Gordon Biddle, Early Childhood Education: Becoming a Professional Instructor Resource
Chapter 4
Learning Theories
In order to truly understand the developmental process and how children learn, it is
important to look at those who have developed theories. Many questions about children’s growth
and development have been answered by the various theories of learning and development;
however, there are still many questions that necessitate further observation and study of young
children. The theorists discussed in this chapter provide a starting point for those wanting to
understand what has been discovered. The theories of Piaget, Vygotsky, Bronfenbrenner,
Erikson, Maslow, and Skinner have shed light on how children develop and learn in different
ways. This information allows early childhood professionals to gain knowledge of how they can
support children through their learning process.
How do we Define Development, Learning, and Theory?
• Development is the process of change and movement in all domains of a child’s
existence.
• Learning is defined as a relatively fixed or lasting change in the way a child behaved or
responds to his or her environment due to experience.
o Consists of adaptations in the child’s thinking or cognitive processing abilities as
• Theory is a systematic statement comprised of principles, generalizations, and
assumptions that helps to frame our understanding, interpretation, and explanation of
learning and development.
Gordon Biddle, Early Childhood Education: Becoming a Professional Instructor Resource
What is the Constructivist View of Learning?
• A child’s environment and significant adults play a vital role in the life of a developing
What is Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development?
• Epigenesis of human intelligence: student of how one’s interactions in the environment
influence development.
o As children increase in age, so do their cognitive abilities.
o Believed that children construct their knowledge of the world by using what they
already know to interpret novel experiences and events.
o Cognitive development constitutes qualitative and quantitative changes in the way
children reason and think about their worlds.
o Children’s “incorrect” views about the world are subjective-reflecting a very
unique personal perspective.
o Clinical interview method: intense questioning of the child regarding his choices
on the test.
Gordon Biddle, Early Childhood Education: Becoming a Professional Instructor Resource
• Schemes: how people of all ages organize knowledge of their environment.
• Piaget’s three types of knowledge:
• Cognitive Equilibrium: mental balance
o Adaptation is central to Piaget’s theory; it is the evolutionary or change process
whereby an organism becomes better suited or adjusts to its habit.
• Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development
o Sensorimotor Stage (first two years of life): make-believe play, deferred imitation
▪ Reflexive schemes
▪ Primary circular reactions
o Preoperational Stage (ages 2 to 6)
Gordon Biddle, Early Childhood Education: Becoming a Professional Instructor Resource
▪ Representational thought: the young child’s ability to internalize visual
experiences and maintain mental imagery of things not present.
o Concrete Operations Stage (ages 6 to 11)
o Formal Operations (begins at age 12 and lasts through lifespan)
• Limitations of Piaget’s Theory
o Piaget overestimated the intellectual capabilities of young children, especially that
of infants.
What is Information Processing Theory?
• Provides a step-by-step description of thought processes occurring at every age.
• The leading strategy for studying children’s cognitive development.
• Emphasizes how children learn a particular thing; it does not focus on theories but on
What is Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory of Development?
Gordon Biddle, Early Childhood Education: Becoming a Professional Instructor Resource
• Sociocultural theory asserts that an individual’s development can only be understood in
the context of his or her social and cultural experiences.
What is Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Theory of Development?
• Urie Bronfenbrenner was aware of the importance of caring adults in the lives of young
children.
• Consists of three nested systems:
o Microsystem is the inner most level and comprises the child’s immediate
environment.
What is Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development?
• First four stages of Erikson’s theory:
o Trust vs. mistrust (birth to age 2): children learn to trust their primary caregivers
to address their basic needs.
o Autonomy vs. guilt (between ages 1 and 3): children either gain a sense of self-
efficacy or they begin to doubt their abilities.
o Initiative vs. guilt: children’s initiative of tasks at this stage may be a source of
What is Maslow’s Hierarchy of Human Needs?
Gordon Biddle, Early Childhood Education: Becoming a Professional Instructor Resource
o Level One: needs addressing human survival. These are the very basic needs that
are needed to live. In order to go to the next level, these needs must be met.
o Level Two: need for security and safety.
Burrhus Frederic Skinner
• Theory of operant conditioning: a learning process by which a certain action is followed
by either something that causes the behavior to be repeated or by something negative,
which makes the action less likely to be repeated.
• Use consistent, positive reinforcement to shape the behavior of individuals within
society.