The Influence of Behaviorist Theory in Teaching

Teaching is defined commonplace as a theoretical act, and theories (Mustofa, 2013). It means that teachers should teach the students based on the teaching theories or their beliefs of teaching because teaching-learning activities will not be well conducted, in the sense that teachers are not using the theories to guide them in teaching. Nowadays many teachers just go teach their students not based on the theories, so it affects to the student’s learning result. To avoid those conditions, we as teachers should follow the theory before we teach our students. There are three main theories based on Language Learning Theory. One of them is Behaviorist. Behaviorist theory is the habit formation theory of language teaching and learning. Each theories of language teaching and learning have the influence itself, so does Behaviorist. In language teaching we consider of the teaching – learning activities, the students and their learning result. Behaviorist theory could influence those three main points in teaching. This essay will discuss about the influence of Behaviorist theory in teaching.

As the teachers we have to pay attention to the teaching activities. In behaviorism, Skinner believed that learning is more likely to reoccur if it has been reinforced or rewarded (Donna, 2002). It means learning is happened after the reinforcement and reward. Teachers who use this theory usually are the active teachers because behaviorist theory is the teacher centered theory. They usually give their students the reinforcement and the reward of learning. As the prior statement explains that behaviorist is the habit formation theory, it means teachers should give the students the stimulus and the students make the response of that stimulus.  Behaviorist theory influences the teaching activities by telling teachers to use the reinforcement and reward of learning. Behaviorist also influences the learning activities by giving the students the stimuli.

Thorndike stated that the essence of learning of behaviorist theory is recognizing and strengthening stimulus-response. He also develops his thought and says that students who were rewarded tended to recur, while who punished or not rewarded tended to weaken. (Peel, 2005). Students are likely motivated to learn more if they are given the reinforcement or the reward of their learning. If we use behaviorist theory which focuses on the reinforcement and the reward of the students learning, it can affect to the student’s motivation. In this case, there are two kinds of reinforcement and reward. First, the reinforcement or reward for the bad student’s activities, the example when a student answers the question correctly, we have to give him reward such as a verbal praise. We can also give him the reinforcement if he doesn’t answer the question correctly or if he doesn’t do his homework, the teacher should give him the reinforcement in order to do the homework. From those explanations we can see that behaviorist students will learn everything based on the reward or the reinforcement that they get.

The last influenced things is the learning results, behaviorist theory also influences the students’ learning result. As we know that the principle of behaviorist is the habit formation theory. Behaviorist tells us the process of imitation which is done regularly to make the habitual action. Rebbeca said on her own journal that Imitation is an early developing ability that allows children to acquire skills and behaviors of other people from their culture. (Rebecca A. Williamson, Vikram K. Jaswal, 2010). That statement explains that students get the knowledge and skills from their imitating of others behaviors. If students are only imitating what the teachers said, they will limit their knowledge and skills. Students are given the material of learning from their teacher and they do not create and find their own knowledge. They only implicate what the teachers are saying without developing the materials. That is the learning results of behaviorist students.

Behaviorist theory has influenced many aspects in teaching. It affects to the teaching and learning activities, students and their learning results. We have been discussing those three things. As we discussed above about the things that is influenced by behaviorist theory, teaching and learning activities in this theory is the teacher centered, teachers can give the reinforcement or reward to the students as the feedback of their learning. The learning results of behaviorist students limit the knowledge and skill because students only learn by imitating others behaviors or they only implicate what their teachers are saying. But from those explanation of the influenced things of behaviorist theory is not only give the teachers or students the bad effects of using that theory, it is also based on what materials we want to teach to the students. We can choose behaviorist theory as our guide of teaching but teachers have to consider to what materials they want to teach before using behaviorist theory and not all teachers can deliberately use this theory.

References:

A. Williamson, Rebbeca, Andrew N. Meltzoff, Vikram K. Jaswal, “Learning the Rules: Observation and Imitation of a Sorting Strategyby 36-Month-Old Children,” American Psychological Association,Vol. 46, No. 1, p. 57–65, 2010.

Beavers, Halayne, Jan Collins-Eaglin, Geoffrey Nathan, Kristi Wolfe, Donna Green, From Theory to Practice: Behaviorist Principles of Learning and Instruction, 2002.

Driscoll, M. P. (2000). Psychology of learning for instruction (2nd ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Peel, Dave, “The significance of behavioural learning theory to the development of effective coaching practice,” International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring, Vol. 3, No. 1, p. 18, 2005.