Virtual Child and Learning Theories Application Essay

Social Learning Theory and Parenting Skills

The most applicable and relevant philosophy in parenting particularly of the preschool years children is the social learning theory that was proposed and developed by Albert Bandura. The social learning theory is widely seen as the bridge between the cognitive learning and behaviorism, and it is this combination of two theories or approaches to learning that makes it most applicable for my parenting approach. This approach concentrates on attention, motivation as well as memory. This theory indicates that people learn through seeing the behaviors of others, their attitudes and the result of their behaviors. In this sphere, learning is continuous and involves the reciprocation of the behavior of the individual, the environmental influences, the cognitive influences that models the individual (Albert Bendura, 1971:Pp3). In a nut shell, the individual is aware of the relationship between his behavior and the consequences, and he learns these behaviors and copies them from the interaction with people around him.

According to Serve (2014), the preschool children are not passive learners but involve a lot of activities in their learning. These involve copying actions, actively looking at what adults do, they repeat what others say, they touch what others seem to like touching and such active ways of testing and knowing things. Further, Johansson T., at.al (2012) indicate that children of this age do not learn in isolation but through actions-interactions-performance and through these the children internalize or appropriate the cultures and sub-cultures within which they live, in other words, they learn as such. It is based on these reasons behind the social learning theory that I chose to bring up the preschool going child in an environment where the people that he sees around him treat him and behave in a manner that recognizes that he is a child who is still learning and hence do positive things and socially acceptable virtues that would positively build him up. I also realize that children are born with an empty and receptive mind and that anything that is done, particularly at this stage of his life, will influence the interpretations that he will have in the future. The other pertinent reason why I chose to use the social learning theory is because after this stage of life, the child will be exposed to varying influences and interactions at the school going stage. Coupled with the contemporary globalized world and highly urbanized and civilized society, the child will not have much time to learn more from us as the parents and siblings…