Applying piaget’s stages of intellectual development and guilford’s structure of intellect model to training instructional developers

Abstract

This article states and gives evidence that (1) there is a set of underlying skills required by the instructional developer to enable him or her to learn and apply specific ID skills; (2) these underlying skills take the form of a cognitive strategy—an internal thought and control process; (3) this cognitive strategy underlying ID is an internal problem solving process; (4) the components of this internal problem solving thought and control process underlying ID can be identified based on the theoretical frameworks of (a) Piaget’s formal operational thought and (b) Guilford’s structure of intellect model. In addition, this article reports the results of a preliminary study that indicate a strong relationship between formal operational thought and the ability to do ID. This article concludes that: There is little evidence that the cognitive strategy underlying ID can be taught to adult learners at all, and, if it can be taught, it can only be done (a) indirectly, by providing favorable conditions through instructional strategies and (b) over a long period of learning and practice. Consequently (1) more research is necessary; (2) we should use instructional strategies that create “favorable conditions” for developing cognitive strategy in our students; and (3) if we cannot teach the internal problem solving cognitive strategy that underlies ID, then we must use it as a screening device when selecting students for graduate ID programs.