Examine application of Jean Piaget's Developmental Theory (Essay Sample)

Critique and Application of Theory
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Critique and Application of Theory
Jean Piaget is a renowned biologist and psychologist who advanced the developmental theory to explain the fundamental aspects of children development regarding their ability to comprehend and understand the events that surround them. In this accord, Piaget deduced his conclusion on the developmental theory through observation, listening, and talking to children, while they performed the exercises he had designed for the study. Furthermore, Piaget’s insight into child development has been pivotal in educational reforms, and other disciplines. However, Piaget’s developmental theory has aroused considerable criticisms.
Piaget’s developmental theory has been criticized regarding the research method employed. Piaget’s research was based on his three children and a small range of experimental units, children from economically stable families. In this accord, Piaget’s findings are not a representative of the entire population. In light of this disparity, Piaget’s findings can be termed as erroneous.Furthermore, criticism culminates from the fact that Piaget’s argument assumes that children will automatically advance to the subsequent stage of development concurrently with maturation. Indeed, disparities emanating from the development of formal operations triggered and promoted by external factors has not been accounted for.
Moreover, researchers such as Carlos and Buskist, (1997), question and critic Piaget’s use of terminologies. Scientific principles dictate that it is prudent to provide operational definitions to all the technical jargon used in the study. In this accord, Piaget’s failure to provide operational definitions has made it difficult to replicate and a...