Which theory focuses on getting students actively engaged during the learning process?

• A. Behaviorism
• B. Cognitivism
• C. Constructivism
• D. Humanism

Answer: (C)

Active engagement is central to how constructivism explains learning. Learners actively build new understanding by exploring tasks, asking questions, testing ideas, and connecting new information to prior knowledge, often through collaboration with others and reflection on experiences. This hands-on, inquiry-driven process makes knowledge personally meaningful because the learner constructs meanings rather than simply receiving them. Behaviorism relies on external reinforcement to shape observable responses, which can involve activity but focuses on stimulus–response rather than knowledge construction. Cognitivism emphasizes mental processes like memory and schemas, highlighting how information is processed, stored, and retrieved rather than how learners generate knowledge through active engagement. Humanism focuses on learner choice, autonomy, and personal growth, but constructivism uniquely centers knowledge construction through active experience and social interaction, making it the best fit for the focus on active engagement.