Social Cognitive Theory Paper

Educational Theory Assignment: Social Cognitive Theory
Mai Nguyen, RN
Clayton State University

Introduction There are many theories that guide nursing education. Each school of nursing identifies a theoretical framework that guides their program. Among one of these theories is the social learning theory. This theory is a type of cognitive learning theory (Wills & McEwen, 2014, pp. 392). It is a borrowed theory from psychology.
Purpose
The aims of this paper include to: examine the components of the theory, review the use of the theory in practice, and examine how this theory can guide teaching strategies and interactions with students. Additionally, the paper will examine how this theory might affect students in a BSN,

399). In a conceptual model of the theory, a role model demonstrates the behavior leads to successful performance of the skill. However, in between role modeling and successful demonstration of the skill are several processes that lead to successful performance. These include: 1) attentional phase, which is observation of the model; 2) retention phase- processing and representation in memory; 3) reproduction phase- memory guides performance of model’s actions; 4) motivational phase- covert cognitive activity influenced by vicarious reinforcement and punishment (Braungart, Braungart & Gramet, 2014). Furthermore, certain internal processes affect success. These include: personal selection, intentionality, self-regulation, self-efficacy, and self-evaluation in the learning process. The student demonstrates intentionality by setting goals based on their motivation to change and self-efficacy. If a student possesses a high degree of self-efficacy, they will set higher goals and

The article is entitled “The effect of clinical nursing instructors on student self-efficacy”. Clinical rotations can be a stressful experience for most students. I recall my own clinical experience with one clinical instructor that are made my clinical experience a living nightmare by telling me “You don’t have what it takes to be a nurse” and constantly being told I was too slow at the bedside or passing medications and then repeating the same course with another clinical instructor that was always praising me or giving me constructive feedback that helped me regain my self-efficacy to continue the program. This article suggest ways for the clinical instructor to help enhance a student’s self-efficacy. Characteristics identified that make up an effective clinical instructor include: 1) possessing certain interpersonal relationships such as being empathetic, motivational, understanding, available, respectful, and helping gain a student’s confidence; 2) positive feedback on evaluation can help inspire students to learn more and foster development of critical thinking; 3) an instructor’s ability to teach- the instructors need to guide students to the right answer or find a resource for them to get the correct answer and be able to coach a student through a new skill and encourage practice; 4) instructors need to possess competence- students are looking to the