Kurt Lewin's field theory of learning suggests that behavior is a function of the interaction between an individual and their psychological environment. Key concepts include 'lifespace', which encompasses both conscious and unconscious influences on behavior, as well as 'vectors', 'valences', and 'conflicts' that guide motivation. For effective teaching, educators should understand students' lifespace and utilize appropriate motivational strategies, while balancing rewards and challenges in learning.

1. LEWINS FIELD THEORY
OF LEARNING
PRESENTED BY,
SANTO SAM
2nd SEMESTER
MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
S.V.M.C.T.E

2. “Learning is a process of perceptual
organization or reorganization of one’s life space
involving insight and emphasizes on behavior and
motivation in learning”
- Kurt Lewin ( German Psychologist )

3. KURT LEWIN
(German psychologist)

4. According to this theory, the behavior(B) of an individual is a
function of interacting person(P) in the total psychological
environmental situation(E)
i.e. B = f(P,E)
B represents behaviour
f is a function
P is the person
E is the total environment situation.

6. The person is often represented as a points moving about
in his life. Psychologically a person is composed of two
components
1. Motor perceptual stratum(abilities)
2. Inner personal stratum(needs)

7. 1. Lifespace
2. ForeignHull
3. Vector
4. Valence
5. Conflict
6. Barriers

8. Ø Life space is a psychological representation of individual's
environment.
Ø The life space includes the person himself and everything in
his environment that influence his behavior.
Ø It includes both the things of which he is consciously aware
and the factors which influence him even though he is
unconscious of them .
Ø An object which exists, but of which the person is not aware
and which does not influence him would not be a factor of
his life space.

9. Ø Similarly if an object does not exist but of which the person
thinks to be there and reacts to it becomes a part of his life
space .
• Eg: If a child thinks that there is a snake on the floor even if
it is imaginary, it is the part of his life space.
Ø It includes the persons , his drives, motives, believes, tensions,
thoughts, feelings and his physical environment which consist of
perceived objects and events.
Ø The life spaces of two persons in an identical situation may be
entirely different .

10. Ø The life space is surrounded by a non
psychological boundary called foreign hull.

11. Ø Vectors are borrowed from mathematical system used in
mechanics to describe the resolution of forces.
Ø A vector is usually represented by an arrow, it has
§ Magnitude ( Length ) - Strength of the force
§ Direction - Direction of the force
§ Point of application
Ø In field psychology, a vector means a force that is influencing
psychological movement towards or away from a goal.

12. Ø Valences are the attracting or repelling powers of
regions.
Ø A person tends to move toward a region in life
space that has positive valence and he tends to
move away from a region in life space that has
negative valence.

13. Objects may have either positive or negativevalence. The
movement of person is decided by the valence of the goal.
ØPOSITIVE VALENCE
The object or goal which satisfy needs or are
attractive to the person.
ØNEGATIVE VALENCE
The object or goal which threatens the individual or are
repulsive to the person.

14. Ø It is the state of tensions brought in by the presence of two
opposing desires in the individual .
Ø If only one vector impelling upon the individual, he will move
in the direction indicated by the vector .
Ø If two equally balanced vectors are operating , the result is a
conflict.
Ø As the person is influenced by several valences at a time, these
give rise to conflicts.

15. • There are three types of conflicts

16. ØIt arises when the person is caught in between two goals both
havingpositive valences.
•It is a conflict between two positive goals which are equally
attractive.
Eg: 1. A Person who wants to go two marriages scheduled at the same time.
2. A person who wants to choose a course aftercompleting degree.

17. ØIt arises when the person is caught in between a positive and a
negative goal.
The same object has strong positive valence as well as negative
valence.
Eg:Smoking, alcohol consumption etcis enjoyable, but
they are threat to health.

18. It arises when a person is caught in between two goals both
having negative valences.
The person is like “caught in between devil and sea”.
Eg: A student who desires to avoid doing homework as well
as the punishment from the teacher.

19. Ø A barrier is a psychological obstruction.
Ø They restrict the person’s movement towards the goal, and the
path he must follow to reach his goal.
Ø It may be objects, people, social codes anything which
threatens the motivated individual as he is moving towards a
goal.

20. § The teacher should present the whole problem and evoke the
cognitive and emotional readiness in the learners for optimum
learning.
§ In order to achieve optimum communication and meaningful give
and take, a teacher should try to workout the life space of each
student in his class.
§ Motivation is an important factor in bringing changes in the
cognitive structure of a student In order to motivate the students,
the teacher has to identify both the driving as well as the
restraining forces present in the life space of each student.

21. • Teacher should organize his instructional strategies in a manner
which will be at the level of ‘exploratory’ rather than
‘explanatory understanding.’
• A change in structure of knowledge may occur with repetition.
• Too much repetition does not aid learning so teacher should take
steps to avoid repetition.
• Teacher should use reward and punishment according to the
needs of the situation as Lewin accepted the value of reward and
punishment in learning.

22. THANK YOU