Social Cognitive Theory in Action

    The learning theory that I relate to the most is the Social Cognitive Theory mainly because I agree that we set goals and develop a sense of our own capabilities based on observation of others. Although, I do believe that we innately respond to stimuli which is heavily focused on in the Behaviorist Theory, I believe that we rise above these more primitive tendencies with maturity and life experience. For example, a person may develop an intense fear of public speaking after an unpleasant experience (perceived failure/ridicule). But, this fear may be diminished after the individual observes peers (modeling) speaking, receiving support/praise and performing the task successfully. This supports the Social Cognitive idea of vicarious reinforcement.
     Of course, the probability that the individual will be motivated to overcome their fear will depend on the degree of self-regulation which is also a Social Cognitive (SC) idea. For example, a young child might run from the challenge to avoid "pain" where a more mature individual might see the long term rewards/satisfaction of moving through the discomfort and striving for and reaching the goal of overcoming the anxiety. Therefore, they will establish the steps necessary to reach their goal. Of course, the individual may have a very low degree of self-efficacy (another SC idea) which will ultimately affect their decision to self-regulate and follow the model's example.
     In my own life, two examples of learning/achievement that support this theory were probably my completion of my undergraduate degree and writing for national publications. Both challenges were, I believe, only achieved through successful modeling and increased self-efficacy which empowered me to self-regulate and perform the tasks/make the sacrifices to achieve my goals.
     First, I came from large lower middle class family. College was encouraged, but it was made clear that there could be no financial support. However, I had recently witnessed the graduation/success of an older sibling at the University of Tennessee (yeah, go Vols!). He also had no financial support. However, he navigated the terrain of financial aid and held several jobs on and off campus. Although, he is intellectually more gifted (I believe), his modeling of academic success heavily influenced my drive to achieve the same goal.
     I also always enjoyed writing and had the "dream" of writing for a national publication at some point in my life; however, the idea still seemed a bit far-fetched. But after ten years in the work force, I took several years off to be with my children at home. I happened to see a non-credit class offered at the University of Tennessee (yeah, go Vols!). So, I decided to register. I found myself in a class with a large group of "wanna-be writers" like myself, but I also had the privilege to meet several (including the instructor) that had been published many times. And to my surprise, they were just normal people with a passion for a subject. My passion (at the time) was natural health. I had "enough" writing ability/self-efficacy to send that very first pitch, but I would have never sent it had I not seen the success modeled by my peers in my first writing class.
     Of course, I can see the Social Cognitive Theory in action in my classroom as well. For example, I can see where our modeling, as teachers, can improve social skills which are essential for success in life. We model success every day. I can also see that a student's self-efficacy (with effective guidance/teaching) improves throughout their education. And as a teacher that has both high school freshman and seniors, I believe that it is apparent (in most cases) that the students learn to self-regulate and set many of their own goals with experience and maturity.