Development of verbal thinking and problem-solving among TshiVenda-speaking primary school children
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Date
2013-06
Authors
Muthivhi, Azwihangwisi E.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Faculty of Education, University of the Free State
Abstract
The paper presents findings of primary school children’s performance on classification and generalisation
tasks to demonstrate the fundamental connection between their verbal thinking processes and problemsolving,
on the one hand, and the practical activities of their society and culture, on the other. The results
reveal that, although children generally classify (or group) objects in ways that suggest abstract categorical
relations, they in fact employ heterogeneous thought processes rather than simply employing either
concrete-functional or abstract-theoretical modes of thinking. In addition to the concrete and abstract
modes, a third cognitive mode termed abstract-functional mode is posited as revealing the fundamental
connection between verbal thinking processes and the modalities of the specific sociocultural context of
these children’s learning and development. The findings have crucial implications for children’s schooling
and curriculum development, as they call for classroom pedagogy that accounts for, and interrogates the
heterogeneous nature of children’s thinking and conceptual development.
Description
Keywords
Vygotsky, Verbal thinking, Classification, Cognitive development
Citation
Muthivhi, A. E. (2013). Development of verbal thinking and problem-solving among TshiVenda-speaking primary school children. Perspectives in Education, 31(2), 22-32.