Created by: Krista, Meagan, DeAndra, &

Hayley

Bandura & Maslow: EdPsych Handout

Maslows Hierarchy of Needs
Maslow developed an hierarchy of needs that he believed all humans possess. He
organizes his theory between the lower-level (deficiency) needs and higher-level
(being) needs. The principle idea is that the lower-level needs must be met before
the higher-level needs can be accessed.

The deficiency needs are the needs for survival safety belonging selfesteem. These needs must be satisfied before moving onto the being needs.

When these needs are met, the motivation to fulfill them decreases.
The higher-level needs are known as being needs. These are the needs for
intellectual achievement aesthetic appreciation self-actualization. These

needs can only be satisfied once the deficiency needs have been met.
Differences: once being needs are met, the motivation to fill them is never
fulfilled, but rather increases to seek further fulfillment. For example, the
more successful you are in your efforts to develop as a teacher, the harder
you are likely to strive for greater improvement.
Self-actualization: Maslow's term for selffulfillment and the realization of personal
potential; a person who is living creatively and is
fully using his/her potential.
Criticism: Not all people behave in the way that
the theory would predict. Most of us move back
and forth among needs and can be motivated by
several needs at the same time. Self-

determination theory (2002) is a more modern approach that looks at motivation in

relation to human needs.
Practical Application: Maslows theory gives us a way of looking at the entire
student and their levels of needs. If a students needs for safety and security are
not being met, it would make sense that the student would be uninterested in the
course material. We encountered a study that looked at problem students whose
deficiency needs were not being met. The study removed them from a regular

Created by: Krista, Meagan, DeAndra, &

Hayley
classroom, integrated the levels of needs they were lacking back into their lives,
and as a result they were able to re-enter their regular classroom and have a
positive learning experience because their deficiency needs had been met (Yates et.
al., 1980). Examples of practical application of Maslows theory: the teacher/school
must help the student meet basic deficiency needs before they can focus on selfactualization (i.e. a student is not going to be able to complete a math assignment
adequately in any grade if they dont have access to proper nutrition), or the
teacher can encourage self-efficacy (self-actualization level) if their basic needs
have been met. These examples can apply to all grade/age levels.

Banduras Social Learning Theory

Bandura states behaviour is learned from the environment through the process of
observational learning.

People neither emit responses nor receive reinforcements (i.e. positive or

negative) during the learning process. Seeing a models behaviour, reinforced
or punished, has an effect on the observers behaviour. People actively
process information around them and think about the relationship between
their own behaviour and the consequences of that behaviour.

Bandura made a clear distinction between enactive and vicarious

(observational) learning.

Enactive learning: consequences provide info. The reinforcement instills

expectations of outcomes (i.e. what will happen if I copy that?).
Interpretations of the consequences create expectations, influence

motivation, and shape beliefs.

Vicarious/Observational Learning: involves learning by directly observing
others. If people can learn by watching, its obvious they focus their
attention, construct images, remember, analyze, and make decisions that
affect learning.

Learning and Performance: By distinguishing between the acquisition of

knowledge (learning) and the observed performance based on that knowledge

Created by: Krista, Meagan, DeAndra, &

Hayley
(behaviour), Bandura suggested that we may know more than we show. This
can be seen in one of Banduras studies in 1965: The Bobo Doll Experiment.

Preschool children were shown a film of a model kicking and punching a large
inflatable Bobo doll. The children were divided into three groups and each
saw a different version of the film. One group saw the model rewarded for
aggression, the second saw them punished, and the last group saw no
consequences. After the film, the children were put in a room with the Bobo
doll. Those who had seen the aggression reinforced were the most aggressive
and those who saw the behaviour punished were the least aggressive. The
children were then promised rewards for imitating the model which resulted

in all of them punching/kicking Bobo. They had all learned the behaviour.
This study also showed that incentives can affect performance. Even though
learning may have occurred, it may not be demonstrated until the situation is
appropriate or incentives given. However, performance is not always an
indication of learning (i.e. a student may have learned how to multiply in
math but fails a test because they are nervous).

Banduras Social Cognitive Theory

This developed from Social Learning Theory. This theory emphasizes the role of
other people serving as models/teachers (social part of theory) and includes
thinking, believing, expecting, anticipating, self-regulating, and making comparisons
and judgements (cognitive part of theory). It is a dynamic system that explains
human adaptation, learning, and motivation. Social Cognitive Theory addresses how
people develop social, emotional, cognitive, and behavioural capabilities, regulate
their own lives, and what motivates them. Social Cognitive Theory describes a
system of three kinds of influences that affect each other:
1) Personal (beliefs, expectations, attitudes, knowledge)
2) Physical & Social Environment (resources, consequences of actions other
people, models, teachers, physical settings)
3) Behaviour (individual actions, choices, verbal statements)
Two Key Elements of social cognitive learning:

Created by: Krista, Meagan, DeAndra, &

Hayley
1) Observational Learning: learning how to perform a behaviour and the
consequences of that behaviour. There are four elements:
a. Attention (As a teacher, you need to ensure students attention; make
clear presentations, highlight important points, and demonstrate when
possible.)
b. Retention (As a teacher, you need to ensure students retention;
verbally & visually representing important points help ensure students
will remember.)
c. Production (As a teacher, you need to help students practice a
performance/activity, give them feedback, and coach them during the
performance. Practice makes the behaviour smoother.)
d. Motivation and Reinforcement (Even though a student may have
learned a behaviour, they may not perform without motivation or
incentive.)
2) Self Efficacy: personal beliefs about competence, effectiveness, and
capabilities in a given area. This is focus oriented: your ability to accomplish
a task with no question as to whether or not you can do it (i.e. mastery
experiences: success raises self efficacy levels, failure lowers). Achieving
self efficacy creates self-regulated learning, allowing a person to learn
independently throughout life.
Practical Application: The teacher is the model of behaviour, therefore it is
important that the teacher models appropriate and positive behaviour because the
students look at their teachers behaviour and learn from it. The teacher should also
be aware of the students models outside of the classroom as all models affect
student behaviour. These practical applications are applicable to all grade/age
levels.
It is evident in the two theories listed above that the following KSAs are met:

#1: contextual variables affect teaching and learning,

#5: all students can learn, albeit at different rates and in different ways,
#7: students needs for physical, social, cultural and psychological security,
#8: the importance of respecting students human dignity,
#9: there are many approaches to teaching and learning,
#12: the importance of engaging parents, purposefully and meaningfully, in
all aspects of teaching and learning,

Created by: Krista, Meagan, DeAndra, &

Hayley

#13: student learning is enhanced through the use of home and community

resources, and
#14: the importance of contributing, independently and collegially, to the
quality of their school.

For more information, please check out our Prezi slides posted below:
http://prezi.com/l3iyib2qiu_o/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy
http://prezi.com/87vjkrqfeq8w/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy
http://prezi.com/2ufas81wtuej/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

References
Woolfolk, Winne, & Perry (2013). Educational Psychology (6th ed.). Toronto,
ON: Pearson
Education, Inc.
Yates, M. R., Saunders, R., Watkins, J. F. (1980). A Program Based on Maslows
Hierarchy Helps
Students in Trouble. The Phi Delta Kappan, 61(10), 712-713.