ABSTRACT
This chapter explores Piaget's theory of cognitive development. It concerns Piaget's study of the nature of knowledge development, also known as his 'epistemological project'. The chapter looks at his empirical approach to the study of children and explores the methods he used to carry out his research. It shows that the fundamental concerns that drove Piaget's work with respect to knowledge construction– the theoretical models he developed and the interpretive approach he used to inform those conclusions – are still relevant and useful today. J. P. Akpan and L. A. Beard argues that constructivism's key assumptions about the internal, organisational structures of knowledge acquisition and its operative nature have important implications for practice and considerable potential to improve the learning of all students. The chapter provides an introduction to Piaget's epistemological project, with its overarching goal to investigate the emergence of new, progressively more advanced forms of thinking and the construction of practical and conceptual knowledge.
