d. Learning to be, the aim of development is the complete fulfillment of man and his development in a holistic way as an
individual, member of a family and community and as a responsible citizen.
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In Monitoring learning, learning achievement means assessing the knowledge, skills, and attitude values of pupils. One of parameter that is
used to measure level of education success is students learning achievement. If the students show good learning achievement, it means that the education
process is success. But when students show bad learning achievement, it means that the education process has failed.
Therefore, considering the important role of students learning achievement to determine the success of education, so learning process
should be directed toward the increasing of students learning achievement. But, firstly the writer tries to explain the learning theoryes.
2. Learning Theory
Learning theories are conceptual frameworks that describe how information is absorbed, processed, and retained during learning. Learning
brings together cognitive, emotional, and environmental influences and experiences for acquiring, enhancing, or making changes in ones
knowledge, skills, and values. There are three main categories of learning theory: behaviorism, cognitive, and constructivism.
a. Behaviorism Behaviorism theory is one of experimental psychology
which is adopted by education. Even though in the last twentieth century, another theory has reaction with behaviorism, but
behaviorism had
dominated the
learning phenomenon.
Behaviorism is thus the study of the relation between people’s environments and their behavior, without appeal to hypothetical
7
Nana Syaudih Sukmadinata, Landasan Psikologi Proses Pendidikan, pp.201-203.
events occurring within their heads.
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It means Behaviorism is the view
that behavior
should be explained by observable experiences, not by mental processes.
In the following explanations, the writer tries to describe behaviorism psychologists and their approach. They are Ivan
Petrovich Pavlov, Edward Thorndike, Watson, and Skinner. Their theories are the most referenced in education.
1. Classical Conditioning Theory by Ivan Pavlov Ivan Pavlov is one of psychology’s most recognizable
figures, the Russian physiologist who developed the concept which had been widely known as Classical Conditioning. Morris and
Maisto had explained it in their book. Pavlov 1849-1936 discovered Classical Conditioning almost by accident. He was
studying with dog salivates experimental. Classical or Pavlovian conditioning refers to the type of learning in which a response
naturally elicited by one stimulus comes to be elicited by a different, formerly neutral stimulus. There are four elements of
classical conditioning. 1 The unconditioned stimulus, 2 the unconditioned response, 3 the conditioned stimulus, 4 the
conditioned response. The unconditioned stimulus is an event that automatically elicits a certain reflex reaction, which is the
unconditioned response. The conditioned stimulus is an event that is repeatedly paired with the unconditioned stimulus. The learned
reaction elicited by repeatedly paired is the conditioned response.
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2. Operant Conditioning Theory by Skinner Skinner’s learning theory had widely known as Operant
Conditioning Theory also called instrumental conditioning. This
8
Neil R. Carlson William Buskist, Psychology the Science of Behavior, 5
th
edition, U.S.A.: Allan and Bacon, 1997, p.15.
9
Charles G. Morris and Albert A. Maisto, Understanding Psychology, 6
th
edition, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2003, pp.165-166.
is a form of learning in which the consequences of behavior produce changes in the probability that the behavior will occur.
The consequences -reinforcement or punishment- are contingent on the organism’s behavior. Reinforcement reward is a consequence
that increases the probability that a behavior will occur. In contrast, punishment is a consequence that decreases the probability a
behavior will occur.
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3. Connectionism theory by Edward Thorndike Learning theory of Edward Thorndike is also called by
Connectionism Theory. According to Connectionism Theory, Learning is the result of associations forming between stimuli and
responses. Such associations or habits become strengthened or weakened by the nature and frequency of the S-R pairings. The
paradigm for S-R theory was trial and error learning in which certain responses come to dominate others due to rewards.
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Thorndike characterized the two most basic intelligences as Trial- and-Error and Stimulus-Response Association. It means changing
of learning behavior can be seen as observable behavior and hidden behavior.
4. Behaviorism theory by Watson Watson was one of the behaviorists which came after
Thorndike. John B. Watson was an important contributor to classical behaviorism, who paved the way for B. F. Skinners or
operant behaviorism. Watson coined the term Behaviorism in 1913. Behaviorism assumes that behavior is observable and can be
correlated with other observable events. Thus, there are events that precede and follow behavior. Behaviorisms goal is to explain
relationships between antecedent conditions stimuli, behavior responses, and consequences reward, punishment, or neutral
10
Neil R. Carlson William Buskist, Psychology the Science of Behavior, pp.165-166.
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http:www.instructionaldesign.orgtheoriesconnectionism.html
effect. Watsons theory was more concerned with effects of stimuli. He derived much of his thinking from Pavlovs animal
studies classical conditioning. This is also referred to as learning through stimulus substitution, a reference to the substitution of
one stimulus for another.
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Underlying the behaviorist perspective are several key assumptions:
a People’s behaviors are largely the result of their experiences with environmental stimuli. As teachers, we
must keep in mind very significant effect that students’ past and present environments are likely to have on their
behaviors. We can often use this basic principle to our advantage: by changing the classroom environment, we
may also be able to change how students behave. b Learning involves a behavior change. We might define
learning as a change in behavior due to experience. Such a view of learning can be especially useful in classroom.
Consider the scenario: “your students look at you attentively as you explain a difficult concept. When you
finish, you ask “Any questions? You look around the room, and not a single hand is raised. “Good”, you think,
“the all understand.” But do your students understand? On the basis of
what you’ve just observed, you really have no idea whether they do or don’t. Only observable behavior
changes-perhaps an improvement in achievement test scores, a greater frequency of independent reading, or
reduction in off-task behavior that tell us learning has occurred.
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http:www.lifecircles-inc.comLearningtheoriesbehaviorismWatson.html
