‘Learning-To-Learn’: A Neo-Piagetian Interpretation of the Potential for Learning

According to Pascual-Leone the fact that rates of cognitive development differ across cultures is evidence of the importance of learning, a factor that Piaget may have underemphasized. To characterize the sort of learning (academic performance) that takes place in a traditional classroom, three groups of children (7- to 10-yr.-olds, N = 94) were tested to assess development (Piaget's Cognitive Development and Pascual-Leone's M-power) and learning (Pascual-Leone's L-power, i.e., potential for learning). Analysis showed that the two developmental measures did not predict academic performance for two of the groups, whereas Pascual-Leone's L-power correlated significantly with academic performance for all three groups of children. It is concluded that Pascual-Leone's L-power can explain academic performance as a function of learning.