Children grow through different stages before reaching adulthood, according to Piaget’s development theory. All four stages are important, and the assessment should always be done based on the child’s age. The child’s assessment scope should include the current stage as well as the past stages but should not exceed the current. The assessor should use creative strategies to gain the child’s cooperation in the assessment. An eight-year-old child is under the concrete operational stage; the assessment should include his knowledge of Piaget’s first three stages and strategies the gain his cooperation.
There are typical development stages for eight years old child. At this age, the child continues to develop their abilities to think abstractly, reason logically, and solve problems. Abstract thinking includes using the body’s senses to learn about the things that can harm their health (Babakr et al., 2019). They as well want to be more independent in their health decisions as well as begin to question authority figures such as why they should adhere to doctor’s medical instructions.
One approach to assessing a child’s development would be to apply developmental theory based on Piaget. Piaget’s theory of cognitive development describes how children go about acquiring knowledge. He proposed four stages of cognitive development: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational. Each stage is characterized by a different way of thinking and understanding the world around them. Sensorimotor stage (0-2 years): children in this stage learn through their senses. Conversely, preoperational stage (2-7 years): in this stage, children can think symbolically. They can use language to represent objects and events that are not currently present. During the concrete operational stage (7-11), children can think logically about concrete objects and events. They can understand that an object exists even if it is not in front of them and understand how an event unfolds over time.
The third stage of Piaget’s development theory is concrete operational. It begins around age 7 or 8 (Kazi & Galanaki, 2019). During this stage, children gain the ability to think logically about concrete objects and events. They can also solve problems using reasoning and intuition (Sidik, 2020). This ability allows them to understand cause-and-effect relationships and make predictions. Additionally, children at this stage begin to see the world from other people’s perspectives. When assessing the child, I would test his knowledge of the functions of various objects used at home; likewise, present different medical equipment and then requests the child to name them. Apart from that, I would ask his role model what they want to be in the future, and why.
Concerning concrete events assessment, I would ask the child several questions regarding the most important events in his environment. First, the assessment question would be about the most memorable event at home, what made it special or memorable, and the event’s role in the community. Secondly, I would ask the child the events he would wish to engage in and why, together with what may happen if he does not engage in that given event. During the assessment, I would explain by the use of body senses experience. This is essential since this is under the sensorimotor stage; the child understands things better when explained using the body’s senses experience (Sidik, 2020). On the other hand, during the preoperational stage, children think symbolically; therefore, I would ask about objects and events that are far away to see whether the child will be able to understand.
Thirdly, regarding the concrete operational stage, I would ask him about different events and objects that are not around him to know if he can remember them and their functions. Stage four of the formal operation would not be appropriate because the child is eight years old and has not reached it. My assessment tactics would only cover the first three phases that the child has experienced. According to Piaget’s development theory, concerning the assessment finding, if the child had answered all the questions asked, especially on objects and events, he would have had better development. Some basic strategies can be used to gain a child’s cooperation during an assessment (Kazi & Galanaki, 2019). First is clearly explaining the purpose of the assessment and involving the child in deciding how to answer the questions. Another way would be breaking down the questions into simpler portions to avoid confusion, together with being patient and flexible when assessing the child.
In conclusion, Piaget’s development theory provides four stages that can be used to assess a child’s development. An 8-year-old child falls under the concrete operational stage; the assessment under this stage should entail their knowledge of objects and events likewise, their relationship with the people, and future predictions. Perfect knowledge of the first three development stages of Piaget’s development stages theory will symbolize better growth in the child. Suitable strategies should be applied to gain the child’s cooperation during the assessment.
References
Babakr, Z. H., Mohamedamin, P., & Kakamad, K. (2019). Piaget’s cognitive developmental theory: critical review. Education quarterly reviews, 2(3), 517-524.
Kazi, S., & Galanaki, E. (2019). Piagetian theory of cognitive development. The encyclopedia of child and adolescent development, 1-11. Web.
Sidik, F. (2020). Actualization of the Jean Piaget cognitive development theory in learning. Jurnal Pajar (Pendidikan Dan Pengajaran), 4(6). Web.