Learning Theories in TVET Pedagogy

    There is increasing recognition of the imperative for the synthesis of procedural and propositional knowledge in effective TVET, which is widely reflected in the various chapters of this book. One important dimension is how these forms of knowledge - 'knowing how' and 'knowing that' - are learnt. This chapter adopts a history-of-ideas approach in examining the five most influential psychological theories of learning, namely behaviourism, cognitivism, constructivism, socioculturalism and embodied cognition theory, that have implications for vocational and craft learning. An account is provided of each of these theories and its attendant understanding of learning in TVET. It is suggested that five big ideas drawn from across these theories might be synthesised to assist TVET lecturers in their workshops and lecture venues.