Running Head: CASE STUDY OF A LEARNER

Case Study of a Learner:

An In-Depth look at a Spanish High School Student

Madeline Albrittain

George Mason University

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Learner Profile

Introduction

My case study will focus on Jack. Jack is a sophomore at ABC high school. I chose Jack

for my case study because of the progress he made in the first two weeks of school. In his

introduction assignment I asked all students to identify something about themselves as a learner.

His response reads, “​I'm going to need a lot of help.”​ ​This was evident in his first formal

assessment of the year. I reached out to him and he began coming to extra help three or four

times per week. Every day, Jack and I worked through the preterite tense and he became more

and more confident. Jack frequently inquires the “​Why?​ ” I have many other students that come

for extra help, but Jack was the first students this year to be curious beyond what we were

learning. On his next quiz, Jack earned an A on the quiz, gaining the validation he needed to take

risk during class, not just after school. He became more engaged in class, answering questions

and participating in the target language. I chose Jack for my case study because I wanted to

explore more ways in which I help lower-achieving students, like Jack, gain confidence in the

learning process.

Jack is a student at a private, all boys school. On average, each graduating class has 240

students. ABC school is approximately 78% White. There are 964 students considered minorities

(22.6%), 245 (27%) of which are part of the freshman Class of 2021. I teach Spanish II and III.

At ABC school, high level Spanish students are placed into Honors classes; thus, regular level

classes consist of students who do not want the rigor of an honors class and those who are not

either apt or passionate about foreign language. I have an average of 23 students in my classes.
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In Jack’s Spanish II second period class, there are 25 students. There are five African American

students in the class and one Middle Eastern student. There are six freshmen that placed out of

level I Spanish. The classroom is set up traditionally with 25 desks in five rows. We usually

move desks in pairs or groups when students are working collaboratively. I aim to do this daily.

In addition, there are two standing desks at the back of the classroom that students are invited to

use.

Description of Learner

Jack is a sixteen year-old African American male student. He does not have any

diagnosed learning disabilities. Jack is from Prince George’s County, Maryland. Jack is very

extroverted and social with his classmates before, during and after class. He loves to debate

sports. He has one teammate in his class, but will occasionally work with another friend in the

class. Jack and his older brother receive financial aid to attend ABC high school. Jack and his

older brother have a very positive relationship. They study together during their shared free

period and sit at the same lunch table. They have matching tattoos that pay homage to this

relationship. Both Jack’s father and mother are involved. Jack’s mother attended Back to School

Night and answers emails when I reach out. She works in education. Jack’s father has signed one

or two papers that I have sent home. Jack’s coach is very involved in his academic success at the

school. They have study hall twice a week and he is the primary reason Jack attends after school

help so frequently.

When I inquired about Jack’s favorite subject in school, he responded, “I don’t have one.

I just go through the day.” Jack’s favorite thing is sports. He played football and basketball
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freshman year. He quit football and now plays basketball. When I attended one of his games,

Jack was very focused, but did need a lot of instruction from his coach. When asked what he

does on the weekends, he said he likes to party. After school one day, Jack had finished his

Spanish work and began his review guide for his history test the following day. He said, “Imma

be completely honest. I don’t study.” However, he had received a poor grade on his first history

test and wanted to study to improve. He cares about his grades. In the first quarter, Jack earned

Bs in Spanish, Biology, Religion and Geometry and Cs in English and European History.

Educational Strengths and Needs and Connections to Learning Theories:

One of Jack’s strengths is the ability to ask for help. This behavior has been modeled for

him and therefore, ​my case study student is influenced by his family and friends. He and his

brother have a really tight-knit relationship that is very special. Normally, an older and younger

brother wouldn’t hang out at school, but the older brother has modeled a different behavior. They

sit together at lunch, hang out during their free period and the older brother checks in on him.

According to his coach, this strength was instilled into the students at the middle school they

attended. The older brother has also modeled the behavior of asking for help whenever

necessary, which can be attributed to why he attends after school help so often (​Brandon,

Guarraia, Petro, Wester, Willets, 2017​). If he is working in pairs or individually in class and

becomes stuck, he will raise his hand and ask for help. Such are the characteristics for the Social

Learning Theory. His coach has also modeled and rewarded this same behavior for his players.

Jack is also very consistent in asking for help and attending extra help.
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Another of Jack’s strengths is his ability to respond well to feedback. ​My case study

student responds well to positive feedback and rewards, one characteristic of Behaviorism

(Fredericksen, Harrin, Oprinoiu, Priftis, Popov, Schwed, 2017). For example, on his mindset

quiz, Jack answered “Strongly Agree” to the statement, “I appreciate when people, parents,

coaches, teachers give me feedback about my performance.” As aforementioned, my case study

student often inquires “Why?” and he recognizes his need and want for positive, constructive

feedback. There are also times with Jack that I’ve had to use negative reinforcement when he is

using his smart watch in class to check his texts. I took his watch as a “logical consequence,”

followed with a conversation and he has since not worn the watch to class (Fredericksen, Harrin,

Oprinoiu, Priftis, Popov, Schwed, 2017). More and more, Jack feels comfortable asking ​Why?​ If

he does understand something, he often feels confident to explain to his buddy. I have seen

Jack’s confidence grow from his ability to ask for help and meaningful feedback. This is also

building his communication skills as he interacts with other teachers and classmates.

In my time working with Jack, I have identified two educational needs. Jack will hand in

all his homework and classwork; however, he struggles with self-management and

self-assessment. ​ In September, I gave Jack a Spanish survey, asking him to rate (agree or

disagree) various statements related to Spanish class. After talking with him, I learned he doesn’t

find Spanish useful, but does want a good grade in the class. He enjoys my actual class, but does

not enjoy the subject. That said, Jack does make responsible decisions to come for extra help.

When it comes time to create a study plan for a formal assessment, Jack struggles to make and

follow-through. For example, during the first few months of school, I would ask Jack, “What do

you need to do after school to prepare for tomorrow?” His response was generally one word,
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“Study.” He is the typical high school “procrastinator” and I’d imagine he has trouble managing

his workload. Jack earns higher grades on quizzes and in-class work than on tests. For example,

he scored a 90% and a 84% on preterite tense quizzes but on the test Jack scored a 64%. His

English teacher has noted a similar trend as he usually does not read the assigned chapters for

homework; thus not achieving high reading quiz scores in English class. Jack has even admitted

he does not study for tests like he should.

Finally, one of Jack’s educational needs is his need to construct meaning with prior

knowledge. My case study student has trouble building off prior knowledge because he often

engages in massed practice. Jack lacks Spanish 1 vocabulary and verb meanings in his long-term

memory. For example, Jack doesn’t know the verbs​ to talk, to listen​, etc. He can conjugate this

verbs with ease, but cannot demonstrate meaning. In conversation, Jack admitted to not

displaying effort in Spanish 1 class, and has since struggled with constructing meaning because

he lacks prior knowledge. The cognitive learning theory applies to my case study student in a

variety of ways. First, Jack learns best when I modify the lesson or tutoring session to increase

cognitive learning. I always model an example sentence so that Jack and his peers can reference

the example while solving additional problems, thus reducing the cognitive load related to

problem solving. In addition, I use modality, “presenting material using audiovisual rather than a

visual only format” (Colquitt, Cordell, Deibel, Dissinger & Morgan, 2017). This increased

cognitive load could possibly explain his lower achievement during class work because Jack is

using his working memory to grasp these simpler concepts. When given a verb chart with

meanings, Jack is better able to perform the task and now keep a laminated verb chart under his

desk. I do not want him to learn to rely on this but it is a strategy I am using to help him convert
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some basic vocabulary into long-term memory. Overall, Jack’s very visible lack of vocabulary

and grammar has greatly affected his performance on tests. If, on a test, I ask students to caption

a photo, Jack has difficulty producing the vocabulary needed. In order to Jack to advance and

work to close the knowledge gap, he must work toward increasing his prior knowledge so he is

better able to construct meaningful sentences and demonstrate his ability to conjugate using

vocabulary he knows.

Goals for the Learner

In order to ensure that Jack is a successful learner, I have proposed some goals as to help

him grow and develop as a learner. While Jack has strengths in the classroom, there are certainly

ways in which he can improve upon his weaknesses. These goals are based on the four learning

factor categories developed by the American Psychological Association (APA) (1997).

My first goal for Jack is that he will be better equipped to build links across content,

using prior knowledge. This goal regarding construction of knowledge is part of his cognitive

and metacognitive learning factors (APA, 1997). Jack’s lack of prior knowledge is very apparent

in my class. The first test of the first quarter was a quiz reviewing the basics of Spanish I,

adjective agreement and present tense conjugations. Jack received a 47% on this quiz. He still

doesn’t know many basic verbs, such as​ to talk​, and lacks a strong base in vocabulary. In a

foreign language, the learner must build off this foundational knowledge. Without it, it is quite

possible that Jack’s perceived knowledge gap was “too high to stimulate interest” (Hattie &

Yates, 2014, p. 7). With a knowledge gap that was greater than other students in the class, Jack

remained quiet in class and didn’t participate. As a response, I went to his basketball coach and

expressed my concern. I needed to inquire and explore the reasons behind why Jack was not
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succeeding in class. Jack and two other teammates began attending extra help sessions three to

four times a week. This gave me ample opportunity to have conversations, build a positive

relationship and hypothesis as to the best ways in which I could help Jack.

From my observations and interviewing Jack’s basketball coach, Jack is a very confident

person. However, he was not confident using the target language. His low efficacy lead to

insufficient effort and low assessment scores (Hattie & Yates, 2014, p. 223). After school

tutoring provided a multitude of benefits. First, Jack began building confidence that he could in

face, close the knowledge gap. After school one-on-one help provided direct instruction and

structured, guided practice that addressed his deficits in vocabulary and grammar (Hattie &

Yates, 2014, p. 223). The tutoring developed a positive teacher-student relationship that, in turn,

spilled over into his assessment scores and confidence in class. We began writing examples that

used Jack’s favorite rapper or referenced sports. On the next, more challenging quiz, Jack earned

a 90%. He began participating more in class, asking more questions, and asking for help on a

regular basis. These characteristics relate to the Constructivism theory. According to Vygotsky,

“What children can do with the assistance of other might be in some sense even more indicative

of their mental development” (Albrittain, Downing, Khoshen, Miller & Wintemberg, 2017). In

constructivism, the teacher has a role of coaching and guiding the students (Albrittain, Downing,

Khoshen, Miller & Wintemberg, 2017). During tutoring, I would model a new grammar structure

and then students were solving problems together. Content became more meaningful when I was

able to make it more relevant to him.

Attempts to bridge and lessen the knowledge gap has improved Jack’s efficacy; however,

the lack of prior knowledge still presents obstacles. As the school year progresses, Jack continues
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to earn good grades on assignments that do not require a large amount of vocabulary and prior

knowledge. The APA (1997) states, “Unless new knowledge becomes integrated with the

learners’ prior knowledge and understanding, this new knowledge remains isolated...and does

not transfer readily to new situations.” It may be that in order to construct deeper meanings in

the target language, I will sometimes need to reduce the cognitive load in regard to grammar or

vocabulary in order to focus on making connections such as re-building knowledge of verb

meanings (Colquitt, Cordell, Deibel, Dissinger, Morgan, 2017). By reducing Jack’s cognitive

load, Jack will be better able to focus on the instruction context (Hattie & Yates, 2014, p. 148).

This concept is aligned with the Cognitive Learning Theory. Jack was have this base if he is to

make stronger connections using prior knowledge and develop his educational needs.

My second goal is the enhance the intrinsic motivation to learn, a goal that involves

motivational and affective learning factors. This goal extends across all content material. Jack is

very motivated to succeed in school. Jack’s survey answers were strong indicators of his

motivation. On the mindset quiz, Jack received a score of 33- fixed mindset with some growth

ideas. For some questions, he demonstrated a strong growth mindset by agreeing to the following

statements: “The harder you work at something, the better you will be at it” and “I appreciate

when people, parents, coaches, teachers give me feedback about my performance.” There are

other instances in which Jack exhibits a fixed mindset, for example he strongly disagreed to the

statement “Truly smart people do not need to try hard.” In the mindset survey, Jack agreed that

“an important reason why I do my school work is that I like to learn new things.” This displays

an intrinsic motivation to learn. Help-seeking is also a cognitive strategy that exhibits mastery

goal orientation or intrinsic motivation (Hattie & Yates, 2014, p. 29). In another survey, Jack’s
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intrinsic motivation to learn seemed questionable. He stated he finds Spanish useful in the real

world and enjoys Spanish class. Yet, he doesn’t think Spanish is fun but wants to earn a good

grade in it.

Another instance appears when his least favorite class and most useful class are both

English. Jack found the Math and English to be the most useful subjects yet, English was his

least favorite class in this survey. As stated in the introduction to the learner, Jack received a C in

English in the first quarter. He stated, “the [English] teacher isn’t fair, but you need it in life.”

According to his English teacher, Jack lacks motivation to read and doesn’t do well on daily

reading quizzes. She describes him as “on or off” and does better in group or partner work rather

than individually working on a task. This relates to the difference in mastery goal orientation and

ego or performance orientation, Jack more oriented to the latter (Hattie & Yates, 2014, p. 29).

For example, while completing an exit slip, Jack asked me, “Can you double check this? I need

an A on this.” This assignment was written very well and reflected Jack’s point of view

regarding the material. However, rather than work to construct meaning, Jack was grade driven.

This performance orientation is also linked with the Behaviorist Learning Theory. In

Behaviorism learners are seen as passive and can be taught through reinforcement (Fredericksen,

Harrin, Oprinoiu, Priftis, Popov, Schwed, 2017). In this case, the A was the positive

reinforcement to want specific feedback on the assignment.

One way in which I can better encourage intrinsic motivation is introducing more tasks

that are comparable to authentic, real-life situations (APA, 1997). One of Jack’s academic needs

is the greater ability to use prior knowledge to construct meaning. One of the ways in which I

can facilitate such is through the use of relatable examples. As Rosiek (2003) supports, tailoring
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subject matter to address students’ emotional experience is make the curriculum more relatable.

Such ideas can be applied across all content areas. For example, if Jack and his English teacher

were to find a way to make MacBeth more relatable or analyze characters or plot in today’s

context, Jack may respond to it differently.

My case study student is a very active presence in after school tutoring, a confident

athlete and overall, an extroverted, social person on campus. However, I would like to encourage

him to be an active participant in all learning communities, encompassing his developmental and

social influences on learning. Like I’ve mentioned before, there is very a much a positive

learning environment after school where struggling students can build confidence and close the

knowledge gap. His coach described Jack as a confident athlete, but lacks confidence in the

academic setting at times. With his peers, Jack is very social and displays leadership qualities.

His coach credits these qualities and traits to his middle school philosophy and his older brother.

The Social Learning Theory states behavior can be learned by observing and imitating others

(Brandon, Guarraia, Petro, Wester, Willets, 2017). Jack sees his older brother as a role model

and is greatly influenced by him. In his middle school, he and his brother were taught to ask for

help and advocate for himself.

Having witnessed and heard such attributes from Jack in the above settings, I’d like to

transfer these leader qualities into the classroom and lead Jack to have a more active role in the

classroom setting. Cooperative Learning can incorporate social learning theory. ​Like Sharan

discusses, in order to have sustainable and effective cooperative learning, cooperation and

culturally sensitive responses must first be modeled. Modeling is a foundation on the social

learning theory. All contributions and efforts within groups must be valued so that each member
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of the community feels they are positively contributing to the learning goal. In order to do so,

Sharan (2010) suggests, “Delegate learning roles so that each group member has an opportunity

to do his or her share, thereby creating conditions that help students of different backgrounds and

abilities to gain status and acceptance among their peers” (p. 310). A student body has many

different students, all offering positive things in a variety of areas. My classroom should reflect

this and I can encourage Jack to try different learning roles. ​As APA (1997) states, learning is

often augmented when he has the opportunity to interact and collaborate with other on

instructional tasks. ​ Providing and modeling Jack with thinking tools allows him to acquire and

organize this thoughts so he is better apt and more confident to actively engage in the classroom

(Hattie & Yates, 2014, p. 77).

My last goal is for Jack to increase his ability to self-assess and develop self-directed

learning. This goal aligns with the Individual Differences learning factor, specifically standards

and assessment. A student’s ability to reflect about the learning process and self-assess can

indeed enhance motivation and self-directed learning (APA, 1997). Jack knows himself and is

able to recognize that, at times, he displays poor study habits. On the weekend leading up to a

big quiz on an abstract concept-- preterite vs. imperfect, Jack states that he wasn’t going to end

up studying and to ensure that he studied, he asked that I email his mom. He recognized he

needed to study but lacks the self-management skills to do so. After emailing his mom, Jack did

study over the weekend and earned a 77% on the quiz. Teaching self-management and goal

setting are two skills rooted in the Social Emotional Learning Theory (Aschenbrenner,

Chadwick, Osborn, Ritenbaugh, Syryla, 2017). The first time I asked Jack to set goals in order to
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succeed, his reply was “Study more.” Just like other skills, self-management and responsible

decision making must be observed and modeled.

Jack is an honest student and he will be very honest with me when we discuss study

habits. Jack often takes to the method of massed practice over spaced practiced and he will fairly

admit it. According to Brown, Roediger & McDaniel (2014), students believe massed practice

results in better learned material. Massed practiced has the illusion of more effective because

spaced practice allows students to learn at a slower pace (Brown, Roediger & McDaniel, 2014).

In order to combat the cramming crisis, I usually have Jack and his peers study vocabulary or

verb meanings for approximately ten minutes during tutoring. I also introduce and model

efficient learning strategies. Using mnemonics and elaboration can encourage development of

long term memory​ and reduce the cognitive load during assessments (Hattie & Yates, 2014, p.

123). I think the next step in this process is to have Jack self-assess whether or not he has seen a

difference the results. If Jack were to track his study habits with his assessment outcomes, he

might begin to favor spaced practice more frequently.

Reflective Discussion

Reflecting on the Learner

After completing the case study and acquiring data about Jack, I’ve gained an in depth

understanding about Jack. I’ve learned how to approach him about his learning and ways in

which I can grow a positive teacher-student relationship. At first, I had preconceived notions

about Jack as a learner. I thought he didn’t care about learning or getting good grades. This study

proved my assumptions wrong. After Jack completed his mindset and Spanish surveys, I learned

that Jack did, in fact, care about learning. He responds best to positive feedback and when I
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invested time and attention with Jack, he took more of an interest in class. This was crucial in his

growing success in Spanish class. After I took initiative, Jack, with encouragement of his coach,

began coming after school for help. I learned that he was very much intimidated by Spanish.

Time after school with more individualized attention allowed me to learn more about his learning

factors and study habits. Once his confidence grew, Jack participated more in class. He was

always able to ask for help, a strength that was modeled by his middle school and older brother.

However, now he is able to ask for help, using more specific, refined questions. Jack and I

continue to have a positive student-teacher relationship (Rosiek, 2003). ​At the beginning of the

year, when I inquired about Jack’s favorite subject in school, he responded, “I don’t have one. I

just go through the day.” I think one reason is because he has never had such a positive

student-teacher relationship at ABC high school. At times, he tries to take advantage or spend

time teaching me about the latest rapper. But, he respects the boundaries I set and he continues to

come for extra help because he sees value in it. This is an effect of the positive reinforcement

that he receives through his coach, myself and the improved grades.

Reflecting on Self as Teacher

Upon reflection, this case study has helped me realize the value in student-teacher

relationships. Previously, I had known the importance of these relationships and always strived

to achieve them. I think I now know what it looks like to get to know a student beyond what

music they listen to or sports they play. At the surface, I can attend their sporting events and

concerts. I took even greater interest in Jack by getting to learn how he studies and his learning

factors. My first year teaching, one of my anonymous teacher reviews stated something like,

“She offers extra help but, she’s not really present.” This critique has always stuck with me and
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now I think I finally know what this student meant. The value of a teacher’s presence and

commitment extends beyond the material that needs to be covered.

I also learned the value of feedback. Throughout this course, we learned that feedback

should be authentic and empowering (Hattie & Yates, 2014). Hattie and Yates (2014) mentioned

the need to differentiate feedback to match the current skill level of a particular student (ch. 8).

This stood out to me throughout my case study because Jack appreciated feedback. This also

revealed a personal bias that I had at the beginning of the study-- struggling learners don’t want

help. Through reading about the knowledge gap and emotional scaffolding and inquiring about

my case study student, I did not find truth to this personal bias. I was able to see quite the

contrary through my interview with Jack, his coach and even the data I collected through surveys

and observations. This triangulation of data proved my bias to be inaccurate.

Reflecting on the Classroom and Teaching

In general, I’ve learned the value of getting to know how students learn, not just what

they enjoy. Getting to know my students outside of the classroom is important, but equally

important is what they bring to the classroom. I’ve learned that a student in the classroom setting

can be very different in an individual setting. At the beginning of the year, Jack was a completely

different student than who I know presently.

I’ve learned that by reaching out and holding students accountable for their learning, they

are more likely to take ownership of their work. They are able to recognize what it takes to be

successful. For example, Jack recognized that he needed to study more but knew he might not
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study over the weekend. He demonstrated ownership for his learning by having me email his

mom to ensure that he studied.

In my classroom, I have used some of the strategies that I’ve learned through my teacher

research. I have modelled and imitated study strategies in class as well as talked through

problems aloud with my classes (Joseph, 2010). At the end of the second quarter, I gave my

students a survey and one student responded, “learning new study habits helped me study in most

of my classes.” By modeling study strategies with Jack, I realized the necessity to introduce

these to all my students. They have value for all students, not just the struggling students.

Lastly, I have learned a lot about the African American demographic at my school. As

Hawley and Nieto (2010) state, being conscious of race is realistic, not discriminatory (p. 66). By

completing the case study with an African American, minority student, I learned a lot about

Jack’s culture and he taught me about what it’s like to attend a predominately white school. I was

able to see a different perspective into my classroom and ABC high school.

Reflecting on Future Action

The process of examining a minority student really made me more aware of what I can do

to facilitate success. Like Cochran-Smith and Lytle (2011) allude to, I was able to use teacher

research to analyze certain components of my classroom and ways in which I have an impact of

student participation (p. 23). I developed new ways of seeing things. Just this week, I had my

students complete an online storyboard using a web-based tool. Students were able to drag

different characters to their storyboards. As I was giving the tutorial, my African American

students got really upset that there weren’t a variety of skin tones. However, I had thought of that

and proceeded to show them how to change it. Previously I may not have given that any thought,
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but my case study research has allowed me to evaluate such assumptions. As Rosiek (2003)

states, this form of emotional scaffolding benefits students because I have reflected on such

things prior to teaching the lesson. I have learned that my instructional decisions, the way I

communicate and student participation are are interrelated (Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 2011, p. 23).

Students immediately felt relieved knowing this was a possibility and it led to an interesting

discussion. I want students to continue to feel comfortable expressing such opinions because it

challenges me and makes me think about simple things in a different perspective.

In-depth research on one student has helped me to see the numerous ways I can help all

of the learners in my classroom. I hope to meet with more students one on one because it can

help me evaluate what more I can do to help them in the classroom. It can also improve

self-efficacy and bridge the gaps in knowledge (Hattie & Yates, 2014). After completing the

study, I learned the value in modeling study strategies in class; something that is a new

pedagogical practice for me (Joseph, 2010). I think modeling these study strategies has

encourage them as it gives each learner a better understanding of how they learn as individuals.

They are able to try the strategy in class with low states in-class assignment and learn whether it

not it works for them. I feel as though my confidence as a teacher has grown throughout this

process because I am better equipped to identify learning factors and have a bigger “bank” of

methods which I can apply to individual students.

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References

Albrittain, M., Downing, E., Khosen, S., Miller, D & Wintemberg, K. (October, 2017)

Constructivism: Learning theory project​. EDUC 613, George Mason University.

American Psychological Association. (2009). ​Publication manual of the American Psychological

Association​ (6th Ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Aschenbrenner, M., Chadwick, R., Osborn, B., Ritenbaugh, H., Syryla, S. (October, 2017) ​Social

Emotional: Learning theory project.​ EDUC 613, George Mason University.

Brandon, E., Guarraia, J., Petro, R., Wester, H., & Willets, K. (October, 2017) ​Social learning

theory: Learning theory project​. EDUC 613, George Mason University.

Brown, P.C., Roediger, H.L., McDaniel, M.A. (2014).​ Make it stick: The science of successful

learning.​ Cambridge, Massachusetts: Belknap Press.

Cochran-Smith, M & Lytle, S. (2011). Does learning to teach ever end? ​Kappa Delta Pi,​ 22-24.

Colquitt, M., Cordell, K., Deibel, J., Dissinger, A., Morgan, R. (October, 2017) ​Cognitive

learning theory: Learning theory project.​ EDUC 613, George Mason University.

Fredericksen, S., Harrin, T., Oprinoiu, S., Priftis, K., Popov, J., Schwed, S. (October, 2017)

Behaviorism learning theory: Learning theory project.​ EDUC 613, George Mason

University.

Hattie, J. & Yates, G. (2014). ​Visible learning and the science of how we learn.​ New York, NY:

Routledge.

Hawley, W. & Nieto, S. (2010). Another inconvenient truth: Race and ethnicity. ​Educational

Leadership​, 66-71.
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Joseph, N. (2010). Metacognition needed: Teaching middle and high school students to develop

strategic learning skills. ​Preventing School Failure, 54​(2), 99-103.

Rosiek, J. (2003). Emotional scaffolding: An exploration of the teacher knowledge at the

intersection of student emotion and the subject matter. ​Journal of Teacher Education,

54​(5), 399-412.

Sharan, Y. (2010). Cooperative learning for academic and social gains: Valued pedagogy,

problematic practice. ​European Journal of Education, 45​(2), 300-313.

CASE STUDY OF A LEARNER
Data Source
Student interview, anecdotal
records, observation, track
quantitative data between
quiz and test scores
Student interview, anecdotal
records, observation,
interview with coach,
Perception, Mindset Surveys
Anecdotal records, observing
other classes/settings,
interview with coach, mindset
survey,
Anecdotal records, student
interview, student survey
Observing other classes,
student interview
Appendix A
Information Sought
Does this student have test
anxiety?
What is his perception about
school overall?
Peer interactions
Opinions about Spanish and
school
How does learning space/
classroom climate affect
behavior in classroom?
Appendix B
20
Learning factors addressed
C/MC LF: Strategic Thinking
to help Jack reach
performance goals. How can
I help learner develop and
apply such strategies?
Motivational Factors.
Emotional influences on
learning.
C/MC LF: Context of
learning ie. environmental
factors
Social influences on learning:
Does learner feel safe to
share ideas and actively
participate?
Individual Differences:
Diversity
Social Influences
Motivational: Learner Effort,
Motivational: Intrinsic
Motivation to Learn
Social Influences on Learning
Individual Differences
Motivational: Intrinsic
Motivation to Learn
Developmental and Social:
Social Influences on Learning
CASE STUDY OF A LEARNER
21

Student Survey 
 
Statement: Agree Disagree I don’t know

Spanish is confusing

I like spanish, but I like other subjects

just the same

Spanish is boring

I don’t think Spanish is fun, but I want

to earn a good grade in it

Spanish is just as important as other

subjects

I enjoy the challenge of Spanish

Spanish is intimidating

I don’t like Spanish and avoid using it

at all times

I enjoy Spanish when I know how to

answer the questions

I get tired of conjugating verbs

I am afraid of Spanish grammar

Spanish is very interesting

I have never like Spanish

I find Spanish useful in the real world

I enjoy Spanish class

Rate your subjects in the order in which you like them the most (1= least favorite; 6= most)

1 2 3 4 5 6

Student Survey Continued

CASE STUDY OF A LEARNER
22

Why is number 6 your favorite subject?

Why is number 1 your least favorite subject?

Mindset Quiz

To what extent do you agree or disagree with these statements:

Strongly Agree (SA) Agree (A) Disagree (D) Strongly Disagree (SD)

____ 1. Your intelligence is something very basic about you that you can’t change very much.
____ 2. No matter how much intelligence you have, you can always change it quite a bit.
____ 3. You can always substantially change how intelligent you are.
____ 4. You are a certain kind of person, and there is not much that can be done to really change
that.
____ 5. You can always change basic things about the kind of person you are.
____ 6. Music talent can be learned by anyone.
____ 7. Only a few people will be truly good at sports – you have to be “born with it.”
____ 8. Math is much easier to learn if you are male or maybe come from a culture who values
math.
____ 9. The harder you work at something, the better you will be at it.
____ 10. No matter what kind of person you are, you can always change substantially.
____ 11. Trying new things is stressful for me and I avoid it.
____ 12. Some people are good and kind, and some are not – it’s not often that people change.
____ 13. I appreciate when people, parents, coaches, teachers give me feedback about my
performance.
____ 14. I often get angry when I get feedback about my performance.
____ 15. All human beings without a brain injury or birth defect are capable of the same amount
of learning.
____ 16. You can learn new things, but you can’t really change how intelligent you are.
____ 17. You can do things differently, but the important parts of who you are can’t really be
changed.
____ 18. Human beings are basically good, but sometimes make terrible decisions.
____ 19. An important reason why I do my school work is that I like to learn new things.
____ 20. Truly smart people do not need to try hard.

Interview Protocol
CASE STUDY OF A LEARNER
23

How would you describe Jack as a student? Athlete?

What are his attitudes about learning/doing work?

How well does he interact/work with peers?

What types of classroom activities/assessments does he excel at? What types of classroom

activities/assessments does he struggle with?

Describe his family dynamic.

Any other notes about him that you would like me to know?