4.5: What is a Theory and Why is it Important?
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- Cindy Stephens, Gina Peterson, Sharon Eyrich, & Jennifer Paris
- College of the Canyons via College of the Canyons
As with the historical perspectives that were discussed in Chapter 1, theories provide varied and in-depth perspectives that can be used to explain the complexity of human development.
Human development is divided into 3 main areas: Physical, Cognitive, and Affective. Together these address the development of the whole child.
- Physical-motor development – this includes our gross motor, fine motor, and perceptual-motor. [5]
- Cognitive or intellectual development – this includes our thoughts and how our brain processes information, as well as utilizes language so that we can communicate with one another. [6]
- Affective development – this includes our emotions, social interactions, personality, creativity, spirituality, and the relationships we have with ourselves and others. [7]
All three areas of development are of critical importance in how we support the whole child. For example, if we are more concerned about a child’s cognitive functioning we may neglect to give attention to their affective development. We know that when a child feels good about themselves and their capabilities, they are often able to take the required risks to learn about something new to them. Likewise, if a child is able to use their body to learn, that experience helps to elevate it to their brain.
“If it isn’t in the body, it can’t be in the brain.” - Bev Boss
“Students who are loved at home come to school to learn, and students who aren’t, come to school to be loved.” - Nicholas A. Ferroni
Theories help us to understand behaviors and recognize developmental milestones so that we can organize our thoughts and consider how to best support a child’s individual needs. With this information, we can then plan and implement learning experiences that are appropriate for the development of that child (called, “developmentally appropriate practice, which is discussed more later in this chapter), set up engaging environments, and most importantly, we can develop realistic expectations based on the child’s age and stage of development.
A theory is defined as “a supposition, or a system of ideas intended to explain something, especially one based on general principles independent of the thing to be explained, a set of principles on which the practice of an activity is based.” [9]
The theories we chose to include in this text form the underlying “ principles ” that guide us in the decisions we make about the children in our care, as well as provide us with insight on how to best support children as they learn, grow, and develop. The theories that have been selected were proposed by scientists and theorists who studied human development extensively. Each, with their own unique hypothesis, set out to examine and explain development by collecting data through observations/experiments. The theorists we selected, strived to answer pertinent questions about how we develop and become who we are. Some sought to explain why we do what we do, while others studied when we should achieve certain skills. Here are a few of the questions developmental theorists have considered:
- Is development due to maturation or due to experience? This is often described as the nature versus nurture debate . Theorists who side with nature propose that development stems from innate genetics or heredity. It is believed that as soon as we are conceived, we are wired with certain dispositions and characteristics that dictate our growth and development. Theorists who side with nurture claim that it is the physical and temporal experiences or environment that shape and influence our development. It is thought that our environment -our socio-economic status, the neighborhood we grow up in, and the schools we attend, along with our parents’ values and religious upbringing impact our growth and development. Many experts feel it is no longer an “either nature OR nurture” debate but rather a matter of degree; which influences development more?
- Does one develop gradually or does one undergo specific changes during distinct time frames? This is considered the continuous or discontinuous debate . On one hand, some theorists propose that growth and development are continuous ; it is a slow and gradual transition that occurs over time, much like an acorn growing into a giant oak tree. While on the other hand, there are theorists that consider growth and development to be discontinuous ; which suggests that we become different organisms altogether as we transition from one stage of development to another, similar to a caterpillar turning into a butterfly.
Pause to Reflect… Personal Growth and Development
Think about your own growth and development.
- Do you favor one side of the nature vs nurture debate?
- Which premise seems to make more sense – continuous or discontinuous development?
- Take a moment to jot down some ideas. Your ideas help to create opportunities to deepen our understanding and to frame our important work with young children and their families.?
As suggested earlier, not only do theories help to explain key components of human development, theories also provide practitioners with valuable insight that can be utilized to support a child’s learning, growth, and development. At this time, we would like to mention that although theories are based on notable scientific discoveries, it is necessary to emphasize the following:
- No one theory exclusively explains everything about a child’s development.
- Theories are designed to help us make educated guesses about children’s development
- Each theory focuses on a different aspect of human development
- Theories often build on previous theoretical concepts and may seek to expand ideals or explore new facets.
Let’s take a look at the theories:
We are going to break it up as follows:
| Theory | Key Points | Application |
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Maturational Arnold Gesell 1880 - 1961 |
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Ecological “Systems” Urie Bronfenbrenner 1917 – 2005 |
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This content was created by Sharon Eyrich. It is used with permission and should not be altered.
| Theory | Key Points | Application |
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Psycho-Analytic Sigmund Freud 1856 – 1939 |
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Psycho-Social Erik Erikson 1902 – 1994 |
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Humanistic Abraham Maslow 1908-1970 |
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Ethology/Attachment John Bowlby 1907-1990 Mary Ainsworth 1913 - 1999 |
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This content was created by Sharon Eyrich. It is used with permission and should not be altered.
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Theory |
Key Points |
Application |
|---|---|---|
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Constructivist Jean Piaget 1896 – 1980 |
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Socio-cultural Lev Vygotsky 1896 – 1934 |
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Information Processing (Computational Theory) 1970 - |
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Multiple Intelligences Howard Gardner 1943 - |
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This content was created by Sharon Eyrich. It is used with permission and should not be altered.
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Theory |
Key Points |
Application |
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Classical Conditioning Ivan Pavlov 1849 - 1936 |
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Operant Conditioning B. F. Skinner 1904 – 1990 |
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Social Learning Albert Bandura 1925 - |
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This content was created by Sharon Eyrich. It is used with permission and should not be altered.