Constructivist Developmental Theory Research

Constructivist Development Theory

June 2007

The constructivist school of thought has been very influential in the field of cognitive development and has had a particular impact on deepening understanding of child development . The constructivist develop theory attempts to explain how knowledge is constructed in the minds of individuals throughout their maturity from childhood into adulthood and has its foundation during the era when the behaviorist perspective on learning and development was being advanced . The behaviorist school of thought proposed that children learn as a result of conditioning behavior and modeling

from external stimulus . Constructivists , on the other hand , posit that learning is optimal when children are able to construct their own knowledge based on the unique and rich experiences they are exposed to . Learning is therefore an active process for learners (Bencze , 2005 ) who are able to construct their own meaning of reality through processes of inquiry and experimentation . The behaviorists had presented learners in a very passive role simply functioning as vessels in which teachers deposit facts and responding only as stimulated by some external force (Newell , Shaw Simon , 1958 The approach put forward by the constructivists therefore came in opposition to the behaviorist school of thought

Within the constructivist school of thought there have been several theorists that have put forward specific aspects of the theory in an effort to describe how development takes place . The two most prominent theorists that have been noted in the constructivist camp are Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky . Vygotsky 's social learning theory emphasizes the social nature of learning and stresses the importance of the social environment in facilitating development . Vygotsky proposed that it is based on social interaction that individuals are able to interact with and create new knowledge (Riddle Dabbagh , 1999 . Vygotsky is said to be responsible for instructional methods such as cooperative learning cooperative projects , scaffolding and discovery learning (Slavin , 2000

Vygotsky 's emphasis on the importance of social interaction of children with their peers , adults and others in their environment accounts for the development of cooperative learning practices . Cooperative learning emphasizes group-related activities that facilitate interaction among members . Vygotsky also put forward the ideas of a Zone of Proximal Development which simply suggests that learning is optimal once the experiences are within the child 's zone of proximal development . The emphasis is on the role that adults and other peers can have on facilitating learning experiences by providing the needed amount of assistance . From this the concept of scaffolding learning was developed Scaffolding refers to the role that a teacher or peers play in helping to facilitate learning (Slavin , 2000 ,

. 261 . More importantly Vygotsky 's theory emphasizes self-regulated learning where a child takes responsibility for their own cognitive development

Piaget has also contributed important ideas to the development of constructivist theory . Piaget 's theory proposes that each child is actively involved in constructing his own reality . Piaget maintains that children are born with a naturally inquisitive nature , desiring to discover and interact with their environment . Reflexes form...