the student will stay for extra help, ask parents for
help, and complete assigned work on time. The teacher will be available after school, and
during free periods for additional assistance.
 Consequences
Consequences occur after the "target" behavior occurs, when either positive or negative
reinforcement may be given. Consequences may be positive or negative, expected or
unexpected, immediate or long-term, etc.
 Reinforcement or punishment
Reinforcement is divided into two. First is positive reinforcement which is something is
added to increase desired behavior. Example: Smile and compliment student on good
performance. And negative reinforcement which is something is removed to increase desired
behavior. Ex: Give a free homework pass for turning in all assignments. Punishment involves
presenting a strong stimulus that decreases the frequency of a particular response.
Punishment is effective in quickly eliminating undesirable behaviors. Examples of
punishment include: Students who fight are immediately referred to the principal, Late
assignments are given a grade of "0."
 Extinction
Extinction decreases the probability of a response by part withdrawal of a previously
reinforced stimulus. Examples of extinction are: A student has developed the habit of saying
the punctuation marks when reading aloud. Classmates reinforce the behavior by laughing
when he does so. The teacher tells the students not to laugh, thus extinguishing the behavior.
 Behavior modification
Behavior modification is a method of eliciting better classroom performance from
reluctant students. It has six basic components:
a) Specification of the desired outcome.
b) Development of a positive, nurturing environment
c) Identification and use of appropriate reinforcers
d) Reinforcement of behavior patterns develop until the student has established a
pattern of success in engaging in class discussions.
e) Reduction in the frequency of rewards-a gradual decrease the amount of one-on-
one review with the student before class discussion.

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 f) Evaluation and assessment of the effectiveness of the approach based on teacher
expectations and student results.

4. Weaknesses and Advantages

The advantages of this theory are: first, the learning process is directed; second, it is
really suitable to obtain skills for practical or habituation learning; third the provided material
is detail. And the weaknesses are: first, the learning process is only focus and based form the
teacher’s lesson; second, the students are only listening to the teacher explanation
(monotone); third, the students cannot express their imagination and creation freely.

B. Constructivism
1. Definition
The second famous learning theory is constructivism. The learning theory of
Constructivism evolved from the extensive study of cognitive by Swiss psychologist Jean
Piaget and the Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky. Their study of cognitive development
provided the foundation for the psychological theory of constructivism. In constructivism,
development of understanding requires the learner actively engage in meaning-making. In
contrast to behaviorism, constructivists argue that "knowledge is not passively received but
built up by the cognizing subject. So constructivism is the learning theory that believes to
obtain knowledge interaction to learning subject and be the part of the learning subject itself
really crucial.

2. Figure/ scientist
 Jean Pieget
Piaget’s theory of cognitive development suggested that humans are unable to
automatically understand and use information that they have been given, because they need to
“construct” their own knowledge through prior personal experiences to enable them to create
mental images. Therefore, the primary role of the teacher should be to motivate the children
to create their own knowledge through their personal experiences.
 Vygotsky
Vygotsky referred to his work as “social” constructivism. Vygotsky’s theory was very
similar to Piaget’s assumptions about how children learn, but Vygotsky placed more
importance on the social context of learning. In Piaget’s theory, the teacher played a limited
role whereas in Vygotsky’s theory, the teacher played an important role in learning. Learning
activities in constructivist settings are characterized by active engagement, inquiry, problem

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solving, and collaboration with others. Rather than a dispenser of knowledge, the teacher is a
guider, facilitator, and co-explorer who encourage learners to question, challenge, and
formulate their own ideas, opinions, and conclusions.

3. How to apply in learning process

An important implication of Piaget's theory is adaptation of instruction to the learner's
developmental level in learning process. The content of instruction needs to be consistent
with the developmental level of the learner. The teacher's role is to facilitate learning by
providing a variety of experiences. "Discovery Learning" provides opportunities for learners
to explore and experiment, thereby encouraging new understandings so this is depends on
teacher as the guider, facilitator, etc to create an environment that encourage student to
explore and discovery in order to obtain knowledge. Additional suggestions include:
 Provide concrete props and visual aids, such as models and/or time line;
 Use familiar examples to facilitate learning more complex ideas, such as story
problems in math;
 Allow opportunities to classify and group information with increasing
complexity; use outlines and hierarchies to facilitate assimilating new
information with previous knowledge;
 Present problems that require logical analytic thinking; the use of tools such as
"brain teasers" is encouraged.

4. Weaknesses and advantages

The weaknesses of this theory are: first, it will create much misperception about the
material between students; second lazy student may took long time period to understand the
material; third lots of facilities are needed in order to support the learning process. The
advantages of constructivism are: first, by experiencing the learning process itself students
are able to memorize it for long time period; second, it stimulus students to be creative,
curious, and sensitive to their environment, third, it develop student to ask and solve their
own problem.

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 BIBILIOGRAPHY

Zhou. Molly.Y and David Brown. Educational learning theories. 2nd Edition; Georgia:
Galileo, 2018.

Muhajirah. “Basic of Learning Theory (Behaviorism, Cognitivism, Constructivism, and

Behaviorism)”. International Journal of Asian Education. Vol. 1, No. 1, June 2020.

Schunk. Dale H. Learning Theories: An Educational Perspective. 6th Edition; North

Carolina: The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2012.

Weegar. Mary Anne and Friends. “A Comparison of Two Theories of Learning-

Behaviorism and Constructivism as applied to Face-to-Face and Online Learning”. E-Leader
Manila 2012.