FRAMEWORK OF THE STUDY

A. Theoretical Framework

In order for the researchers to have a more thorough analysis and exploration of this study, four

proficient theories are relied on as solid ground for it: Behaviorism, Cognitive Psychology,

Socio-Constructivism, and Social Cognitive Theory. These theories are the best frameworks for

this study because of their concepts on the idea that all behaviors are acquired through

conditioning, on the models of the information processing that goes on people’s mind, on the

role of social and cultural interactions play in the learning process, and on how people learn

from one another, via observation, imitation, and modeling.

With their respective applications to the objectives of this study, these theories will serve

as this study’s framework.

1. Behaviorism of John B. Watson

“Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own specified world to bring

them up in and I’ll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of

specialist.”

- John B. Watson
2. Cognitive Psychology

3. Socio-Constructivism
 4. Social Cognitive Theory of Albert Bandura

The concepts of Albert Bandura’s Social Cognitive of Communication were rooted in

Edwin Holt and Harold Chapman’s psychology book in 1931.

In 1941, Neal E. Miller and John Dollard developed Holt’s and Chapman’s ideas by

presenting their book Social Learning and Initiation Theory emphasizing on the four factors that

contribute to learning: drives, cues, responses, and rewards.

All these notions on social learning and psychology were expanded and strengthened by

Albert Bandura and Mischel Walter In 1963. They expanded it with the principles of

observational learning and vicarious reinforcement.

All of the mentioned notions above helped Bandura publish his seminal article and book

in 1977 that expanded on the idea of how behavior is acquired highlighting the concept of self-

efficacy. In 1986, Bandura published his second book which expanded and renamed his original

theory; he called the new theory Social Cognitive Theory to emphasize the major role cognition

plays in encoding and performing behaviors.

According to Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory, behavior can be learned through social

prompts. Values are learned through human modeling behavior.

“Modeling influences serve diverse functions—as tutors, motivators, inhibitors, social

prompters, emotion arousers, and shapers of values and conceptions of reality” (Bryant, 1994).

Social cognitive theory is the study of the expression of human values and ethics,

attained through observational symbolic learning which is governed by four sequential

processes: Attentional Processes, Retention Processes, Behavioral Production Processes and

Motivational Processes.
 The Attentional Processes is when the observers experience an abundance of modeling

influences and decides on which of these information is accepted and/or assimilated by using

his/her cognitive skills, preconceptions, and value preferences.

In the Retention Processes the observed information is transformed into memory codes-

humans must remember the observed events in order to be fully influenced by them. Retention

is an active process.

The concept of the Behavioral Production Processes states that “for observed learning

to be actualized, symbolic conceptions must be translated into action”. A concept matching

process facilitates the information construction to actions and behaviors.

Lastly, the Motivational Processes distinguishes acquisition and performance believing

that people do not really actualize everything they learn. People are just motivated to do so if

the results of an action will have a valued outcome for them.

Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory

thus gives us insight to the observational

learning process of individuals emphasizing

the relationships of three variables that

influence each other dynamically: Personal

Determinants, Behavioral Determinants, and

Environmental Determinants.

All concepts previously presented provide proof of how giving an individual work and

group work could actually shape and/or influence an individual’s behavior. It highlights the

modeling influencing capability of learning methods as well as human’s tendency to assimilate

any modeling behaviors presented by the teachers.

 However, also according to this theory, people are self-organizing, proactive, self-

reflecting, and self-regulating, not just reactive organisms shaped and shepherded by

environmental events or inner forces. With this agentic setting, people are producers as well as

products of social systems.

Humans have a powerful tool for comprehending their environment and creating and

regulating environmental events that touch virtually every aspect of their lives. Most external

influences affect behavior through cognitive processes rather than directly. Cognitive factors

partly determine which environmental events will be observed, what meaning will be conferred

on them, whether they leave any lasting effects, what emotional impact and motivating power

they will have, and how the information they convey will be organized for future use.

People gain understanding of causal relationships and expand their knowledge by

operating on the vast information derived from their personal and vicarious experiences. They

generate solutions to problems, evaluate their likely outcomes, and pick suitable options without

having to go through a difficult behavioral search.

People also have the capacity for self-direction. The self-regulation of motivation, affect,

and action operates partly through internal standards and evaluative reactions to one’s own

behavior (Bandura, 1991a). The anticipated self-satisfaction gained from fulfilling valued

standards and discontent with substandard performances serve as incentive motivators for

action.

Furthermore, the capability to reflect upon oneself and the adequacy of one’s thoughts

and actions is another distinctly human attribute that figures prominently in this theory. People

are not only agents of action but self-examiners of their own functioning. Effective cognitive

functioning requires reliable ways of distinguishing between accurate and faulty thinking. In

verifying thought by self-reflective means, people generate ideas, act on them, or predict
occurrences from them. They then judge from the results the adequacy of their thoughts and

change them accordingly.

Among the self-referent thought, none is more central or pervasive than people’s belief

in their efficacy to exert control over their level of functioning and events that affect their lives.

Unless people believe that they can produce desired effects and forestall undesired ones by

their actions, they have little incentive to act. This is the very core of human agency.

5. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs of Abraham Maslow

Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a theory in psychology proposed by Abraham Maslow in

his 1943 paper "A Theory of Human Motivation" in Psychological Review. Maslow subsequently

extended the idea to include his observations of humans' innate curiosity. His theories parallel

many other theories of human developmental psychology, some of which focus on describing

the stages of growth in humans.

Maslow's hierarchy of needs is used to study how

humans intrinsically partake in

behavioral motivation. Maslow used the terms

"physiological", "safety", "belonging and love",

"social needs" or "esteem", and "self-actualization"

to describe the pattern through which human

motivations generally move. This means that in order for motivation to occur at the next level,

each level must be satisfied within the individual themselves.

Furthermore, this theory is a key foundation in understanding how drive and motivation

are correlated when discussing human behavior. Each of these individual levels contains a

certain amount of internal sensation that must be met in order for an individual to complete their

hierarchy. The goal in Maslow's theory is to attain the fifth level or stage: self-actualization.

Physiological need is a concept that was derived to explain and cultivate the foundation

for motivation. This concept is the main physical requirements for human survival. This means

that Physiological needs are universal human needs. Physiological needs are considered the

first step in internal motivation according to Maslow's hierarchy of needs. This theory states that

humans are compelled to fulfill these physiological needs first in order to pursue intrinsic

satisfaction on a higher level.

Safety needs are more likely to predominate in children as they generally have a greater

need to feel safe. Safety and security needs are about keeping us safe from harm. These

include shelter, job security, health, and safe environments.

After physiological and safety needs are fulfilled, the third level of human needs, social

belongings, is seen to be interpersonal and involves feelings of belongingness. This need is

especially strong in childhood and it can override the need for safety as witnessed in children

who cling to abusive parents.

Esteem needs are ego needs or status needs. People develop a concern with getting

recognition, status, importance, and respect from others. Most humans have a need to feel

respected; this includes the need to have self-esteem and self-respect. Esteem presents the

typical human desire to be accepted and valued by others.

 "What a man can be, he must be." (Maslow, 1954) This quotation forms the basis of the

perceived need for self-actualization. This level of need refers to the realization of one's full

potential. Maslow describes this as the desire to accomplish everything that one can, to become

the most that one can be.

Self-actualization can be described as a value-based system when discussing its role in

motivation; self-actualization is understood as the goal-or explicit motive, and the previous

stages in Maslow's Hierarchy fall in line to become the step-by-step process by which self-

actualization is achievable; an explicit motive is the objective of a reward-based system that is

used to intrinsically drive completion of certain values or goals.

With this, this theory of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs provide the researcher with the

concepts of drive and motivation and how these concepts relate to the cognition of the students.

In education, motivation plays a huge role in molding the student’s potentials and

capabilities when it comes to learning and doing works. When a student is motivated to do a

given task, the students tends to execute the given task with the goal of accomplishing it

properly.

This theory therefore aids the researcher in understanding and determining the

behavioral patterns of the students as caused by their drive and motivation, particularly as to

how task/s are given; whether these behaviors are classified as advantageous or

disadvantageous to them as a tribe. Moreover, it leads to the researcher understanding of why

and how the students consider these behavioral patterns as advantageous or disadvantageous

to them.
 5. Integration of Theories

The integration of McLuhan’s Media Ecology Theory, Bandura’s Social Cognitive

Theory, Gramsci’s Cultural Hegemony theory, and Geertz’s Interpretation of Culture Theory

provide the researchers with the best combination of concepts and ideas that are needed in the

pursuit of this study.

All the four theories used as framework for this study provide a wide array of useful and

clever concepts. However, with the objectives and limitations the researchers have set for this

study, the wide array of useful concepts would be trimmed into a few ones- few but solid and

firm concepts that are enough to produce an informative and comprehensive study on how

contemporary means of communication affect culture. (Please see Figure 3)