THE DEVELOPMENT OF OPERATIONAL THINKING IN PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN:AN EXAMINATION OF SOME ASPECTS OF PIAGET’S THEORY AMONG THE ITESO CHILDREN OF UGANDA.

Abstract

An investigation patterned after Piaget’s work was carried out among Iteso children of Uganda. The main aim was to examine the validity of certain aspects of Piaget's theory in a non-Western, rural population, and the relevance of the Piagetian, approach to education in Uganda. The present investigation employed a standardized interviewing procedure, using Piagetian tasks to investigate two questions. The first question related to the validity of the sequence of development of logical abilities as stated in Piaget's theory. The second question dealt with the Piagetian claim that conservation, seriation, and classification develop concurrently. The subjects were 160 children from two rural primary schools in Teso District in the eastern region of Uganda. In each school 20 children were taken from each of the alternate classes P1, P3, P5 and P7. There were 20 boys and 20 girls in each of-the two lower classes there were 32 boys in P5, and only eight girls. In P7 there were 30 boys and ten girls. Altogether there were 102 boys compared to 58 girls, covering the age range of about six to 14 years. An interview schedule consisting of a total of 13 conservation, seriation, and classification tasks was used to investigate the questions. Interviews were carried out in the schools.