Studying the learning process is working for an understanding of human nature and the ways

humans interrelate with the world. Here I address the task from a phenomenological stance,
assuming a culturally determined reality built on language.

My personal theory of learning draws from social constructivism the emphasis on the importance
that language and culture have in cognitive development. As Vygotsky contends (GSI, 2018), I
think that it is not possible to separate learning from its social context, for all cognitive functions
originate in social interactions, and must be therefore understood as products of them. Language
enables humans to overcome the limits of their perceptual field by infusing culturally defined
meaning into the world, and thus becomes the framework through which they experience,
communicate and understand reality. This is why language and culture are essential in shaping
the way cognitive structures develop. Knowledge, as result, is a socially constructed phenomenon
(GSI, 2018).

Learning should then be understood as a social exercise and a collaborative process. To social
constructivism as well belongs the idea that learning takes place in a level of potential
development that is only possible under the guidance of or in collaboration with others (GSI,
2018). It is reasonable then to assume that social extrinsic motivations may emerge and affect
every person’s learning process, but constructivist theoretical perspective insists that intrinsic
learning-goal orientation - a drive towards the mastery of the activity itself, for the reward of doing
it and in pursuit of self-actualisation - is the most effective and endurable form of motivation for
successful learning (Guthrie, 2000; Neto, 2015).

In this scenario, educators and leaders are responsible for building an environment in which
learners are able and motivated to strive the most for their own potential development. Autonomy
support and authentic contents, among others, could count as adjuvant pedagogical strategies
to enhance collaborative learning, understood as a dialogical process of peer interaction
structured and mediated by the teacher (Behizadeh, 2014; Blumenfeld, 1992; GSI, 2018; Guthrie,
2000).

References:

Behizadeh, N. (2014) Enacting problem-posing education through project-based learning. The

English Journal [online] 104(2): pp.99-104. Available at:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/269708472_Enacting_problem-
posing_education_through_project-based_learning

Blumenfeld, P. (1992) Classroom Learning and Motivation: Clarifying and Expanding Goal
Theory. Journal of Educational Psychology, 84(3), pp.272–81. Available at:
http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.nottingham.ac.uk/10.1037/0022-0663.84.3.272

GSI Teaching & Resource Center (2018) Learning: Theory and Research. Available at:
https://gsi.berkeley.edu/gsi-guide-contents/learning-theory-research/learning-overview/

Guthrie, J (2000) Engagement and motivation in reading. Handbook of reading research, Volume
III, Mahwah, N. J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, pp. 402-422.

Neto, M. (2015) Educational motivation meets Maslow: Self-actualisation as contextual driver.

Journal of Student Engagement: Education Matters, 5(1), 18-27. Available at:
http://ro.uow.edu.au/jseem/vol5/iss1/4