Development theory
The sole aim of child development theories is to explain the changes and growth of children in the course of their childhood. Such approaches focus mainly on various development backgrounds incorporating emotional, social, and cognitive growth. The study of human development is extensive, based on several vast subjects. In real essence, we all have experience with development. However, it is sometimes tricky to understand the reason behind the growth, learning, and actions of individuals. These theories try to explain the reason why children behave in specific ways, whether their behaviors are related to their age, family relationships, or individual temperaments. The Development psychologists strive to give an insight into such questions such that we may understand, explain, and predict the individuals’ behaviors that are experienced throughout their lifespan. This report points out several child development theories developed by respective theorists in explaining different aspects of social growth and learning. Among a vast number of development theories, there exist five significant approaches, including Erik Ericson, Jean Piaget, Uri Bronfenbrenner, and Lev Vygotsky (week 1). This report will focus on the development and learning abilities of children aged between 3-5 years of age, supported by three theories.
Piaget’s
Jean Piaget developed a theory termed as cognitive development theory. The theory states that children are generally active in the learning process by performing experiments, making observations, and learn about their surrounding world. During their interaction with the world, kids simultaneously expand their knowledge and conform to previously gained ideas and access new information. The theory points out that children go through four different stages of mental development. Not only does the approach focus on acquiring the knowledge but also on the understanding the children’s nature of intelligence (week one). The four stages of cognitive development theory entail;
- The sensorimotor stage occurs between birth and two years; this is the initial and the earliest stage of Piaget’s theory. The main subjects of this stage are infants and toddlers. It is during this stage that children gain knowledge via sensory experiences and manipulating materials. At this stage, the child’s whole experience is focused on necessary reflexes, senses, and motor responses.
- Preoperational stage; this stage is experienced in children aged between two to seven years. It is during this stage that the children learn through pretend plays; however, they will still strain with the logic of taking into consideration other people’s points of view. They tend to struggle to understand the constancy idea.
- Concrete operational stage; during this stage, children develop less concern about being egocentric. They begin to imagine how other individuals think and feel. At this stage, they learn and understand that their thoughts are seldom to them.
- Formal operational stage. This stage is experienced in children between the ages of twelve henceforth. It s the final stage of Piaget’s theory.it is through this stage that the children find logic in various activities. The children develop deductive reasoning and a clear understanding of abstract ideas.
Based on the choice of my age group 3-5 years, the preoccupation stage is the most crucial in pointing out how they develop their development and learning process. Piaget believed that children of preoperational age tend to develop their skills through observation and interaction of the environment around them. They make tremendous advancement leaps in processing, storing, and utilization of information, this means they use their imagery and memory skills. They are centered via learning and memorizing, viewing the world from a self-centered perspective. It is through this stage that children at the age group of 3-5 years develop their social interaction skills such as playing and coordinating with others in their age group. Here their cognitive abilities are experienced trough learning of negative concepts and actions. Their attention is focused on learning to read and expanding programmed routines. Piaget believed that children in this stage are characterized by egocentrism since they can view the world from other people’s point of view. (week2)
……..researcher contradicts Piaget’s preoperational arguing that children at this stage were not precisely correct. However, at this stage, children vary a great deal based on their linguistic skills, their perception skills, decision skills, and their real-world understanding. He further purports that when toddlers are tested with ideas and objects that relate to daily life, they tend to exercise their abilities (week2).
Vygotsky Theory
Vygotsky is credited with the development of the social development theory of leaning. This theory proposes that social interaction and culture play a significant role in cognitive development. He further points out that cognitive processes develop through social interaction. Therefore learning is developed by the social interaction of children and more knowledgeable others such as teachers, parents, coaches, peers, practitioners, and more others. Vygotsky channeled most of his research on a phenomenon he referred to as The Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). He elaborated that ZPD defines those functions that have not yet matured but are in the process of being developed that what is in the ZPD currently will be the actual development level in the future. It, therefore, relates to this study since what a child can do with the aid of a knowledgeable person now will drive him or her to perform by himself in the future. In simple terms, proximal means. What comes next, he tries to explain that a child is only in a position to perform the next step in their cognitive development in case another person supports them to do so. Vygotsky further argues by stating that the conversation that the children have with the adults and other peers is significant as they entail the genesis of both languages and thoughts, where the thought is internalized speech, and then it emerges in social interaction as speech. (Week 3) This theory is most relevant between the age of 3-5 years old since they are in a position to understand and learning from others. The aid of a more knowledgeable person is known as scaffolding. Wood, Bruner, and Ross (1976) further developed Vygotsky ZPD’s notion by introducing scaffolding stating that further assistance is gradually withdrawn as the child advances in learning and grasping the concept; this is mostly evidenced between year 3-5. By this age, children are in a position to make use of their cognitive abilities to simplify a problem by brainstorming various solutions. Between the ages of 3-5 years, they learn to pay attention to and internalize a list of words or purposes. This skill is so vital for kids beginning school and eager to learn new information, retain it, and produce it for tests and academic activities without the aid of a teacher. (week 2). Also, at this stage, the children are a position to process information allowing them to differentiate between old and new information (week2). At this age, the children come to realize that they can independently use their brains to think, this is known as metacognition, and they, therefore, come into terms on how to control their minds and drive their ability to process and achieve mental tasks (week 2). It is at this age that the children learn how to read and identify words without the aid of the teacher. This theory is universal compared to Piaget’s theory since it cuts across all the age groups.
Skinner operant conditioning
Through his theory, Skinner believed that children learn language through operant conditioning. Being one of the pioneers of behaviorism, he affirmed that children language by associating words with meanings. Children between the age of 3-5 tend to possess this kind of trait through their learning and development process. Correct mastering and utterance of words gain a positive reinforcement by the child upon the communicative value of words. It is during this age group that children can learn how to communicate through words. Therefore this theory strengthens the understanding of child learning and development through behavioral reinforcement principles. Skinner linked the learning of language to verbal behavior ( week 3). He believes that children learn language via stimuli given by their mentors. He further explains that a positive reward reinforces a positive response of the children, whereas a negative response is conditioned with punishment. In learning and development context, operant conditioning applies mostly in the age of between 3-5 years. It is vital in shaping the skill performance of children in terms of learning. A practical method to shape behavior is through the provision of feedback on the children’s performance. This can be done through approval, compliments, affirmation, and encouragement. Skinner further affirms that variable-ratio presents the highest response rate children learning a new task supported by initial reinforcement is adhered more often. It, however, points out that as the child’s performance improves, less enforcement is applied until finally, exceptional results are reinforced. For instance, the teacher or the parent will always encourage the children to attempt a task and prays them regardless of whether the outcome is positive. Based on this theory, feedback on success is significant as it encourages future learning as the children advances to the next level in their development. However, it is important to contrast the techniques of reinforcement given to children to maintain their positive behavior as well as shed off the negative behavior too. However, this may seem to be a conflicting task since the teacher may be insincere if he overthinks about how to behave.
Operant conditioning applies widely in various situations, from the learning process to addiction and language addiction. However, the theory fails to accommodate the role of inherited and cognitive factors in learning is some ways (Bandura, 1977). Skinner used animal research, which raises the extrapolation issue. Most psychologists argue that the study cannot generalize animal assumptions to humans since they possess different anatomy and physiology. Therefore they are not approved to reflect on their experiences and invoke reason, memory, and patience of self-comfort.
Finally, the main reason why I chose the subject theories is that mutual attributes characterize them. Piaget’s theory gives an insight into understanding children’s intellectual growth compared to other theories of development. Skinners’ operant conditioning theory is so vast hence provides room for guidance as aforementioned. By reinforcing the three main actions in Skinner’s theory, including neutrals, reinforces, and punishers, operant conditioning remains to be one of the best since a child will repeat the behavior in neutrals. They will increase their positive response in terms of reinforces and reduce their negative reactions in terms of punishment. The above theories are more practical since they take both internal and external into account by explaining learning and behavior compared to other approaches; for instance, Bandura’s theory. The three theories have one thing in common, thus helping the development of the children’s skills by encouraging them to learn. Therefore they are the best theories for teaching new lessons to children in the aforementioned age group. The theories further compliment encourage, affirm, and react in infective ways positively influencing learning and development. The theories give the teacher room to launch operations to the children in a way they perceive to be more forthcoming. They, however, equip the teacher with a sense of flexibility since the methods can be applied to the children, individually creating a vast improvement to a wide range of children age groups.
Generally, most of the developed theories were designed with the sole objective of explaining the different attributes of child development. However, as much as all these theories are not applicable in today’s world, they all have a mutual significant in inflicting a clear concept in understanding child development. Currently, most contemporary psychologists brainstorm on several theories to understand the reason behind children’s growth, behavior, and thoughts. These theories represent different ways of reasoning about child development. In the real sense, a practical understanding of how kids conform and grow in the course of their childhood entails exploring various factors influencing psychological and physical growth. The environment, genes, and interactions between the two factors illustrate how children grow both mentally and physically.