CHILDREN'S THINKING IN BOTSWANA: PIAGET TASKS EXAMINED*

This Piaget replication study was done in Botswana. Six tasks were completed by 554 primary school children from urban, rural, and traditional village environments. Conservation of number, length, mass and weight, seriation and classification exercises were carried out using materials commonly found in the culture. Previous studies by other investigators have compared schooled and unschooled subjects in other African countries, but often unschooled subjects were from rural areas, so the environmental effects could not be isolated. In this study comparisons were made between students in the three environments, between age groups, and between male and female subjects. Urban children completed tasks at an earlier age than those from other environments. In general, the results are similar to findings from other African countries.     

GROUP TRAINING OF CONSERVATION SKILLS WITH CHILDREN FROM A NON-TECHNOLOGICAL CULTURE*

Group training of conservation of length was undertaken with primary school children in Botswana. Each group contained 10 subjects of mixed academic ability. Three methods of training were used: (1) teacher demonstration accompanied by responsive group recitation, (2) limited manipulation of training materials by students, (3) full manipulation of training materials by students. The three training methods were effective in producing learning, retention, and generalization of conservation. The results are discussed in terms of Piaget's views on the role of environmental influences and the function of action in the development of cognitive structures. The value of Piagetian concepts for non-technological societies also is discussed.