Submit your papersSubmit Now
For Enquiries: [email protected]
IIARD LogoIIARD

Application of Jean Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development in Preschool Learning

Adegbite ‘Bola Felicia

Abstract

Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development still prevails as one of the most dominant paradigms in early childhood education. His idea of children as active constructors of knowledge, particularly in the preoperational stage (2-7 years), provides valuable information about preschool-age children and their learning. The paper discusses Piaget’s theory within the African contexts of education, which is based on community, valuing, and learning through stories, language and morals. The paper elaborates the five main features of the preoperational

References

Abah, J. A. Revisiting the Mathematics of Our Ancestors: A Scoping Review of Early Scholarly Works on the Mathematical Systems of Nigerian Peoples and Cultures. 2020. Adeyemo, Afolabi. Values in Yoruba Culture. Ibadan: Spectrum Books, 2001. Adeyemi, Michael B., and A. A. Adeyinka. “The Principles and Content of African Traditional Education.” Educational Philosophy and Theory 34, no. 1 (2002): 21–36. Donald, Donald, S. Lazarus, and P. Lolwana. Educational Psychology in Social Context. Cape Town: Oxford University Press, 2007. Erikson, Erik H. Identity: Youth and Crisis. New York: Norton, 1968. Garcia, Marito, Alan R. Pence, and Judith L. Evans, eds. Africa’s Future, Africa’s Challenge: Early Childhood Care and Development in Sub-Saharan Africa. Washington, DC: World Bank, 2007. Gerdes, Paulus. Geometry from Africa: Mathematical and Educational Explorations. Washington, DC: Mathematical Association of America, 1999. Gyekye, Kwame. Tradition and Modernity: Philosophical Reflections on the African Experience. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997. Joubert, Ina, and Giulietta D. Harrison. “Revisiting Piaget: His Contribution to South African Early Childhood Education.” Early Child Development and Care 191, no. 7–8 (2021): 1002–1012. Kamii, Constance. Number in Preschool and Kindergarten: Educational Implications of Piaget’s Theory. Washington, DC: NAEYC, 1982. Kamii, Constance, and Rheta DeVries. Physical Knowledge in Preschool Education: Implications of Piaget’s Theory. New York: Teachers College Press, 1993. Kohlberg, Lawrence. Essays on Moral Development, Vol. II: The Psychology of Moral Development. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1981. Mbiti, John S. Introduction to African Religion. Oxford: Heinemann, 1991. NAEYC. Early Childhood Mathematics: Promoting Good Beginnings. Washington, DC: NAEYC, 2002. Nsamenang, A. Bame. Human Development in Cultural Context: A Third World Perspective. Newbury Park: Sage Publications, 1992. ———. “Cultures of Human Development and Education: Challenge to Growing Up African.” New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development 113 (2006): 25–38. ———. “Early Childhood Care and Development in Sub-Saharan Africa.” Early Childhood Matters 98 (2001): 23–29. Ofoha, Dorothy M. ECE 313: Curriculum and Methods for Teaching and Learning at the Pre- Primary School. Abuja: National Open University of Nigeria, 2013. Ogunyemi, A. F., and L. Ragpot. “Work and Play in Early Childhood Education: Views from Nigeria and South Africa.” South African Journal of Childhood Education 5, no. 3 (2016): 1–9. Ogunyemi, Florence Taiwo. “Promoting Constructivist Early Childhood Education in a Post- modernist Era: Challenges for Nigeria.” International Journal for Cross-Disciplinary Subjects in Education 5, no. 2 (2015): 2497–2503. Okoro, Ikenna. “Igwebuike as an African Integrative Ethic.” Journal of African Cultural Studies 15, no. 2 (2010): 31–44. Okpewho, Isidore. African Oral Literature: Backgrounds, Character, and Continuity. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1992. Omolewa, Michael. “Traditional African Modes of Education: Their Relevance in the Modern World.” International Review of Education 53, no. 5 (2007): 593–612. Pence, Alan, and A. Bame Nsamenang. A Case for Early Childhood Development in Sub- Saharan Africa. Bernard van Leer Foundation Working Paper No. 51, 2008. Piaget, Jean. Play, Dreams and Imitation in Childhood. New York: W. W. Norton, 1951. ———. The Origins of Intelligence in Children. New York: International Universities Press, ———. The Moral Judgment of the Child. New York: Free Press, 1932. ———. The Language and Thought of the Child. London: Routledge, 2002. Taiwo, Florence, and A. F. Ogunyemi. Work and Play in Early Childhood Education. Johannesburg: South African Journal of Childhood Education, 2016. UNESCO. Indigenous African Early Childhood Care and Education Programmes: Implications for Policy and Practice. Paris: UNESCO, 2010. Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC). School-Based Teacher Professional Development, Management and Practice: Training Manual. Abuja: UBEC, 2024. Vygotsky, Lev. Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1978.

More Articles from INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND MANAGEMENT RESEARCH

Building National Analytics Capacity: Advances and Future Pathways

Author: Uchechi Mary-Linda Unamma, Ifeanyichukwu Jeffrey Okwesa, Uzoamaka Iwuanyanwu

Root-Cause and Thematic Analysis for Major Incident Management: A Review

Author: Ifeanyichukwu Jeffrey Okwesa, Uchechi Mary-Linda Unamma, Uzoamaka Iwuanyanwu

Data-Quality and Single-Source-Of-Truth Frameworks for Inter- Agency Reporting: A Review

Author: Uchechi Mary-Linda Unamma, Ifeanyichukwu Jeffrey Okwesa, Uzoamaka Iwuanyanwu

Human-In-The-Loop Decision Systems: Advances and Future Directions

Author: Funmilayo Ashore-Onisemo, Uchechi Mary-Linda Unamma, Ifeanyichukwu Jeffrey, Okwesa,

Roles of Oil Subsidy Removal on Transportation Cost and Water Factory in Cross River South, Nigeria

Author: Onwuzurike Peter Tobechi, Owoh Akwa Owoh, Unoh Grace Inyang, Umaru Musa