Social, Political and Scientific Backgrounds of Learning Theories: An Extended Contrapuntal Lens into Learners’ Conceptualizations
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Abstract
From Plato to contemporary educators of Learning Sciences today, the aim of the hard work is to reveal the nature of learning, how man learns, and how it could be perfected. As a result, different learning theories were created with cumulative effects of society, politics and scientific developments. This paper outlines the crossroad of the conceptualizations of these learning theories and their social, politic and scientific contexts. The study was designed as a phenomenological study through which understand PhD students’ conceptualizations of learning theories were aimed to be understood. The reflection papers they wrote on seven learning theories (Behaviorism, Connectionism, Operant Conditioning, Affective Learning, Social Learning Theory and Constructivism) were analyzed through a contrapuntal lens to understand the sociology of learning theories. The reflection papers as a data source reflected the close ties of learning theories and their social, political and scientific background. Students discussed each learning theory with their original concepts and timely backgrounds. The data obtained from student reflection papers outlined how learning theories are conceptualized within their own social, political and scientific contexts.