Learning Theories: An Educational Perspective

Dale Schunk is a professor in the Department of Teacher Education and Higher Education, School of Education, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. From 2001 to 2011 he served as Dean of the School of Education. He received his PhD in Educational Psychology from Stanford University. Previously he was a faculty member at the University of Houston and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Prior to his move to UNC Greensboro in 2001 he was Head of the Department of Educational Studies at Purdue University.

His research focuses on the effects of social and instructional factors on students' cognitive processes, learning, self-regulation, and motivation, with special emphasis on the application of social cognitive theory. He teaches graduate courses in learning, motivation, and educational psychology, and undergraduate courses in foundations for learning and educational psychology. He has published over 130 articles and chapters, is author of Learning Theories: An Educational Perspective (7th edition) and (with Judith Meece and Paul Pintrich) Motivation in Education: Theories, Research, and Applications (4th edition), and has edited nine books on self-regulation and motivation. His awards include: the Barry J. Zimmerman Award for Outstanding Contributions, American Educational Research Association, Studying and Self-Regulated Learning Special Interest Group; the Senior Distinguished Research Scholar Award, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, School of Education; the Distinguished Service Award, Purdue University, School of Education; the Early Contributions Award in Educational Psychology, American Psychological Association, Division 15: Educational Psychology; and the Albert J. Harris Research Award, International Reading Association. He is listed in Who's Who in America.