Concept of Social cognitive theory and its application in the field of Medical and Nursing education: framework to guide Research

Abstract

To bridge the gap between classroom teaching and clinical practice, educators must be innovative. In medical and nursing research, the Social Cognitive Theory has been employed extensively. Albert Bandura, a prominent Stanford psychology professor, devised this learning theory. The idea provides a framework for analyzing how people shape and are shaped by their surroundings. The theory delves into the processes of observational learning and modelling, as well as the role of self-efficacy in behaviour creation. According to the concept, people are considered as active participants who both influence and are impacted by their surroundings. Type of learning is a crucial element of the theory: it is the process of learning desirable and unpleasant actions by seeing others and then imitating those behaviours to maximize rewards. Individuals' self-efficacy views have an impact on whether or not they will repeat an observed activity. In the design of some research methodologies, a theoretical framework is not explicitly used. The purpose of this paper is to focus on Bandura's social cognitive theory's contribution to the field of education, as well as to assist researchers in understanding the nature of theoretical and conceptual frameworks, and how they can be used to help steer research or be recognized as a result.