Early Childhood Education (ECE) NOCTI Practice Exam

Who was the first to scientifically study children and believed children learn by active exploration and constructing their own knowledge?

1. Jean Piaget

2. Lev Vygotsky

3. Albert Bandura

4. B.F. Skinner

The correct answer is: Jean Piaget

The first to scientifically study children and advocate that they learn through active exploration and the construction of their own knowledge is Jean Piaget. His theory of cognitive development emphasizes the role of interaction with the environment in learning. Piaget posited that children go through distinct stages of development and that they learn by engaging with their surroundings, experimenting, and forming understanding through experiences. Piaget's approach highlights the importance of hands-on activities, problem-solving, and play in a child's learning process. He believed that children are not merely passive recipients of information but are active participants in their learning, constructing their knowledge through personal experiences. In contrast, while Lev Vygotsky also focused on learning and development, his emphasis was on the social context and the influence of cultural tools, rather than primarily on individual exploration. Albert Bandura's work centered on observational learning and social learning theory, focusing on how children learn behaviors through the observation of others. B.F. Skinner was a behaviorist who concentrated on the role of reinforcement in shaping behavior rather than the cognitive process of learning through exploration.