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Learning Theory and Its Role in Instructional Technology
Krista M. Hess
East Stroudsburg University

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Abstract
This paper explains the three major learning theories: behaviorism, cognitivism, and
constructivism. After the theories are explained and defined, they will also have their meaning
and uses in instructional technology explained and an example of each type of classroom is
given. The differences and similarities are also explained shortly where it is appropriate. After
these theories are explained, a fourth and final learning theory is introduced. This theory is
sociocultural learning theory. This theory brings the previous three theories together and
enhances them. Once this theory has its explanation, instructional technology influences, and
example given, the paper will prove how important it is to have this theory utilized by teachers of
twenty first century learners.
Keywords: learning theory, behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism, instructional
technology, socioculturalism

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The students of today are very different from the students of about fifteen years ago.
These new students will go into a working world where computers are in their everyday life.
Also known as a twenty first century learner, these students needs an education where
technology is used to enhance their learning environment and to make sure their skills are up to
par. For years many theorists have come up with learning theories to explain how a student
learns and how they should be taught. There has been Behaviorism, Cognitivism, and
Constructivism and many more. These three, however, are the most well known, and the basis
for many other theories. Each has their own positive and negative themes. The one entity that
they all focus on is the student, as an individual. What they don’t focus on is interaction between
students and its affect on learning. Sociocultural learning theory, conversely, does focus on
interaction between students. This paper will seek to prove interaction’s importance in the
classroom and a student’s successful future. However, the three main learning theories will be
explained first to lay the ground for this newer theory.
The first theory that tried to describe a means of teaching was behaviorism. This was the
stand out school of thought during the first half of the twentieth century. Pavlov, Watson,
Tolman, Hull, Skinner, and Thorndike were major theorists of this time. Behaviorism focuses on
the consequences of behaviors. These behaviors determined whether the student learned or not.
According to Robinson, Molenda and Landra (2007), behaviorism focuses on events that can be
observed and they should precede and follow certain behaviors. This article also explains that a
teacher that follows a behaviorist view usually determines what their students already know,
make goals that are appropriate for them and then provide prompts to guide them. The teacher
wants certain behaviors as the outcome. Then, they arrange reinforcement for the desired

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behavior of choice. In a nutshell, the focus of the education is the relationship between stimuli
and responses.
For Educational or Instructional Technology, the first definition of the field was
influenced by behaviorism. In Robinson et al. (2007), “Design and use of messages which
control the learning process” is quoted as part of that definition. The use of the word “control”
meant that these educators believed that consequences of behaviors determined whether or not
the student learned. Behaviorism and technology were widely influenced by the theorist,
Skinner. He had created a ‘teaching machine’ in the 1960’s and changed the term from
‘technology of teaching’ to ‘educational technology’. Before this machine, audiovisual education
was popular. Behaviorism also introduced direct instruction, personalized system of instruction
(PSI), and several templates or frameworks for instruction. These templates have been
incorporated in hard technology mechanically, electro-mechanically and otherwise. Most
recognizable is Computer-assisted instruction (CAI), and online distance education.
Since behaviorism led the way for major learning theories, it had many downfalls. Some
of these included the fact that drill and practice was a major format in the classroom and
everything was based on test scores. These kinds of practices are still used today, in mathematics
for example. To learn the multiplication tables, many teachers drill the numbers over and over,
and then the students practice until they learn. To facilitate with this theory, it was too expensive
but the student could work at his or her own pace without a live teacher; which could be argued
as the opposite of facilitating.
While behaviorism focused on observable events that preceded and followed certain
behaviors, our next theory, Cognitivism focused on conditional mental circumstances or the
chain of internal activities associated with learners. Cognitivism differs from behaviorism

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because of its belief that the internal mental processes must be understood in order to have a
strong theory of human learning. Just focusing on outward behaviors is not enough. This
‘revolution’ intended to stop the ignorance of the mind in human sciences after a long span of
objectivism. According to Schuh and Barab (2007), behaviorism was meant to be replaced by
Cognitivism not just reform it.
Cognitivism was dominant by 1970. The focus is on the learners using their memory and
processes of thought to store and manipulate mental representations and ideas as well as generate
strategies (Robinson et al., 2007, p. 27). Important terms for this theory are schema and cognitive
load. There is also focus on the frontal lobe in the brain, which organizes thoughts. Information
processing theory is also within the Cognitivism theory. It explains how information is stored in
memory and moves from one stage in development to the next during a human’s life.
For educational technology, Cognitivism led the way for organization of content. Audiovisual
education was used again to show how the brain interprets all these different stimuli. Digital
multimedia helps to make the presentation of all these things even easier than the old school
audiovisual. As for facilitating in a cognitivist classroom, the teacher helps to arrange steps of
the learning event to better engage the student’s mind. An example of a cognitivist educator’s
ideal setting would be one where students are engaged and use their previous and new
knowledge to problem-solve and synthesize while creating solid connections to aide in memory
encoding. The students shift the learning from a computer to learning with a computer.
Cognitivism took education from receptive to engaging the students and from focusing on the
classroom to involving the real world.
Behaviorism and cognitivism are both primarily objective, and the world is real and
external to the learner. However constructivism, the last of the major theories, took educating a

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whole other level. The difference between constructivism and cognitivism is that knowledge
constructions do not necessarily bear any correspondence to external reality (Robinson et al.,
2007, p. 33).
A good metaphor for constructivism is that the student is not a costumer. They are a
worker who is doing the hardest part of constructing new knowledge, skills, and attitudes.
Student motivation is the focus and this concludes in achievement. Constructivism can be a
confusing theory to understand because there is no single theory inside it. There is moderate,
social, and many more. In general, this theory is very focused on the type of student that this
paper discussed at the beginning, the twenty first century learner. Real world situations are used
with formats like anchored instruction, problem-based learning, and computer-supported
collaborative learning. It is very helpful with math and medical education. In this theory the
student is an explorer, his or her own teacher, and cognitive apprentices. The teacher’s main role
is to facilitate through and through. The student uses their personal experience that the teacher
guides to gain their knowledge. This is a far cry from repeating facts as in behaviorism.
Constructivism is huge for instructional technology. A great example of this is a
WebQuest. This could be a PowerPoint that the student or group of students go through on their
own and find knowledge from given resources to create a final product. The teacher facilitates by
giving the WebQuest, the resources for the students to research with, and expecting a final
product. The students teach themselves everything, which is the base of constructivism. In this
type of activity and in most constructivist activities, the students work alone and eventually come
together to put the project together. They do not, however, work closely together, discuss their
findings, or argue different points. The student is accountable for his or her own knowledge, and
his or her own knowledge alone.

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Constructivism is supposed to be based on the real world. However, in the real world,
students will one day work in an office with other individuals. They will have to work with their
co-workers to finish projects by due dates or other situations. They will want to know if the
product they are working on needs any improvements, and how can this be done without a peer
to help along the way. Sociocultural learning theory helps with that problem.
Media is only a vehicle of instruction. Computers and other technology do not influence
student achievement anymore than the truck that delivers our groceries causes changes in our
nutrition (Robinson et al., 2007, p. 41). Socioculturalism combines technology, the learner, and
group settings to create the student’s knowledge. Collaborative learning is the major facility in
this theory. The teacher acts as a motivator in a community functionality. Even in higher
education settings, behaviorist approaches were used for a long time. However, students need to
develop their critical thinking and lifelong learning skills for the real world. They need to learn
how to learn! Cognitivism and Constructivism focused too much on the individual and ignored
the social and cultural contexts of learning. Socioculturalism does take a learner-centered
approach like the previous theory; however it takes social relations, community, and culture into
consideration. Learning is continuous and occurs through social networks, working toward
common goals in a group and many other interactive settings.
An example of this type of classroom is one where students interact with learning tools
and other members in group activities. In this group, the students express and conceptualize their
viewpoints and then listen to others in order to problem solve, generate new ideas, and complete
tasks. The students gain new and different perspectives and learn. Having a sense of community
in the classroom through the teacher and the learner is important here. The jigsaw model is
another example where each student learns a part of a theory, sort of like constructivism, but then

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the students explain that part to the rest of the group to know the entire theory. The last example
is a resource-based learning model, which can be used in instructional technology settings.
Instructional technology is also influenced by sociocultural theory where discussion
forums and email feedback are concerned. A study was done on doctoral candidates and it
showed that formative assessment via blended learning was a positive experience. Using their
own website with a discussion forum and meeting in the classroom helped these future doctors of
education to be more diverse, increasingly identify with this particular community and
participate fully in its practices, and they felt that they were continuously learning from their
peers. If highly educated adults feel this way about sociocultralism’s use, then its effect on a
child’s education can only be surmised to be positive as well.
In conclusion, each of these learning theories can have a positive effect on a student’s
education and knowledge base. Socioculturalism brings them all together to enhance lifelong
learning and professional identities. Utilizing this learning theory seems like the next best and
positive step in the twenty first century to make sure the world’s future leaders are experts with
technology, social skills, problem-solving skills, and that they are ultimately concrete in their
knowledge and are innovative in the real world.

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