Bandura on Social Learning

Albert Bandura was a leading social learning theorist who pioneered the view that cognition, social conduct and the environment play a primary role in human behaviour. Bandura proposed that much of adolescent behaviour comes from observational learning, in which adolescents observe and imitate the behaviour of their parents, other adults and peers. Furthermore, adolescent learning and behaviour are significantly affected by cognitive variables such as competences, encoding strategies, expectances, personal values and self-regulatory systems such as self-monitoring and motivation. 

As he explored the effects and potential of modeling, Bandura began to wonder about the role of individuals’ beliefs about their ability to succeed at a task, or their sense of self-efficacy. This led to his development of social cognitive theory, which says that personality results from the interaction of an individual’s thoughts with inner qualities, self-beliefs, and environmental cues. His research determined convincingly that individuals who believe they can succeed at a task are more likely than others to actually succeed.

According to Bandura, “We find that people's beliefs about their efficacy affect the sorts of choices they make in very significant ways. In particular, it affects their levels of motivation and perseverance in the face of obstacles. Most success requires persistent effort, so low self-efficacy becomes a self-limiting process… To succeed, people need a sense of self-efficacy, strung together with resilience to meet the inevitable obstacles and inequities of life.”

For students, this self-efficacy coupled with the willingness to persist in the face of struggle are crucial for academic success. Students who have limited self-efficacy are less likely to continue to try because they don’t believe they can succeed, where students who have strong self-beliefs are more likely to continue to apply themselves. Continuing research in self-efficacy by Bandura and others demonstrates that, regardless of previous achievement or ability, students with higher self-efficacy work harder, continue to try for longer, persevere when faced with struggle, are more optimistic and less anxious, and achieve greater results.

References:

Bandura, A. (1977). Social Learning Theory. New York: General Learning Press.

Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York: W.H. Freeman.