Caitlin Whitlock

Course: Child Growth and Development, ECE 101
Professor: Carole Williamson
Assignment Title: Piagetian Questions Developmental Assessment

Assignment Details

This project applied Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development through direct interviews with children at different developmental stages. As required, I interviewed children between the ages of 2 and 7 and asked each child the same five open-ended questions about the natural world and human development: Where does the sun go at night? Why is the grass green? Why do we have snow? How did you learn to talk? Why do you have a belly button? Children’s responses were recorded verbatim in a comparison chart and analyzed to identify preoperational limitations such as animism, egocentrism, transductive reasoning, and perception-based thinking, as well as cognitive advances associated with the concrete operational stage, including logical reasoning and metacognitive awareness. In addition to the assignment requirements, I included an independent analysis examining how neurodivergent traits such as ADHD may influence how children express their reasoning within each Piagetian stage. This analysis does not change stage placement but considers how attention, curiosity, and information processing style can affect children’s responses. This project demonstrates how Piaget’s stages appear in real children’s explanations while also emphasizing the importance of recognizing individual differences when interpreting cognitive development in educational settings.

Application

This assignment was applied by directly observing and analyzing how children of different ages explain the world around them. Interviewing children across multiple developmental stages allowed me to connect Piaget’s theory to real-life language, reasoning patterns, and misconceptions. By comparing preschool and school-age responses, I was able to identify specific cognitive limitations and advances and see how developmental stage influences how children think, not just what they know. The project also reinforced the importance of listening carefully to children’s explanations rather than correcting them, as their responses provide valuable insight into their current stage of thinking. This assignment has direct application to early childhood education by supporting developmentally appropriate practice. Understanding how children reason at different ages helps educators ask better questions, set realistic expectations, and respond to children’s ideas in ways that support cognitive growth.

Results/Conclusions

The results of this assignment showed clear and consistent differences in how children explain the world at different ages. Younger children relied heavily on perception, personal experience, and intuitive or imaginative reasoning. Their explanations often reflected animism, egocentrism, and transductive thinking, which are characteristic of the preoperational stage. As age increased, children’s responses became more logical, realistic, and reflective. Older children demonstrated the ability to use prior knowledge, identify cause and effect, and acknowledge uncertainty in their answers. These responses aligned with the concrete operational stage and showed emerging metacognitive awareness. An additional conclusion drawn from this project is that individual factors such as attention and learning style can influence how children express their understanding without changing their underlying cognitive stage. Some children showed strong reasoning but had difficulty sustaining focus or verbalizing abstract ideas, while others benefited from prior exposure to information through everyday experiences and media. Overall, the findings support Piaget’s theory of cognitive development while also highlighting the importance of considering individual variability when interpreting children’s thinking.

Challenges and Successes

One challenge of this assignment was interpreting young children’s answers without imposing adult logic onto their responses. It required careful listening and an understanding that seemingly incorrect or humorous answers often reflected meaningful patterns of thinking rather than confusion. Another challenge was keeping children engaged long enough to answer open-ended questions, especially when questions required reflection or abstract thinking. Some responses were influenced by attention span, mood, or distractions in the environment, which needed to be considered during analysis. A major success of this assignment was the ability to clearly identify developmental differences across age groups. The comparison format made it easier to see how reasoning progresses with age and experience. The project was also successful in demonstrating how developmental theory applies to real children, strengthening my ability to observe, analyze, and interpret cognitive development in practical educational settings.