Theories of Student Learning

Deficit Theories

The premise for this theory lies in the idea that students functioning at less than achievement in schools are due in large part to student’s deficits in language, social development, and intelligence rather than considering school structures, teacher expectations, or parental involvement. This theory further stimulates that the inadequacies presented by a student is a further result of student’s home life, and individual culture. Nieto and Bode (2008) suggest that a complete education both aspects of the norms and canon of the dominant culture and those of the dominated cultures. In addition, they also suggest a student’s cultural experiences should be considered in helping student’s achieve academic success (p.275-6).

Economic and Social Reproduction

Social Reproduction is based on the ideals that the role of schools was to educate the poor students by teaching them to be good workers and educate wealthier students skills required to teach the working classes. Nieto and Bode (2008) critique is that these type of theories fail to take cultural and psychological issues as a response to student failure in school achievement (p.276).

Cultural Incompatibilities Theories

Cultural incapability theory is based on the ideals that school culture and home culture are often at opposing ends of the spectrum, as a result producing student failure. Nieto and Bode (2008) suggest that with this theory differences such as individual and family differences, school conditions, or the greater range of sociopolitical context that can influence learning is not considered (p.279).

Cultural- Ecological Theory

Cultural ecological theory maintains that there are two sets of outside determinants that influence minority school success; cultural influences such as society and community forces.  The theory further states that differences in school function between immigrant and non-immigrant students is also due to differences in community influences. Nieto and Bode (2008) suggest that we should also look at as a way to determine school failure and success, the student’s cultural backgrounds position in the main society and it’s perceptions of opportunities made present by the society presently dwelling in (p.282).

Resistance Theory

Resistance theory is founded on the ideals of scholars such as Henry Giroux, Jim Cummins, and Herbert Kohl.  Makes a conscious decision to try and explain the complex relationship between communities lacking power and schools. They state that school failure can be viewed as a form of political resistance.  Nieto and Bode (2008) say that suggest that this is a good way to discuss academic achievement, but does not address the many issues as to why students become resistant to learning.  For example, boredom, teacher disinterest, student intelligence, teacher’s identities (p.288). 

Complicating Theories of Identities and Cultures Within School Structures

This theory uses as its premise for explaining school failure that students experience many kinds of identities and cultures with the school structures with students often navigating between multiple cultures, including ethnic groups, peer groups, communities, and schools, thereby influencing the students to be able to use their cultural styles as a way to negotiate within the school structures. Nieto and Bode (2008) say this theory totally ignores the cultural framework of why and how culture becomes a social and political response to schooling (p.289-90).

Understanding why some students do well in school and others do not is a crucial issue.  As a teacher we need to be fully aware of all of the many reasons a student may or may not be achieving academic success. Understanding these and other theories is the first step to understanding the dynamics of the many influences that may affect our student’s learning and the way we choose to teach those students. In understanding these many issues, we need to be able to support our students learning by integrating structural equality that will benefit all of our students. According to Nieto and Bode (2008) these theories only provide a partial framework for determining student achievement. Their critiques suggest that we use these theories as away to determine overall school achievement. They suggest as away of incorporating these theories we need to understand school achievement in terms of personal, cultural, familial, interactive, political, and societal issues and its total effect upon the sociopolitical context of a student’s academic success (p.298).

References

Nieto, S, & Bode, P. (2008). Affirming diversity: the sociopolitical context of multicultural education. Boston, MA: Pearson.