Social Learning Theory

Notes on social learning through literature

Bandura and others describe human learning of social behaviors as occurring through observation of others. Their studies found people will imitate behavior of others even if there is or isn't reward or punishment. The amount of learning can be affected by the sex of the child and the role model, the prestige of the model, and the reward of the action, and the ability to understand and apply the behaviors.

It should be obvious that characters in literature are models of a variety of social behaviors to which students may or may not identify as worthy or not for them to model.

It would also seem likely that student's choice of literature and which characters they choose to imagine as models for them will be related to their experience with peers, cultural heroes, athletes, and events they have experienced in their lives.

As they knowingly or unknowingly search for different behaviors to use to interact with others in their world literature can be a valuable source for their social and behavioral development.

While most books have characters who model social behaviors, most of which are appropriate for children, authors have found many different ways to include them. Authors can have characters who change the way they interact socially or ones that never change. They can have those interactions be low key or use them to drive the plot or as an important element that sets the tone.

In Amelia Badelia the author's use of literal interpretations by the main character never changes and helps create a humorous tone as the main character interacts socially and non socially based on her literal interpretations.

In books like, There is a Girl in the Boy's Bathroom, the theme and plot rely heavily on the main character's social interactions. The author explores different behaviors and their social consequences through out the story with the main character. The reader learns through the character's struggles and may desire to use the behaviors in his or her life. The style and tone is not didactic. It is based on logical consequence and usually encouraged by understanding character that is helpful in a low key manner rather than an your face strategy. Slow progress or realization by the main character is often the case with no success until the climax. This struggle becomes an important element of the theme, character development, style, or tone, however it does not have to be the driving force that moves the plot along. Nor is success usually expected or guaranteed as the story develops and often the success of the character at the end of the story may be questionable as to the likelihood of it continuing after the story ends.

Other stories similar are

• Lon Po Po,
• Horton Hatches an Egg,
• Horton Hears a Who,
• Charlotte’s Web,
• Witch of Blackboard Pond,
• Lizzie Bright and The Buckminster Boy,
• The Fourth Stall,
• What Happened to Lani Garver,
• The Mailbox,
• Ida B,
• The Danger Box