Examine social cognitive theory in detail. Your paper should include a summary of the major aspects of the theory and a comparison of the relationship between social cognitive theory, motivation, and self-efficacy. It is also important to be able to demonstrate how you could apply social cognitive theory to a practical situation in your professional area of focus and analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the theory in that setting. Your analysis should include a description of the situation, how the theory can be applied, and what the expected outcomes would be.
Your paper should be four to five pages in length, not counting your title page or references. Be sure to use examples from your research to support your position throughout your paper. Papers should be double-spaced with a font size of 12 and follow APA style.
Additional Requirements
- Length: The paper should be four to five pages in length, not counting your title page or references. Your paper should be double-spaced with a font size of 12 and follow APA style.
- Number of references: A paper of this length should include references. As a graduate student, you are responsible for determining the appropriate number of resources. The majority of them should be original research articles published in legitimate scientific journals. A few review or survey articles are also acceptable.
- Article distinctions: There are three different types of articles. Research articles present original research, review articles discuss research already presented elsewhere, and survey articles are comprehensive review articles that discuss an entire field or area of research. References to books are acceptable, but they should be kept to a minimum—probably no more than five.
- APA style: You must use proper APA style to cite and list your references. Refer to the Capella Online Writing Center’s APA Style and Formatting guidelines for more information.
- Format: Use the following structure to organize your paper:
- Cover page (your name, your specialization or program, title and course number, current quarter and year, and instructor’s name).
- Abstract (optional).
- Body of paper, including headings and subheadings over the appropriate content.
- Reference list.
- Refer to the APA Style and Formatting guidelines for additional formatting information.
- Style: Write in the third person as an impartial narrator. Avoid the use of I, we, or you. In particular, avoid phrases like “I think” in favor of phrases like “the evidence suggests” or “research indicates.” In science, personal opinion carries no weight unless supported by a combination of empirical research and statistical or logical-mathematical inference.
- Other notes: Avoid long quoted passages from your source texts. Your paper should be a synthesis of your own ideas, in your own words—even if your ideas refer to the original ideas of others, in which case the references should be explicit. A paper at the graduate level should be scholarly and more than a mere summary. It should present a unique thesis or at least a significant point you are trying to make, adding appreciably to what is already known of your topic. Your point or thesis will stand or fall solely on its strength—that is, the quality and quantity of the evidence you present.
Must be original and address the following:
Summarize the major aspects of social cognitive theory.
Apply social cognitive theory to a practical situation.Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of social cognitive theory in a practical situation.Analyze the influence of behavioral and cognitive sub-processes on learning.
- Compare the relationships between social cognitive theory, motivation, and self-efficacy.
