The Role of Equilibration in Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development and Its Implication for Receptive Skills: A Theoretical Study

Abstract

Piaget’s theory, which is at the center of cognitive approaches to psychology and learning, gave a significant importance to the construct of equilibration. This construct plays a paramount role in cognitive adaptation. It is the unifying factor, and thus the sufficient condition of cognitive development. An attempt was made in this paper to revisit the construct of equilibrium in the realm of cognitive development and relate it to the two receptive language skills, namely; listening and reading comprehension. Topics analyzed included, overview of Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, assimilation and accommodation in the process of equilibration and their role in cognitive adaptation, kinds of equilibration, schema theory, Rutherford’s neo-Piagetian view of assimilation and accommodation. Then the process of equilibration was related to the practical contexts and its implications and contributions to the listening and reading comprehension was described. It’s also described how critical thinking, schemata, assimilation, accommodation, and reading comprehension are interrelated to each other in implication section. Finally, Rutherford’s neo- Piagetian view is contributed to reading comprehension from socio-cultural perspective.