Week 2 - Thoughts about TIP Chps 5-7

After reading the chapters in “Lenses on Reading”, it is evident that the curiosity surrounding the ability to read has culminated in a considerable amount of empirical research and theoretical concepts that have immensely contributed to the advancement of literacy in young children. For example, the applicability a Piaget’s work in child development has withstood the test of time. While many theoretical concepts such as Maturation Theory have been refuted, Piaget’s stages of child development remain as one of the most important contributions to literacy, child development, and child psychology.
In the previous sentence I mentioned Maturation Theory as not having withstood the test of time. I have taken classes in Child Psychology and have never heard of this theory until I read the assigned chapters. Well…maybe have I heard of the theory and forgot about it! Probably with good reason! Lol! The most dubious aspect of the Maturation theory is the research that convinced Morphett and Washburne that there theory was applicable. The book mentioned that their research concluded that children with a mental age of 6 years and 6 months did better than younger children in the area of reading achievement. I am no experiment in literacy or language acquisition but I don’t see how the results of there experiment was prolific enough to be the basis of learning instruction and literacy curriculum for early children for almost 20 years! Especially considering that during this time Piaget’s theory was the model of child development in children. The Maturation theory would be in direct conflict with the pre-operational phase (the primary period of language acquisition) in Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development.