Diverse Pathways in Children's Learning

Abstract

This article argues the need for interpretations of cognition which acknowledge the truly diverse nature of learning in young children. To illustrate this, Partially Ordered Scaling of Items (POSI) analysis (Knight & Fischer, 1992) was applied to the domain of block play in a replication of Innes and King-Shaw's 1985 study. The 1985 study identified the developmental product sequences of block play as a linear hierarchy, ignoring the possibility of diverse pathways. The present replication of Innes and King-Shaw's work which used POSI analysis, enabled identification of several developmental pathways, illustrating the web like nature of conceptual advancement in this domain.