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ED209 TMA06 A qualitative study examining childrens development of scientific thinking. disconcert This study compares Piold agets (in Oates et al, 2005) and Vygotskys (ibid.) respective theories on processes involved in childrens cognitive development. Specifically, scientific thinking is attendd using childrens explanations for then things float or sink obtained via adaptation of procedures first physical exercise by Piaget in the 1930s. A simple experiment elicits childrens explanations for cryptanalysis and quantifying. An informal procedure allows exploration and challenging of participants thinking. Discovery learning and scaffolding are used to assure the participants abilities to develop and grasp abstract scientific concepts. Results show that childrens scientific reasons and their ability to grasp new concepts vary dependant on age. Findings support Piagets (ibid.) present theory. However, scaffolding was more in effect(p) than discovery learning i n effecting change in participants scientific thinking. Introduction Questions about childrens learning processes have elicited many theories. Behaviourists (c.f. Skinner) argue for a tabula rasa that is written on and changed by immaterial events. Bandura (1977, ibid.) augmented this, proposing Social Learning Theory (SLT) where children learn by imitating others.

However, neither Behaviourism 1 ED209 TMA06 nor SLT takes account of internal cognitive processes. They see them as secondary processes where cognitive change is all the result of orthogonal inputs on passive receivers. Contrastingly d ungaree Piaget (ibid.) adopted constructivis! t post arguing for children being active in constructing understandings. Piaget proposed a stage theory; where childrens cognitive abilities are more or less related to age (ibid. p66). Cognitive abilities progress as children bring in information, augmenting existing, or creating new, schemas allowing understanding of the world around them. He described...If you pauperization to get a full essay, order it on our website: OrderCustomPaper.com

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