Piaget vs. Vygotsky
The main component of Piaget’s concept is that children develop through four different stages. The four stages are the sensorimotor stage, which goes from the time of birth up to 2 years old, and in this stage, they gain the experience of the existence of objects. From the age of 2 years to the age of seven years, it is known as the preoperational stage, and at this stage, children are said to develop an egocentric nature. They believe that everyone knows everything that they know., and also they begin to grasp conversations. From the age of seven years to eleven years, they are in the concrete operational stage. At this stage, children realize that change is inevitable, and people remain the same even after the adjustment occurs. The last step is the formal operational stage (Fowler 2017). The stage ranges from eleven to fifteen years. At this stage, children can apply their reasoning into their current world and are able to make decisions and solve problems. Piaget’s theory describes processes that allow children to develop mental schemas like accommodation and assimilation. Children who have balanced assimilation and accommodation are able to reach their state of equilibrium, which enables them to be fit in handling tasks.
For Vygotsky, he presents a different theory from Piaget’s cognitive development. In his theory, he claims that children involve themselves in dialogues and carry out social interactions, to understand the nature of their culture. When children socialize with other children, they acquire skills in solving issues in their lives. Once they are faced with specific difficulties in life, they reflect on previous experiences to find relevant solutions. Dialogues among children are vital because they also help in developing their speeches. He identifies three forms of speech that children grow into. They are social speech, private speech, and internal speech. The first speech they are introduced to is social speech, which they learn from adults. Private speech is obtained from an inner conversation, where they are required to apply concepts. Vygotsky has another theory, known as a zone of proximal development. The theory explains the difference between actual child development and what children can achieve while with adults and by themselves (Quinn 2018). He states that to obtain improvement in ZPD, adults should come up with guidelines on what is expected to solve various problems, then let children find solutions to problems without their help. Parents can help their children by assisting them in role-playing. Children can practice different roles, and it helps them to control their behavior and gain self-regulation.
The main difference in the two theories is that for Piaget, he states for development stages and uses age for every step, and insists that children must complete one stage to get to the other. Contrary to Vygotsky’s theory, which depends on the time factor, and insists that all children need to learn with help from adults. Also, cognitive development depends on the child’s ability of social interactions., and the application of every cultural tool acquired in various life circumstances.
References
Fowler, R. C. (2017). Reframing the debate about the relationship between learning and development: An effort to resolve dilemmas and reestablish dialogue in a fractured field. Early Childhood Education Journal, 45(2), 155-162.
Quinn, S., Donnelly, S., & Kidd, E. (2018). The relationship between symbolic play and language acquisition: a meta-analytic review. Developmental Review, 49, 121-135.