Behaviorism & Teaching

Paper Summary:

This paper reviews the theory of behaviorism in relation to Western education systems. According to the paper, the behaviorist theory has made some major positive contributions to education, and continues to provide a strong foundation for the design of education systems throughout the West.

From the Paper:

"The efficacy of this behavioral-based design has only been proven for lower-order functional learning. These methods become problematic because it places the failure of the students squarely with the teacher. Responsibility for failing test scores, for example, lead to teachers being reprimanded and disciplined (ironically the same negative reinforcements that are used on the students) instead of a reevaluation of the learning methods, or the needs of the individual students (Jones 2002). If learning is not being achieved under the behaviorist teaching methods, then it is up to the teachers to restructure the learning environment to reflect the appropriate reinforcements, negative or positive, to produce the desired results. Yet, despite these pitfalls, school systems in the Western world continue to utilize, and require their teachers to participate in, behaviorist methods and theories. Two such behaviorist-based programs that are being used today are Effective Teacher Training, which instructs the teacher in fine details to be implemented into the classroom, and the Teacher Performance Appraisal System, which is an evaluation process used by administrative officials to gauge teacher efficacy."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Atkins, M.J. (1993). Theories of learning and multimedia applications: An overview. Research Papers in Education, 8(2), 251-271.
• Burton, J.K., Moore, D.M., & Magliano, S.G. (1996). Behaviorism and instructional technology. In D.H. Jonassen (Ed.), Handbook for Research for Educational
• Communications and Technology (pp. 46-73). New York: Simon & Schuster Macmillan. ISBN: 0028646630.
• Heward, W.L., and Cooper, O. (1992). Radical behaviorism: A productive and needed philosophy for education. Journal of Behavioral Education, 2 (4), 345 - 365.
• Jones, G.L. (2002). The impact of constructivism on education: Language, discourse, and meaning. American Communication Journal, 5 (3), 22-38.

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