Notes: Factors contributing to learning | Child Development and Pedagogy for CTET Preparation - CTET & State TET PDF Download

Learning is the acquisition of knowledge or skills through study, experience, or exposure to the environment. It is important to go through the best Factors Contributing to Learning Personal & Environmental Study Notes to understand this topic in deep.

• Learning may be defined as any relatively permanent change in behaviour or behavioural potential produced by experience. 
• Learning involves a sequence of psychological events. 
• Learning is an inferred process and is different from performance. 
• Learning takes place in many ways. The simplest kind of learning is called conditioning. 
• There are two types of conditioning i.e. Classical Conditioning and Instrumental/Operant Conditioning.

Learning involves a sequence of psychological events. Learning is an inferred process and is different from performance. Learning takes place in many ways. The simplest kind of learning is called conditioning. There are two types of conditioning i.e. Classical Conditioning and Instrumental/Operant Conditioning. In addition, we have observational learning, cognitive learning, verbal learning, concept learning, and skill learning. There are several factors contributing to learning:- 

1. Personal Factors

Learning is influenced by personal factors lot if an individual is not properly prepared to acquire new things the purpose of learning will not turn up to be fruitful. One should be mentally prepared for all types of activities to be undertaken to make the learning process meaningful. Personal factor motivates the individual intrinsically and extrinsically to learn a new concept and acquired knowledge related to the grasping level of the individual. Various factors contribute to personal factors let us understand them:

(a) Intellectual Factor:- 

These factors are related to the understanding level of the individual, how much capacity our mind possesses to grasp the new idea, and concept and dwell perception to grasp newly learned things thoroughly. For example- Success in school is generally closely related to the level of intellect. Students with low intelligence find difficulty in understanding a particular topic. Even students are incapable of learning new concepts because of special intellectual disabilities.

(b) Physical Factor:-

 Such factors are related to health, physical development, and visual and physical defects. For example, the structure of the body contributes effectively towards the learning of new things i.e.proper hearing, and vision play a major role in play way activities, audio and visual activities.

(c) Culture Factor:-

 Sometimes cultural factors also contribute efficiently to learning new concepts and skills. For example- cultural lag, ethical code of conduct, every culture has its rituals, language, etc.

(d) LifeStyle Factor:-

Sometimes lifestyle also plays a major role in learning a new concept. For example- a person belonging to a high-class family generally has a pool of information about new technologies, but mediocre persons probably have a gist of technologies.

(e)Emotional Factor:- 

It plays a major role in the acquisition of new skills persons sensitive in nature step back in grasping new concepts as challenges are involved in it. For example:- instincts and emotions. It is a recognized fact that the various responses of the individual to various kinds of stimuli are determined by a wide variety of tendencies.

2. Environment Factors

Learning in the long run is influenced by our surroundings, the people we work with, and our horizons. Factors contributing to the environment factors are:-

(a) Teacher’s Personality: 

It plays a major role in contributing to the understanding level of the students. If the teacher themself has a grip on the topic to be taught then the teacher will be able to make students understand the topic very well. For example:- teachers act as role models for students they started copying teachers’ style of teaching so teachers should be updated with the vast pool of knowledge and should adopt a positive approach towards teaching and try to adopt soft skills while communicating.

(b) Situational Factors: 

Situations are not in our arms, as situations are uncertain nowadays coronavirus outbreak is being witnessed by the whole world so contingencies planning should be developed by keeping in mind future is uncertain. The teacher should make the child ready to face any challenge and situation whether it is fruitful or harmful.

(c)Heredity Factors: 

As the saying goes Children of bright parents tend to be bright and the children of very inferior parents are often inferior. But now it is not true it can be vice versa also as Leaders are born but made or vice versa, Heredity plays an important role in motivating and deciding the future course of learning according to the status of the family and heredity characteristics.  Example: Well-known cricketers Yuvraj sing and Mohammad Kaif got full support from their families. Kaif’s father had been a good cricketer and he made tremendous efforts to get his son to place on the Indian cricket team. Yuvraj got coaching in the early days from his father itself. His father prepared to pitch at his home for this purpose.

(d) Physical Environment of School: 

The environment of the school plays a major role in learning new skills as school is the second home to the child they get to know about relationships thereby making friends by sharing food, developing communication skills by interacting among themself and with teachers, child inculcates religious values also by attending morning assembly, school plays a major role in the all-round development of the child, as the child gets to know new things learning happens parallelly. For example:- Learning by doing principle is followed in the school.