BEd Bachelor of Education Bachelor of Education Learning and Development Principles 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which concept describes the tendency of humans to attribute their own successes to internal factors and failures to external factors?
- Fundamental attribution error
- Self-serving bias (Correct answer)
- Locus of control
- Learned helplessness
Correct answer: Self-serving bias
Self-serving bias is the tendency to credit oneself for successes (internal attribution) while blaming external factors for failures.
Question 2: According to information processing theory, which component holds information for active manipulation but has a very limited capacity?
- Long-term memory
- Sensory register
- Working memory (Correct answer)
- Episodic buffer
Correct answer: Working memory
Working memory (Baddeley) is the limited-capacity system where active thinking occurs; it can hold roughly 7±2 chunks of information at a time.
Question 3: A student with an internal locus of control is most likely to respond to a poor test grade by:
- Blaming the teacher for unclear instruction
- Increasing study effort for the next exam (Correct answer)
- Concluding the subject is too hard
- Avoiding the class in the future
Correct answer: Increasing study effort for the next exam
Students with an internal locus of control believe they can influence outcomes, so they respond to failure by adjusting their own behavior (e.g., studying harder).
Question 4: Which theorist proposed that moral development moves from heteronomous morality (rules as fixed) to autonomous morality (rules as social agreements)?
- Lawrence Kohlberg
- Jean Piaget (Correct answer)
- Carol Gilligan
- Erik Erikson
Correct answer: Jean Piaget
Piaget described two stages of moral development: heteronomous (rules come from authority) transitioning to autonomous (rules are mutually agreed upon).
Question 5: The 'readiness' principle in learning development suggests that instruction is most effective when:
- Content is presented before cognitive maturation allows
- Students are mature enough to benefit from the instruction (Correct answer)
- Teachers use only abstract concepts
- Rote memorization precedes conceptual understanding
Correct answer: Students are mature enough to benefit from the instruction
Readiness refers to the match between a learner's developmental level and the demands of the instruction; premature instruction is ineffective.
Question 6: Which assessment practice best supports formative use of data to adjust instruction in real time?
- End-of-unit standardized tests
- Annual state assessments
- Exit tickets and quick checks for understanding (Correct answer)
- Portfolio reviews at semester end
Correct answer: Exit tickets and quick checks for understanding
Exit tickets and quick checks provide immediate feedback within a lesson, allowing teachers to adjust instruction before misunderstandings solidify.
Question 7: A child who understands that pouring water into a taller, narrower glass does not change the volume has mastered which Piagetian concept?
- Object permanence
- Conservation (Correct answer)
- Seriation
- Reversibility
Correct answer: Conservation
Conservation is the understanding that quantity remains constant despite changes in shape or appearance, typically achieved in the concrete operational stage.
BEd Bachelor of Education Bachelor of Education Learning and Development Principles 4
Which concept describes the tendency of humans to attribute their own successes to internal factors and failures to external factors?