The two learning theories I analyzed are metacognition and social cognitive learning. I chose the learning theory of social cognitive learning due to the fact of it’s “emphasis of observing then modeling behaviors, attitudes, and emotional responses of others”. Bandura described that people are not driven by inner forces or controlled by outside stimuli, but instead function from interactions from cognitive, behavioral and environmental influences. Bandura also stated that most learning comes from one’s social environment. This very much applies to nursing, as a lot of the learning that student nurses do are from hands-on experiences. It comes from clinicals, simulation labs, and on the job. I strongly believe this is where simulation labs and clinical experiences are tied in the best to this theory.
I also chose the theory of metacognition due to its tie to the cognitive learning theory. Keating stated that it consists of one’s ability to assess their own skills, knowledge and learning. This allows for the the learning process to be monitored by assessing one’s level of understanding, along with evaluating its effectiveness and revising the teaching plan if necessary. This applies to the nursing curriculum as it allows for instructors/professors to assess learning along the way, instead of just teaching content and expecting students to understand it. It also allows for students to be involved in their own learning and truly understanding the material.