An exploration of children's solution-thinking abilities

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dc.contributor.authorFlorek, Kristin A. Newharden
dc.contributor.committeechairMaxwell, Joseph W.en
dc.contributor.committeememberStremmel, Andrew J.en
dc.contributor.committeememberStith, Sandra M.en
dc.contributor.departmentFamily and Child Developmenten
dc.date.accessioned2014-03-14T21:50:05Zen
dc.date.adate2008-11-18en
dc.date.available2014-03-14T21:50:05Zen
dc.date.issued1996-04-30en
dc.date.rdate2008-11-18en
dc.date.sdate2008-11-18en
dc.description.abstractCombining techniques from Solution-Oriented Therapy and Vygotsky's theory of cognitive development, this study examines young children's abilities to respond to certain solution-oriented techniques. Developmentally, young children (ages up to five years) may have difficulty responding to abstract questions,. such as questions designed to generate solutions. According to Vygotsky's theory of cognitive development, children can be aided to understand more developmentally complicated concepts through a process called "scaffolding" (Wood, Bruner, & Ross, 1976). Adults or peers can provide scaffolding in the form of questions, clues, prompts, or modeling. Supplementing complex ideas with concrete objects can also aid the scaffolding process. In this qualitative study, five five-year-olds were interviewed using solution-focused questions and scaling questions based upon solution-oriented techniques. These techniques aid the search for solutions and the person's awareness of resources. Concrete props and questions were the primary scaffolding techniques employed. Results of this study suggest that young children are able to respond to the solution-oriented techniques used in this study and are able to generate a variety of potential solutions. Common resources the children recognize include words, ways of sharing, adults, toys, and friends/siblings. An awareness of individual differences is naturally important when interacting with children, as they each have unique experiences and resources. Because of the individual differences and the small sample size, these results have limited generalizability. Suggestions for future research are included. In addition, recommendations for other developmentally appropriate methods of adapting solution-oriented techniques when working with young children, primarily through play and stories, are proposed.en
dc.description.degreeMaster of Scienceen
dc.format.extent88 leavesen
dc.format.mediumBTDen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.otheretd-11182008-063151en
dc.identifier.sourceurlhttp://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-11182008-063151/en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/45842en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherVirginia Techen
dc.relation.haspartLD5655.V855_1996.F567.pdfen
dc.relation.isformatofOCLC# 35615086en
dc.rightsIn Copyrighten
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/en
dc.subjectVygotskyen
dc.subjectyoung childrenen
dc.subjectSolution-Oriented Therapyen
dc.subjectsocial cognitionen
dc.subject.lccLD5655.V855 1996.F567en
dc.titleAn exploration of children's solution-thinking abilitiesen
dc.typeThesisen
dc.type.dcmitypeTexten
thesis.degree.disciplineFamily and Child Developmenten
thesis.degree.grantorVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State Universityen
thesis.degree.levelmastersen
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Scienceen

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