Welcome to "The Influence of Theories in Early Years Settings"
Welcome to your study notes for Unit AS 4: Safeguarding Children. In this chapter, we explore how famous psychological theories directly shape how early years practitioners care for, teach, and protect children aged 1 to 8 years.
Don't worry if psychological theories sound intimidating at first! Think of each theory as a practical "pair of glasses." Each pair gives staff a unique way of looking at a child's behaviour, learning, and emotional needs. By understanding these theories, staff can create safe, stimulating environments where every child thrives.
In this unit, you will examine how theories influence four main areas of practice in early years settings:
1. Encouraging learning (how children explore and understand the world)
2. Promoting language development (how children communicate)
3. Managing behaviour (how staff encourage positive actions and guide children)
4. Settling policies (how staff help children feel safe, secure, and confident when separating from parents/carers)
The 6 Core Theories in Early Years Practice
1. Jean Piaget – Cognitive Development and Constructivism
The Core Idea: Piaget believed that children are not just "empty vessels" waiting to be filled with facts. Instead, they are little scientists who actively construct their own understanding of the world by exploring, touching, and experimenting. This is called constructivism.
Key Concept to Remember: Discovery and Readiness. Children learn best when they are physically active and developmentally ready for a task.
How Piaget Influences Early Years Practice:
• Encouraging Learning: Settings provide hands-on, active learning opportunities (e.g., sand and water play, building blocks, sensory bins). Rather than giving children direct answers, staff set up stimulating environments where children discover concepts like volume, balance, and gravity for themselves.
• Promoting Language Development: Staff ask open-ended questions like "What do you think will happen if we add more water?" to prompt thinking and descriptive language.
• Age-Appropriate Planning: Staff match activities to the child's cognitive stage so the child is neither frustrated by tasks that are too hard nor bored by tasks that are too simple.
Everyday Analogy: Imagine reading a manual about how to ride a bicycle versus actually getting on a bike and trying it out. Piaget says children learn best by getting on the bike!
Key Takeaway for Piaget: Learning is an active, physical process of discovery. Staff must provide hands-on resources and allow children to explore freely.
2. Lev Vygotsky – Social Constructivism
The Core Idea: While Piaget focused on independent discovery, Vygotsky argued that children learn through social interaction. Learning happens first between people (socially) and is then internalised by the child.
Key Concepts to Remember:
• The Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD): The gap between what a child can do all by themselves and what they can achieve with a little help from someone else.
• Scaffolding: The temporary support given by an adult (or a more capable peer) to help a child master a new skill, which is gradually removed as the child becomes independent.
• More Knowledgeable Other (MKO): Anyone who has a better understanding or higher ability level than the learner (e.g., a practitioner, parent, or older child).
How Vygotsky Influences Early Years Practice:
• Encouraging Learning: Staff use scaffolding during activities. For example, when a 3-year-old struggles with a jigsaw puzzle, the practitioner might say, "Let's find all the straight edge pieces first!" providing just enough structure for the child to succeed.
• Promoting Language Development: Vygotsky highlighted language as the primary tool for thought. Staff constantly model rich vocabulary, narrate play, and encourage group discussions and cooperative play.
• Peer Collaboration: Staff pair children of mixed abilities together so they can learn from one another.
Everyday Analogy: Think of scaffolding on a building under construction. It supports the building while it is being made, but once the structure is strong enough, the scaffolding is taken away.
Key Takeaway for Vygotsky: Children learn through guided social interaction and communication. Adults act as supportive guides (scaffolders).
3. B.F. Skinner – Operant Conditioning
The Core Idea: Skinner believed that behaviour is learned through consequences. If a behaviour is followed by a positive consequence, it is likely to be repeated. If it is ignored or followed by an unpleasant consequence, it is likely to stop.
Key Concepts to Remember:
• Positive Reinforcement: Giving a reward (e.g., praise, a sticker, a smile) immediately after a desired behaviour to encourage the child to do it again.
• Negative Reinforcement: Removing an unpleasant stimulus when a desired behaviour occurs.
• Extinction / Planned Ignoring: Ignoring minor attention-seeking unwanted behaviours so they stop occurring.
How Skinner Influences Early Years Practice:
• Managing Behaviour: Early years settings use positive reinforcement extensively. Staff use reward charts, "star of the day," stickers, high-fives, and specific verbal praise (e.g., "Thank you for sharing the crayons so nicely, Liam!").
• Establishing Routines: Consistent praise when children follow hygiene rules (like washing hands before snack time) reinforces good habits.
• Consistency: Staff apply clear and predictable boundaries across the setting so children understand what behaviours earn positive attention.
Common Mistake to Avoid: Don't confuse negative reinforcement with punishment! In early years settings, the main focus of Skinner's theory is on positive reinforcement to build desirable habits.
Key Takeaway for Skinner: Catch children being good! Specific praise and positive reinforcement encourage positive behaviour and cooperation.
4. Albert Bandura – Social Learning Theory
The Core Idea: Bandura showed that children learn by observing the actions of others and seeing the consequences of those actions. This is known as observational learning or modelling.
Key Concepts to Remember:
• Role Models: People whom children look up to and copy (practitioners, parents, older peers).
• Modelling & Imitation: Demonstrating a behaviour so that children can copy it.
• Vicarious Reinforcement: When a child sees another child being praised for a behaviour (e.g., tidying up toys), they copy that behaviour so they can get praise too.
How Bandura Influences Early Years Practice:
• Managing Behaviour: Practitioners act as positive role models at all times. They speak with polite language ("please", "thank you"), resolve conflicts calmly, and treat everyone with respect.
• Promoting Language: Staff model correct grammar and pronunciation. If a child says "I runned fast," the practitioner replies, "Yes, you ran very fast!" without harsh correction, allowing the child to hear and imitate the correct form.
• Social Skills: Staff demonstrate how to take turns and share during group activities.
Memory Trick: Bandura = "Monkey see, monkey do." Children watch what adults do much more closely than what adults say!
Key Takeaway for Bandura: Practitioners must constantly model the respectful, calm, and positive behaviour they want to see in children.
5. Erik Erikson – Psychosocial Development
The Core Idea: Erikson proposed that personality develops in stages across the lifespan. At each stage, a child faces a specific emotional and social conflict or "crisis" that must be resolved positively to develop healthy self-esteem and social confidence.
Key Stages Relevant to Early Years (Ages 1 to 8):
• Stage 1: Trust vs. Mistrust (0–18 months): Infants learn whether they can trust adults to meet their basic physical and emotional needs.
• Stage 2: Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt (18 months–3 years): Toddlers strive for independence (e.g., feeding themselves, toilet training, choosing toys). If encouraged, they develop confidence; if overly criticised, they feel doubtful.
• Stage 3: Initiative vs. Guilt (3–6 years): Children take initiative in play, make up games, and ask questions. If supported, they become adventurous leaders; if discouraged, they feel guilty about their desires.
• Stage 4: Industry vs. Inferiority (6–12 years): Children take pride in mastering new academic and physical skills. Positive encouragement builds competence; repeated failure without support causes feelings of inferiority.
How Erikson Influences Early Years Practice:
• Settling Policies & Emotional Security: Nurturing key workers build a secure sense of trust for toddlers starting nursery.
• Encouraging Independence (Autonomy & Initiative): Settings provide child-height coat pegs, self-serve snack tables, and accessible toy shelves so children can do things for themselves.
• Managing Behaviour with Encouragement: Staff praise children's efforts rather than just final products to prevent feelings of shame or guilt when mistakes happen.
Key Takeaway for Erikson: Early years settings must provide safe opportunities for children to make choices, build independence, and develop self-confidence.
6. John Bowlby – Attachment Theory
The Core Idea: Bowlby stated that human infants have an innate biological need to form a close, secure emotional bond (an attachment) with a primary caregiver. A secure attachment provides a "safe base" from which the child can explore the world.
Key Concepts to Remember:
• Secure Base: A trusted adult who provides safety and reassurance.
• Separation Anxiety: Distress experienced by a young child when separated from their main attachment figure.
• Internal Working Model: A child's mental blueprint for future relationships, shaped by their early attachment experiences.
How Bowlby Influences Early Years Practice:
• Settling Policies (The Key Person System): Early years settings assign each child a designated Key Person. This practitioner builds a special, close relationship with the child and their family, greeting them each morning and offering comfort when the parent leaves.
• Gradual Settling-in Periods: Settings organise staggered start times or short visits with parents present, allowing the child to build trust in the new environment gradually.
• Comfort and Reassurance: Staff welcome transition objects from home (e.g., a favourite blanket or teddy) to help soothe separation anxiety.
Everyday Analogy: Think of a secure attachment as an anchor on a boat. When the anchor is firmly set, the boat can sway and explore the water safely without drifting away into danger.
Key Takeaway for Bowlby: Emotional security comes first. Children cannot learn or play effectively unless they feel safe, secure, and attached to a trusted adult.
Quick Reference: Matching Theories to Early Years Practice
Here is a handy summary connecting each area of practice to the theories that influence it:
• Promoting Language Development:
- Vygotsky: Scaffolding discussions, adult-child dialogue, and cooperative peer play.
- Bandura: Staff modelling correct vocabulary, tone, and grammar.
- Piaget: Open-ended questions linked to hands-on exploration.
• Managing Behaviour:
- Skinner: Praise, sticker charts, reward systems, and positive reinforcement.
- Bandura: Practitioners acting as calm, respectful role models for children to imitate.
- Erikson: Guiding behaviour gently without shaming the child.
• Encouraging Learning:
- Piaget: Discovery play, sensory activities, and age-appropriate learning resources.
- Vygotsky: Guiding children through their Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) with scaffolding.
- Erikson: Allowing children to choose activities independently (promoting initiative and autonomy).
• Settling Policies:
- Bowlby: Key person approach, gradual settling-in visits, and comforting separation anxiety.
- Erikson: Building a sense of basic trust in the environment and staff.
Top Tips for the AS 4 Assessment Task (Section C)
In your coursework report for AS 4: Safeguarding Children, Task C asks you to discuss how two theories could influence practice in your chosen setting for a child of a specific age (between 1 and 8 years).
1. Always Link Theory Directly to Practical Staff Actions:
Do not just explain what Piaget or Bowlby said in books. You must explain what practitioners actually do in the nursery or classroom because of the theory (e.g., "Because of Bowlby's theory, the nursery implements a key person system where...").
2. Keep it Age-Specific:
Make sure your examples match your chosen age. For a 2-year-old, Bowlby's settling policy and Skinner's simple praise for potty training are very relevant. For a 7-year-old, Bandura's peer modelling and Vygotsky's group scaffolding for reading tasks are great examples.
3. Use Key Theoretical Terms Correctly:
Show the examiner your knowledge by using terms like scaffolding, positive reinforcement, role modelling, secure base, and constructivism accurately in context.
Quick Review Quiz
Check your understanding with these three quick questions:
1. Which theorist introduced the concept of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and scaffolding?
Answer: Lev Vygotsky.
2. Which policy in early years settings is most heavily influenced by John Bowlby's attachment theory?
Answer: Settling policies and the Key Person system.
3. What is the main technique from Skinner's operant conditioning used to encourage good behaviour in early years settings?
Answer: Positive reinforcement (such as specific praise, stickers, or rewards).