

Orientation of SCT: What can we relate it to?



Understanding the process of how humans learn is a central study within the field of psychology. Learning revolves around the process of obtaining knowledge and skills that can be applied to problem-solving situations. Motivation, which is the process of instigating and sustaining goal-directed behaviors, is integral to the learning process as learners set goals and employ cognitive processes such as planning and monitoring in order to solidify a plan to understand a certain set of material (Schunk, 2015). Motivational processes have been rooted in the concept of the Social Cognitive Theory from its origination. The SCT predicts the goals that can energize and direct motivational outcomes (Schunk & DiBenedetto, 2020). These goals can drive an individual’s self-efficacy, which results from self-reflection that is both evaluative and goal-oriented (Schunk & DiBenedetto, 2020). It is a key internal motivational process within the SCT. The SCT also underlies social psychology, which is the focus on how people process, store, apply information about other people and social situations. Similarly, the SCT is based on learning from observing others and when do humans learn from others most of the time? That is when individuals compare themselves to one another (social comparison). If an individual is lacking in some degree in direct comparison to someone else, this will motivate the learner to try to replicate the lacking substance through this observational form of learning. This is the relation of motivation to SLT.
