Learner-Centered Psychological Principles (LCP)

Learner-Centered Psychological Principles (LCP)

• LCP learning outcomes include explaining the 14 principles, advocating for their use in teaching-learning processes, and identifying ways to apply them as future teachers.
• The American Psychological Association (APA) is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the US, with over 118,000 members encompassing scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students.
• The 14 principles focus on internal learner factors rather than conditioned habits or physiology.
• The principles consider learners within real-world learning contexts.
• The principles are categorized into cognitive/metacognitive, motivational/affective, developmental/social, and individual differences categories.
• There are 6 cognitive and metacognitive principles; 3 motivational and affective principles; 2 developmental and social principles; and 3 individual difference principles

Cognitive and Metacognitive Factors

• Nature of the learning process: Learning is a complex and intentional process of constructing meaning from information and experience.
• Goals of the learning process: Successful learners create and adjust meaningful learning goals in relation to instruction and support.
• Construction of knowledge: Learners build new knowledge through a continuous linking process of related information with pre-existing knowledge.
• Strategic thinking: Successful learners develop, use, and adjust a variety of strategies that help them accomplish their learning goals, including in learning, reasoning, problem solving and concept learning.
• Thinking about thinking: Higher order strategies to monitor and select mental operations are keys to critical and creative thinking.
• Context of learning: Learning is influenced by environmental factors, such as culture, technology, and instructional practices to provide a meaningful context for learning.

Motivational and Affective Factors

• Motivational and emotional influences on learning: Motivation and emotional state influence what and how much is learned
• Intrinsic motivation to learn: Learner's creativity, higher-order thinking, and natural curiosity contribute to their motivation to learn; Intrinsic motivation is sparked via optimal task difficulty, novelty, and relevance to personal interests, personal choice, and control.
• Effects of motivation on effort: Acquisition of complex knowledge and mastery of skills involve learners' effort and guided practice.

Developmental and Social Factors

• Developmental influences on learning: Learning is influenced by factors of development, opportunities, and constraints for learning; Learning is maximized when learners' physical, intellectual, emotional, and social development is considered.
• Social influences on learning: Learning is affected by social interactions, interpersonal relations, and communications with others.

Individual Differences Factors

• Individual differences in learning: Learners have unique strategies, approaches, and capabilities for learning which are a consequence of prior experience and heredity.
• Learning and diversity: Learning is most effective when learners’ linguistic, cultural, and social backgrounds are appreciated and applied in instruction.
• Standards and assessment: Setting challenging standards and assessing learners (including diagnostic, process and outcome assessment) are part of optimal learning.

Summary of the 14 Principles

• Knowledge base
• Strategic processing and control
• Motivation and effect
• Development and individual differences
• Situation or context

Explore the 14 Learner-Centered Psychological Principles that guide effective teaching and learning. Understand how these principles focus on the internal factors of learners and their real-world context. This quiz will help you identify and advocate for the application of these principles in your future teaching career.