2.2 Theories
Angela Blums, Ph.D.
There are several theories about child development that are used to inform ECE programs. This section will cover the seven most prominent theories that have influenced modern-day child developmental science. Those are: cognitive developmental, behaviorism, social learning theory, sociocultural development, psychosocial theory, attachment theory, and ecological systems theory. There is no one theory that is correct; instead, we use information from all of these theories to inform how we design early childhood classrooms.
It is critical to examine prominent child development research and theories through a culturally responsive framework. [is an approach that incorporates the cultural knowledge, experiences, identities, communication styles, and cultural norms of the children and families involved in a given setting.] Today we know that research needs to consider the social and cultural contexts of children and families when describing its effectiveness or relevance. This means that when teachers apply the principles of a particular theory in the classroom, they should consider how it impacts the identity, agency, and cultural norms of the children and families in your program.
Cognitive Developmental
Cognitive developmental theory focuses on how children think, learn, and acquire new knowledge. It was developed by a Swiss scientist named Jean Piaget (Miller, 2011). According to cognitive developmental theory, children move through childhood in a series of stages. These stages determine what behaviors adults can expect from a child as well as what capabilities a child has at a given stage. There are four stages through which children progress: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operations, and formal operations. The features of these stages are outlined in Table 2.1. Between the ages of birth and two years, a child is in the sensorimotor stage. In this stage, children explore objects using their hands and mouth and coordinate sensory experiences through physical movement. If an object is hidden from view, they believe it has disappeared for good. When a child begins to understand that the object still exists, even if they can’t see where it went, this is referred to as object permanence, Ability of a child to understand that if an object is hidden from view, it continues to exist is one of the main understandings constructed during this stage]
Between the ages of two to seven years, a child is in the preoperational stage. During this stage, a child engages in symbolic reasoning which leads to pretend play. For example, a child might use a stick as a spoon during this stage.
The concrete operations stage takes place between the ages of seven to twelve years. During this stage, children begin to use logical reasoning, but it is usually limited to real objects that can be seen or touched. During this stage, children might add and subtract using manipulatives.
The formal operations stage starts at age twelve and con