The Impact of Gagné, Vygotsky and Skinner Theories in Pedagogical Practices of Mathematics Teachers in Brunei Darussalam

Abstract

Pedagogy in a classroom is not just for the sake of teaching but it also embodies the learning process where appropriately correct conceptual knowledge is being transferred to the learners. Educational theories that we currently come to know play an important role in the effectiveness of the teaching and learning processes. In this study, the teaching practices of three Mathematics teachers in one of the secondary schools in Brunei Darussalam were observed and examined based on the work of three educational theorists, Robert Mills Gagné, Lev Semyonovich Vygotsky and Burrhus Frederic Skinner. The observational vantage points of the research focused on the learning conditions of the lesson, students’ interaction with their teachers and peers, and the teachers’ responses to their learners’ behaviour during the lesson. The qualitative reports indicated that the most commonly “not seen” events by the three teachers were gaining students attention, assessing the performance and enhancing retention and transfer; social interactions for example, discussions were absent in all three observed lessons; and all the three teachers gave some kind of reinforcements, such as praises and extra activities, during their lessons.