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A Case Study About Piagetian Task Conducted To 4-Year-Old and 7-Year-Old

Children

By:
Bagsit, Kemuel G.
Babao, Jeremiah John F.
Ladon, Lyka P.
Sto. Tomas, Lea Lynn R.
 Republika ng Pilipinas
Lungsod ng Batangas
Colegio ng Lungsod ng Batangas
Contact No. (043) 402-1450

Background of the Study

One of the most popular theories of cognitive development was created by Jean
Piaget, a Swiss psychologist who believed that cognitive growth occurred in stages.
Piaget studied children through to their teens in an effort to determine how they
developed logical thinking. He attempted to document the stages of cognitive
development by observing the memory processes of children. Jean Piaget's theory of
cognitive development suggests that children move through four different stages of
mental development. His theory focuses not only on understanding how children acquire
knowledge, but also on understanding the nature of intelligence. Piaget's stages are:

 Sensorimotor stage: birth to 2 years

 Preoperational stage: ages 2 to 7
 Concrete operational stage: ages 7 to 11
 Formal operational stage: ages 12 and up

We conducted Piagetian task to two children, ages 4 and 7. The first child’s name
is Chloe Leanette G. Bagsit. She is 4 years old and currently studying at Alangilan Day
Care Center. It appears that Chloe is in the Preoperational stage. The second child’s name
is Adrian Nicole S. Dino. She is 7 years old and a grade 1 pupil at Balagtas Elementary
School. Adrian Nicole is included in the Concrete Operational stage.

Piagetian Task is any of a variety of tasks developed by Jean Piaget to assess the
cognitive abilities of infants, children, or adolescents. (APA Dictionary) We used candies
in conducting the task. We put 5 candies on the child’s corner and 5 candies on our
corner. The first position was the same, the candies were horizontally placed in a table
and parallel to each other. We asked that if the we were the same and if we have the same
amount of candies. Then, we widen the gap of the candies in our corner and ask the same
question. That was the Piagetian Task that we used.

Observation

We put 5 candies on the child’s corner and 5 candies on our corner. The first
position was the same, the candies were horizontally placed in a table and parallel to each
other. The task was first conducted to Chloe, a 4-year-old girl. We asked, “magkapareho
ba tayo?” and she answered “Opo”. I asked again. “magkapareho ba ang bilang ng ating
candy?” and she replied “Opo” Then, we widen the gap of the candies in our corner and
asked, “Magkapareho paren ba tayo?”. She replied “Hindi na po” and we asked again,
“Eh magkapareho paren ba ang bilang ng candy natin?”. Chloe cannot answer us back
and she looks having a difficult time in answering the question.
 Republika ng Pilipinas
Lungsod ng Batangas
Colegio ng Lungsod ng Batangas
Contact No. (043) 402-1450

We tried the task to the second child, Adrian Nicole a 7-year-old girl. We did the
same and also ask the same question. We also put 5 candies on the child’s corner and 5
candies on our corner. The first position was the same, the candies were horizontally
placed in a table and parallel to each other. We asked, “magkapareho ba ang amount ng
candy natin?” She answered, “Opo”. Then, we widen the gap of the candies in our corner
and asked, “magkapareho paren ba ang amount ng candy natin?” and she replied
confidently, “Opo!”. Then we asked again, “Panu mo nasabi?” and she responded, “Wala
naman po kayong tinanggal o kaya naman po ay dinagdag”.

And that is the end of our experiment.

Analysis

We found out that Chloe a 4-year-old girl, the child in the preoperational stage is
still having confusion if the situation suddenly changes. Though she can answer the
question on the first scenario, she still having a hard time in thinking instantly. She is also
silent and just smiling on us when she doesn’t know the answer. It indicates that she
doesn’t know what to react or to answer if she can’t answer the question.

We found out that Adrian Nicole a 7-year-old girl, the child in the concrete
operational stage can follow even the situation has suddenly change. As long as she can
see the objects, she is sure what to answer. She is also confident in her answers, probably
because the questions are easy for her to answer. It shows that she knows how to think
and reason in a easy situation like the task given to her.

Conclusion

The preoperational stage occurs from 2 to 6 years of age, and is the second stage
in Piaget's stages of cognitive development. Throughout most of the preoperational stage,
a child's thinking is self-centered, or egocentric. According to Piaget, during the
preoperational stage a child has difficulty understanding life from any other perspective
than his own. In this stage, the child is very me, myself, and I oriented.

In concrete operational stage, children begin to represent objects and ideas in a

more logical way. While the thought process is not on the same level as an adult, they
begin to be more flexible in their thoughts and ideas. This allows them to solve problems
in a more systematic way, leading to more success in educational activities in school.
 Republika ng Pilipinas
Lungsod ng Batangas
Colegio ng Lungsod ng Batangas
Contact No. (043) 402-1450

Piaget believed that humans create their own understanding of the world. Children
first reflect on their prior experiences to understand a new concept and then adjust their
expectations to include the new experience. This means that children are continuously
constructing knowledge based on the newly presented ideas, which lead to long-term
changes. Piaget was more focused on the cognitive developments presented over time.