OAE Early Childhood Education Child Development Theories 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Lev Vygotsky's concept of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) refers to:
- Tasks a child can complete independently
- The gap between what a child can do alone and what they can do with guidance (Correct answer)
- The maximum potential a child will ever reach
- Social skills developed through peer interaction
Correct answer: The gap between what a child can do alone and what they can do with guidance
The ZPD is the range of tasks a child can accomplish with skilled assistance but not yet independently.
Question 2: In Erikson's psychosocial theory, the crisis faced by toddlers (ages 1-3) is:
- Trust vs. Mistrust
- Initiative vs. Guilt
- Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt (Correct answer)
- Industry vs. Inferiority
Correct answer: Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt
Toddlers struggle with Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt as they develop independence in walking, talking, and self-care.
Question 3: Which theorist introduced the concept of 'scaffolding' as a teaching strategy?
- Jean Piaget
- Urie Bronfenbrenner
- Jerome Bruner (Correct answer)
- B.F. Skinner
Correct answer: Jerome Bruner
Jerome Bruner coined the term 'scaffolding' to describe temporary support given to learners that is gradually removed as competence grows.
Question 4: According to Piaget, a child who understands that a tall, thin glass and a short, wide glass can hold the same amount of water has developed:
- Object permanence
- Conservation (Correct answer)
- Egocentrism
- Seriation
Correct answer: Conservation
Conservation is the understanding that quantity remains the same despite changes in shape or appearance, mastered in the concrete operational stage.
Question 5: Bronfenbrenner's microsystem includes:
- Cultural values and societal norms
- Connections between different settings the child is in
- Immediate environments like family, school, and peers (Correct answer)
- Government policies affecting child services
Correct answer: Immediate environments like family, school, and peers
The microsystem is the innermost layer of Bronfenbrenner's model and consists of the child's direct, face-to-face environments.
Question 6: Albert Bandura's Social Learning Theory emphasizes that children learn by:
- Operant conditioning through rewards and punishments
- Observing and imitating the behavior of others (Correct answer)
- Progressing through fixed cognitive stages
- Resolving unconscious psychosexual conflicts
Correct answer: Observing and imitating the behavior of others
Bandura argued that observation, imitation, and modeling are primary mechanisms through which children learn new behaviors.
Question 7: A child in Piaget's preoperational stage (ages 2-7) who believes the sun follows them to school is demonstrating:
- Animism
- Conservation
- Centration
- Egocentrism (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Egocentrism
Egocentrism is the preoperational child's inability to see the world from any perspective other than their own.
OAE Early Childhood Education Child Development Theories 2
Lev Vygotsky's concept of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) refers to: