Piaget\'s Theories Should Piaget Be

Piaget's Theories

Should Piaget be the Basis of Modern Education?

Piaget's learning theory holds that children are no less intelligent than adults, but that they process information differently. Information processing progresses through a series of stages. The following will examine first the successes of Piaget's theory. Next, it will examine the failures of Piaget's theories. Finally, it will examine Piaget's concept in light of personally observations regarding child development. Piaget's concepts make sense and match observations about children and their development, but his theories do have a few shortfalls.

Piaget's theories were based on observation and real world application of the concepts. Piaget's theories about schemas are the easiest to accept from a child development perspective. It coincides with the way adults think and categorize information. From the time we are born, we are exposed to a number of experiences. We must incorporate each piece of information into our world and what we already know. Piaget's theory schemas is similar to Jung's theory of archetypes.

Piaget supported his theories regarding stages on the premise that they apply to the development of thought processes, not children. However, he does recognize that although the timing of the stages may vary, the sequence of the stages may not. Piaget also found that these stages were not culturally specific. He also felt that they are hierarchical in nature, and that each stage depends on development of the one before it. These arguments support Piaget's stages of development.

The best support for schemas comes from observation of an autistic child. When one shows a picture to a low-functioning autistic child, every element the picture must be the same for the child to recognize it as a dog. If you show an autistic child a picture of a dashund and call it "dog" then show them a picture of a German shepherd and ask them to identify it, they will not be able to do it. Telling them that it is a dog usually gets a look of confusion. However, this does not happen with normally functioning children. The normal child integrates the information and expands their category of "dog" to include the new picture of a dog. This is more difficult for the autistic child. Our brains are like a big filing system that is continually expanding to incorporate new information.

Piaget's theories about assimilation and accommodation are easy to see in life experiences. It is also easy to agree that children develop in defined stages. The field of child development is filled with numerous theories that recognize that children develop according to an ordered, set pattern. However, there is considerable disagreement as to what happens in these stages and where they begin and end. This same concept presents a major challenge to Piaget's theories as well.

One of the key criticisms of Piaget's work can be found in his research methods. He used Qualitative research methods, which often do not stand up to the rigors of science. Many factors can influence the outcome of qualitative studies. For instance, sample bias may have been present in Piaget's original study. All of the children were from well-educated families. The sample size was small; therefore, the results may not apply to sample with different demographic profiles. It is difficult to generalize his findings to a larger population.

In addition to sample bias, qualitative studies are prone to bias by the researcher. They may wish to "prove" their theories to the extent that they see patterns where none exist, or they may tend to leave out important information that does not coincide with their theory. There is no way to know if Piaget's study suffered from these problems, but they cannot be ruled out. Piaget's research methods present a key challenge to his theories.

Personal experience, including the observation of many children in school settings supports Piaget's theories of schemas. Children from different social backgrounds, universally have the ability to integrate new information into existing schemas. The modern educational system is based on Piaget's schemas. The children are taught basic concepts and then the educational system builds on these concepts. It is easy to agree that development takes place in an ordered fashion and in a hierarchical fashion.