—Theories of Learning and Performance

First, let’s examine what a theory is. What constitutes a theory of learning is subject to much discussion and debate, with the result that theories of learning and performance are categorized quite differently by different authors. In this chapter, a modest attempt is made to briefly describe some of the different perspectives associated with different theories of learning. This is followed by a short description of several prominent theories of learning. No attempt is made to be comprehensive or treat the many issues associated with learning theory in any depth. For a more comprehensive treatment of theories of learning, see Driscoll (2005), Richey et al. (2011) or Schunk (2007).