Piaget's Theories Should Piaget Be Essay

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.

My own personal experience and observations of children supports Piaget's theories. However, one must allow for individual differences in the development of these stages. The opportunity to observe autistic children and to compare them to the average population supports Piaget's theories. It appears that the more experiences a child has when they are young, the better they are able to assimilate new information later in life. It would seem from Piaget, that the bigger the file size, the easier future learning would be. The more information a child has assimilated, the more readily they will be able to assimilate new information.

In conclusions, Piaget's theories about schemas are supported by personal observations. His theories about schemas are supported by observation of autistic children and the way they integrate new information. However, like many other theories that depend on defined stages in child development, it can be recognized that development occurs in stages. However, Piaget's theories fall short in accounting for differences in these developmental stages. Overall, I agree that Piaget's theories are an excellent basis for the modern educational system, although one must account for individual differences among children.