UNIT 2 BEHAVIORISM LEARNING THEORY
F. Application of Behavioristic Theory in Learning
1. The effect of punishment on behavior change is very temporary.
2. Bad psychological impact may be conditioned (become part of the soul of the convicted person) if the sentence lasts a long time.
3. Punishment encourages the convicted person to find other ways (even though it is wrong and bad) so that he is free from punishment. In other words, punishment can encourage the convicted person to do other things that are sometimes worse than the wrong he did.
Skinner believed in so-called negative reinforcement. Negative reinforcement is not the same as punishment. The difference lies in whether the punishment must be given (as a stimulus) so that the response that will appear is different from the existing response, while the negative reinforcement (as a stimulus) must be reduced so that the same response becomes stronger. For example, a student needs to be punished for making a mistake. If the student still makes mistakes, then the penalty must be added. But if something that does not please the student (so that he makes a mistake) is reduced (not added) and this reduction encourages the student to correct his mistake, then this is called negative reinforcement. The opposite of negative reinforcement is positive reinforcement. Both aim to strengthen the response. But the difference is that the positive reinforcement is added, while the negative reinforcement is reduced to amplify the response.
F. Application of Behavioristic Theory in Learning Activities
Behavioristic theory with its stimulus-response relationship model places people who learn as passive individuals. Certain responses or behaviors can be formed because they are conditioned in a certain way by using the drill method or mere habituation. The emergence of behavior will be stronger when given reinforcement, and will disappear when subjected to punishment.
Terms such as stimulus-response relationship, passive individual or student, behavior as a result of visible learning, shaping behavior (shaping) with a strict arrangement of conditions, reinforcement and punishment, are all very important elements in behavioristic theory.
This theory is still dominating the practice of learning in Indonesia.
This is clearly seen in the implementation of learning from the earliest level, such as play groups, kindergartens, elementary schools, middle schools, and even tertiary institutions, the formation of behavior by drill (habituation) accompanied by reinforcement or punishment is still frequent.
The application of behavioristic theory in learning activities depends on several things, such as; learning objectives, the nature of the subject matter, student characteristics, media and available learning facilities. Learning that is designed and implemented based on the behavioristic theory views that knowledge is objective, certain, fixed, unchanging. Knowledge has been structured neatly, so that learning is the acquisition of knowledge, while teaching is transferring knowledge to the learner or students. Students are expected to have the same understanding of the knowledge being taught. That is, what is understood by the teacher is what must be understood by student.
The function of the mind or the mind is to copy the existing knowledge structure through a thought process that can be analyzed and sorted, so that the meaning resulting from this kind of thinking process is determined by the characteristics of the knowledge structure.
Because the behavioristic theory views that as something that exists in the real world, it is neatly and orderly structured, students or
people who study must be faced with clear and strictly defined rules beforehand. Habituation and discipline become very essential in learning, so learning is more associated with discipline enforcement.
Failure or inability to increase knowledge is categorized as an error that needs to be punished, and learning success or ability is categorized as an error as a form of behavior that deserves a reward.
Likewise, adherence to rules is seen as a determinant of learning success. Students or students are objects that must behave in accordance with the rules, so that learning control must be held by a system that is outside of students.
The learning objectives according to behavioristic theory are emphasized on adding knowledge, while learning is a "mimetic"
activity, which requires students to re-express the knowledge they have learned in the form of reports, quizzes, or tests. Presentation of content or subject matter emphasizes isolated skills or the accumulation of facts following a sequence from part to whole.
Learning follows the curriculum sequence strictly, so that learning activities are based more on textbooks/compulsory books with an emphasis on the skills to re-express the contents of the textbooks/compulsory books. Thorndike (Schunk, 2012) then formulates the roles that teachers must play in the learning process, namely:
1. Forming student habits. Don't expect the habit to form by itself 2. Be careful not to form habits that will have to be changed later.
Because changing habits that have been formed is a very difficult thing.
3. Don't form two or more habits, if one habit is enough.
4. Form a habit in a way that fits how it will be used.
Evaluation emphasizes passive responses, separate skills, and usually uses paper and pencil tests. Evaluation of learning outcomes requires one correct answer. That is, if students answer "correctly"
according to the wishes of the teacher, this shows that students have completed their learning tasks. Learning evaluation is seen as a
separate part of learning activities, and is usually carried out after completion of learning activities. This theory emphasizes the evaluation of individual student abilities.
One example of behavioristic learning is programmed learning (PI/Programmed Instruction). Where programmed learning is the development of the learning principles of Operant conditioning brought by Skinner. In Schunk (2012) PI involves several learning principles. In programmed learning, the material is divided into sequential frames where each frame provides information in small pieces and is equipped with a test that students will respond to.
In this modern era, the application of behavioristic theory develops in learning with power point and multimedia. In learning with power point, learning tends to occur in one direction. The material is presented in the form of power points that have been prepared in detail. Meanwhile in learning with multimedia, students are expected to have the same understanding as the developer, the material is prepared with detailed and strict planning in a clear order, and the exercises given tend to have one correct answer. Feedback on learning with multimedia tends to be given as reinforcement in each question, this is similar to the learning program that has been developed by Skinner (Collin, 2012), where Skinner developed a learning model called "teaching machine" which provides feedback to students when giving the correct answer in each stage of the test question, not just feedback at the end of the test.11
11 Pujiriyanto & Deni Hardianto. (2018). Modul Pendalaman Materi Pedagogik:
Ristek Dikti. PPG dalam Jabatan, Kementerian Riset, Teknologi dan Pendidikan Tinggi.