Learning Theories and Academic/Research Articles

Theorists: Jean Piaget, Ernst von Glassersfeld, Richard Milwood, John Dewey, Lev Vygotsky, Maria Montessori, Jerome Bruner

Vygotsky, L., Cole, M., & Stein, S. (1978). Mind in society : the development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, Mass. ; London: Harvard University Press.

Vygotsky is one of the most prominent theorists on social constructivism. This book highlights his original thinking behind the theory and its implications on education.

Piaget, J., & Inhelder, B. (2000). Psychology of the Child. (2nd ed.). Basic Books. (Original work published 1969)

Here Jean Piaget, with the assistance of his long-time collaborator Bärbel Inhelder, offers a definitive presentation of the developmental psychology he has elaborated over the last forty years. This comprehensive synthesis traces each stage of the child's cognitive development, over the entire period of childhood, from infancy to adolescence.

Ginsburg-Block, M.D., Rohrbeck, C.A., & Fantuzzo, J.W. (2006). A meta-analytic review of social, self concept, and behavioral outcomes of peer-assisted learning. Journal of Educational Psychology, 94(4), 732-749.

Meta-analysis was used to examine social, self-concept, and behavioral effects of peer-assisted learning (PAL) interventions with elementary school students. Results suggest that PAL interventions that focus on academics can also improve social and self-concept outcomes.

Johnson, D.W., & Johnson, R.T. (2009) An educational psychology success story. Social interdependence theory and cooperative learning.Educational researcher, 38(5), 365-379.

From the theory, procedures for the teacher's role in using formal and informal cooperative learning and cooperative base groups have been operationalized. Those procedures are widely used by educators throughout the world. The applications have resulted in revisions of the theory and the generation of new research.

Barron, B., & Darling-Hammond, L. (2008). Teaching for meaningful learning: A review of research on inquiry-based learning and cooperative learning [book excerpt]

This excerpt explores three approaches to inquiry-based learning: project-based learning, problem-based learning, and learning by design, highlighting key research and unpacking important elements of each approach.