There are many different definitions of learning emanating from different theorists. However, for Behr et al. (1996), Rogers (2002) and Fasokun, Katahoire and Oduaran (2005) learning generally involves an internal transaction resulting in acquisition of new knowledge and new experiences, development of new skills and change in the learner’s attitudes, beliefs, values, and consequently, behaviour. Although learning refers to a potential behavioural change from a given situation, the above authors’ definitions imply that such change can only be brought about by repeated experiences in similar situations. More recently, learning has been broadly defined by Illeris (2007: 3) as “any process that in living organisms leads to permanent capacity change and which is not solely due to biological maturation or ageing”. It can be
65 argued that not all learning leads to permanent capacity change because some knowledge or skill needs practice such as vocational skills and the learning process needs ‘continuous repetition’ because it fades away if not practiced regularly. Continuous repetition does not necessarily refer to memorization (rote learning), whereby people repeat things until they are committed to memory, but it can reflect meaningful learning which, according to Gravett (2001: 17), requires “active thinking of the learner”. However, Illeris (2007: 8) highlights that all learning implies “integration of two very different processes, namely an external
interaction process between the learner and his or her social, cultural or material environment, and an internal psychological process of elaboration and acquisition” which involves three dimensions: content, incentive and the interaction.
According to Illeris (2009: 10-11) the “content dimension” concerns what is learned. This refers to knowledge and skills, though these comprise many aspects such as behaviour, opinions, insights, meaning, attitudes, values, methods and strategies. The “incentive dimension” energizes and controls all things that motivate or encourage people to learn. It results from such affects as emotional state, enthusiasm and preferences. The “interaction dimension” caters for the compulsions that drive people to learn. These impulses sometimes function as discernment and contribute towards stimulating action towards understanding communication among communities and society. Illeris (2009) clarifies that the content and the incentive dimensions are usually started by impulses from the interaction processes and after having been acquired they expand and integrate into the inner processes of consideration.
That is why acquisition of new knowledge depends on what the new knowledge holds for the learner. It depends on the emotions (desire, interest, necessity or compulsion) that drove the learner to learn as well as the content. For instance, new perspective on, or understanding of the already learned information can change the incentive to learn. These fundamental processes of learning can best be understood from Diagram 2 that follows.
66 Diagram 2: THE FUNDAMENTAL PROCESSES OF LEARNING
CONTENT Acquisition INCENTIVE INDIVIDUAL
Interaction
ENVIRONMENT Source: adapted from Illeris (2009)
Furthermore, Jarvis (2004) reviews learning, especially adult learning, through five theorists’
perspectives. To Freire (cited in Jarvis 2004: 119), learning relates to notions of
“conscientization and liberation”, as he assumes that, through learning, the learner discovers him or herself and can thus become able to act upon his or her environment to transform it.
For Freire, learning results from a combination of actions and reflection. Gagne (cited in Jarvis 2004) looked at learning from a psychological perspective, particularly at the stages of how learning occurs. Knowles (cited in Jarvis 2004) looked at learning from a humanistic perspective, with a particular focus on how to assist adults to learn (andragogy). He identified conditions that promote learning and principles that guide it, placing tremendous emphasis on the “self”. To Mezirow (cited in Jarvis 2004: 133), the learning focus is on “meaning making”
from experience as a result of the learner’s previous knowledge. To him learning is an interpretation of the meaning of an experience and a guide to future action. Mezirow’s perspective elaborates on Knowles, in that the focus is on meaning making. Rogers (cited in Jarvis 2004: 135) defined learning from a humanistic psychologist’s perspective. Like Mezirow, he was concerned about the results brought about by learning, and hence, he talks about “self-actualization” of the learner. To him, for learning to have taken place, there must be a “fully functioning person”.
67 Looking at all these perspectives, it can be assumed that learning is based on experience in one way or another. These notions were relevant to this study in that they aided an
understanding of how and why the Lesotho tertiary institution learners responded to the print IEC materials that are used to prevent HIV. For instance, according to Illeris one way of acquiring learning is due to continuous repetition. For Freire learning is about conscientization and liberation. This means there can be no conscientization if one hasn’t experienced certain feelings nor would there be any liberation if one has not experienced oppression. Even though Gagne and Knowles look at learning from two different perspectives; psychological and humanistic respectively, they are both of the opinion that learning occurs because of experience. To Gagne one learns because of the experience one had from a previous stage, while to Knowles one learns because of a ‘drive’ from certain experiences. To Mezirow one learns because one wants to make meaning out of new and old experiences.
Based on all these definitions, it can be assumed that the experience of engaging with IEC materials should bring about new meaning making and result in attitudinal and behavioural change. This research endeavoured to find out if the IEC materials that are used to prevent HIV in Lesotho indeed had this effect by investigating their influence on the learners’
attitudes. It would not have been appropriate to measure behaviour change, as this is something that happens over a long period of time and the time frame for the study was inadequate for that. In view of this, the study focused on how learners made meaning out of the three types of IEC materials that were used for the research, with the expectation that they would facilitate attitudinal change. Since the study focused on communication and meaning making, the investigation followed Mezirow’s different levels of reflection, as cited in Jarvis (1995: 97) who explained that “learning is the process of making meaning from experience as a result of the learner’s previous knowledge, so that learning is a new interpretation of an experience”. It is in this regard that the learning theory dealing with transformation,
henceforth described in this thesis as transformative learning theory, was included as one of the framing theories for this study and is together with other theories and conceptual
frameworks that were used as lenses to analyze the findings, discussed in more detail in this chapter.
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