Introduction
Ari, a geeky 10 years old boy, has recently had difficulty with his school studies. His height of 5’ 7” has caused interest from physical education teachers, offering him to become an athlete. Ari himself has been contemplating the decision, wanting to become more popular among his peers. However, his parents are strictly against it, presuming that he is not developed enough. The purpose of the present work is to analyze two learning theories, which can help Ari with his problem. Out of the two theories, the humanistic learning approach by Carl Rogers is the more optimal one as it addresses Ari’ problem directly.
Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning
As Ari is proficient in using technology and the Internet, multimedia may be used to assist him in his learning. Mayer’s Theory of Multimedia Learning is the main theory covering its usage. For Mayer, multimedia instruction is a way of teaching material with both words and images (Theimer, 2019). The main principle of this teaching is that text and images are processed through different cognitive channels (Theimer, 2019). Using only one channel for education makes it overloaded and unable to receive any information. However, when information is presented via text and images, the person’s learning capacity is divided between them, and does not become overloaded, which requires certain principles to work.
Mayer has established a number of principles for effective multimedia education. Among them, it is worth noting the segmenting principle, which instructs to present multimedia lessons in several short segments rather than a long one (Theimer, 2019). Other researchers have added their own suggestions to Mayer’s principles. For example, Jiang et al. say that observations of learners during learning can complement information received from specialized studies (2017). Flipped classroom approach can be used for some subjects by using the learners’ personal devices to transfer multimedia (Almasseri & AlHojailan, 2019). Still, the theory has its limitations, such as being time-consuming and requiring specific skills from the module creators. Further, despite what Mayer may have said, most learners have different limits for cognitive overload. Finally, older learners may not be accustomed to multimedia, requiring more time to make it effective for them. Thus, the theory’s implementation is based on many principles created by both Mayer and later scholars, but it still has its flaws.
As Ari is a self-admitted ‘geek’, the course of action he wants to choose might not be the optimal one. He has come to his current problems due to his accelerated growth. Both his physical education teachers and he himself assume that sports will be suitable for him. However, a sport is a demanding activity, and basketball, which is a team sports, requires cooperating within a collective. Thus, it might be useful to take an approach based on the theory of multimedia learning. As a gamer, Ari is used to processing information through both visual and text form. Thus, it might be wise to advise his teachers to use more pictures and graphics while teaching both him and the class. With Ari being a popular YouTuber, he has the required technical know-how and can assist his more conservative teachers, which will help him socially. His classmates will appreciate it as well, as presenting information in different ways is usually popular among children.
The possible interventions in accordance with the Cognitive theory of multimedia learning are the Content Acquisition Podcasts (CAPs). CAPs distribute audio and video information via evidence-based design principles. They are able to combine the features of podcasts with these principles. They are usually short, around 10 minutes in duration, and have pause points in accordance to the segmenting principle (McNamara & Drew, 2019). During these pauses, the audience can reflect on what they learned. Thus, Mayer’s theory may help Ari use his skills and habits to improve his situation in school while requiring little in return. Using this theory to help Ari may have limited effectiveness, but it is a ‘safe’ approach to his problems.
Humanism
As Ari has difficulty with socializing because of his uncommon height, he needs special approach that will put his own personality first. For that purpose, humanistic psychological learning may be applied and prove to be helpful. Humanistic psychology is concerned with human development, putting an emphasis on human potential and individual welfare of people, believing that it is in the best interests of both people and organizations (Joseph, 2020). Humanistic learning theory can be used to create an accepting environment for learning (Purswell, 2019). The main point of the humanistic approach, however, is that it changes the focus from academic performance to self-realization (Javadi & Tahamsbi, 2019). The advantages of humanism are its empowerment of the young, paying attention to emotional states, and its combining them with cognitive and social constructivist theories. However, it has limitations as well, such as not following a curriculum, making it unsuitable for common schools, giving every student different knowledge, and not giving learning structure to students who need it.
So far, both Ari’s teachers and parents have been basing their decisions and advice on their own opinions, which may have caused his problems. Ari has noticed that sportsmen are popular in his school, and wants to play sports, but his parents are against it. The lack of fulfillment of his wish has led Ari to decreased performance at school, making his parents consider transferring him to another school. While they went through the same experiences, his diminishing results prove that they mistreat his case. The humanistic approach makes teaching student-centered and personalized, which will assist in putting Ari’s own needs and experiences to the forefront, helping establish his own goals and motivations. Using humanistic approach in Ari’s case does not require changing the school at the first glance, however, it should be done without hesitation if proved to be requirement. The key aspect of humanistic interventions is that they have no purpose to change the person, but to create an appropriate social environment. One of such intervention is the attempting to focus the client on their feelings.
After an analysis of Ari’s case, it is appropriate to come to a conclusion that empathic listening intervention is more effective than a CAP being based on the theory that associates to Ari’s problems closely. The boy’s main difficulty is that he is not being listened to by both his parents and teachers, and his interests in video gaming and sports are unattended, causing the diminishing results. Meanwhile, a CAP, while suitable to his qualifications and habits, does not address his issues directly. Therefore, it is safe to say that empathic listening will be more useful to Ari than a CAP.
Conclusion
Thus, two theories have been analyzed to determine whether one of them can assist Ari in his problems. While Mayer’s Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning proved to be suitable to his skills and habits, it is the humanistic learning principle developed by Rogers that can help him with his difficulties. The possible intervention used with conjunction with this theory is the empathic listening aimed at focusing Ari on his feelings. However, a CAP, a multimedia intervention based on Mayer’s theory, while not significantly helpful for Ari’s current problems, may nevertheless be a useful measure in his later studies.
References
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Jiang, D., Renandya, W. A., & Zhang, L. J. (2017). Evaluating ELT multimedia courseware from the perspective of cognitive theory of multimedia learning.Computer Assisted Language Learning, 30(7), 726–744. Web.
Joseph, S. (2020). Why we need a more humanistic positive organizational scholarship: Carl Rogers’ person-centered approach as a challenge to neoliberalism.The Humanistic Psychologist, 48(3), 271–283. Web.
McNamara, S., & Drew, C. (2019). Concept analysis of the theories used to develop educational podcasts.Educational Media International, 56(4), 300–312. Web.
Purswell, K. E. (2019). Humanistic learning theory in counselor education. The Professional Counselor, 9(4), 358–368. Web.
Theimer, S. (2019). Expanding libraries’ application of Mayer’s cognitive theory of multimedia learning.Library Management, 40(6/7), 478–482. Web.