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CHAPTER 3

Social Contexts and


Socioemotional Development

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Learning Goals
1. Describe two contemporary perspectives on
socioemotional development: Bronfenbrenner’s
ecological theory and Erikson’s life-span
development theory.

2. Discuss how the social contexts of families, peers,


and schools are linked with socioemotional
development.

3. Explain these aspects of children’s socioemotional


development: self-esteem, identity, moral
development, and coping with stress.

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Social Contexts and
Socioemotional Development

Contemporary
Theories

Bronfenbrenner’s Erikson’s
Ecological Life-Span
Theory Development Theory

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Describe Bronfenbrenner’s theory
of socioemotional development!
Critics?

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Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological
Theory

Bronfenbrenner’s
theory focuses on
the social contexts
in which people live
and the people
who influence their
development.

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Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological
Theory cont’d
Microsystem: Direct interactions
with parents, teachers, peers, and
others.
Mesosystem: Linkages between
microsystems such as family and
school, and relationships between
students and peers.
Exosystem: Experiences in
settings in which a child does not
have an active role influence the
child’s experiences.

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Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological
Theory cont’d

Macrosystem: The broader


culture in which students and
teachers live.

Chronosystem: The
sociohistorical conditions of a
student’s development.

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Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Theory
Theory into Practice
Sid’s father left his family years ago and provides no support for
them. Sid and his three siblings live with their mother in a public
housing project for low-income families. They receive public
assistance in the form of reduced rent, money to live on, and
participation in a food program. Sid and his siblings receive free
school lunches, and do not have to pay the standard book rental
fee. In addition, they receive free medical care when ill or
injured, but Sid’s mother considers the care they receive to be
substandard. Recently, she contacted legal aid about obtaining
child support from her children’s father

Q.1: What aspects of Sid’s microsystem are discussed in


the example? Explain.

Q.2: What aspects of Sid’s exosystem are discussed in


the example? Explain.
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Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Theory
Theory into Practice
Sid’s father left them years ago and provides no support for the
family. Sid and his three siblings live with their mother in a public
housing project for low-income families. They receive public
assistance in the form of reduced rent, money to live on, and
participate in a food program. Sid and his siblings receive free
school lunches, and do not have to pay the standard book rental
fee. In addition, they receive free medical care when ill or
injured, but Sid’s mother considers the care they receive to be
substandard. Recently, she contacted legal aid about obtaining
child support from her children’s father.

Q.3: How is the mesosystem currently operating for


Sid? Explain.

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Bronfenbrenner’s Theory in the
Classroom

 Think about children


embedded in several
environmental systems
and influences
 Attend to connections
between school and
families
 Recognize the
importance of
community, culture, and
socioeconomic status

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What are the basic assumptions in
Erikson’s theory?

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Erikson’s Life-Span Development
Theory

 Development
proceeds in stages
 Each stage is
characterized by a
psychosocial
challenge or crisis
 Stages reflect the
motivation of the
individual

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Erik Erikson’s Eight Stages of Human
Development

8 - Integrity vs. despair


7 - Generativity vs. stagnation
6 - Intimacy vs. isolation
5 - Identity vs. identity confusion
4 - Industry vs. inferiority
3 - Initiative vs. guilt
2 - Autonomy vs. shame and doubt
1 - Trust vs. mistrust

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Erikson’s Human Development
Stages

1 - Trust vs. Mistrust Developed through


0–1 years consistent love and
support

2 - Autonomy vs. Independence fostered


Shame and Doubt by support and
1–3 years encouragement

3 - Initiative vs. Guilt Developed by exploring


3–5 years and accepting challenges

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Erikson’s Human Development
Stages

4 - Industry vs. Mastery comes from


Inferiority success and recognition
6 years–puberty
5 - Identity vs. Role Exploration of different
Confusion paths to attain a healthy
Adolescence identity

6 - Intimacy vs. Form positive, close


Isolation relationships with others
Early adult years

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Erikson’s Human Development
Stages

7 - Generativity vs. Transmitting


Stagnation something positive to
Middle Adulthood the next generation

8 - Integrity vs. Despair Life review and


Late Adulthood retrospective
evaluation of one’s
past

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Strategies for Erikson’s Stages of
Development

Initiative
 Encourage social play
 Have children assume responsibility
 Structure assignments for success
Industry
 Nourish motivation for mastery
 Be tolerant of honest mistakes
Identity
 Recognize that identity is multidimensional
 Encourage independent thinking
 Stimulate students to examine different
perspectives
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Social Contexts and
Socioemotional Development

Social Contexts
of Development

Families Peers Schools

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Describe the 4 different forms of
parenting style?

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Baumrind’s Parenting Styles
Neglectful Authoritarian
Parents are uninvolved. Parents are restrictive and
Children have poor self- punitive. Children tend to
control, don’t handle be socially incompetent,
independence well, and low anxious, and exhibit poor
achievement motivation. communication skills.

Indulgent Authoritative
Parents are highly Parents are nurturing and
involved but set few supportive, yet set limits.
restrictions. Children have Children are self-reliant, get
poor self-control. along with peers, and have
high self-esteem.

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The Changing Family
Working parents
 Nature of parents’ work matters
Children in divorced families
 The quality of parental relationships, timing of
divorce, use of support systems, type of custody,
SES, and quality schooling all affect children.
 Elementary school children did best when the
parent and the school environment were
authoritative.
Children in stepfamilies
 Show more adjustment problems than children in
intact families, especially during adolescence
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Ethnic and Socioeconomic Variations
in Families

Minority students
 Families tend to be larger; depend more
on the extended family for support
 Single parents are more common
 Less educated; lower income
Low-income parents
 Tend to value external characteristics
such as obedience and neatness
 See education as the teachers’ job

© 2009 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.


Ethnic and Socioeconomic Variations
in Families

Middle-class families
 Often place high value on internal
characteristics such as self-control
and delayed gratification
 See education as a mutual responsibility

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School-Family Linkages

Provide assistance Include


Communicate
to families families as
effectively with families
participants
about school programs
in school
and their child’s
decisions
progress

Encourage parents Involve families with


to be volunteers their children in
learning activities at
home

Coordinate community
collaboration

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Describe the term “peer status”?

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Peer Statuses

Popular Rejected
Frequently Seldom
nominated as “best
best friend; friend”;
rarely disliked often actively
by peers Neglected disliked by
Infrequently peers
“best
friend”;
not disliked
by peers

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Peer Statuses

Average Controversial
Receive both Frequently
positive and “best friend”;
negative peer often disliked
nominations by peers

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Friendships
Reflect: What is a friend?

Quality of
Friendships
Affect
Outcomes

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Early Childhood and
Elementary School

 Developmentally appropriate practices


 Early Childhood Approaches
 Reggio Emilia
 Montessori
 Academic versus child-centered

 Transition to elementary schools

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Schools for Adolescents
 Transition to Middle or Junior HS
 Stressful due to developmental changes
 Top-dog phenomenon
 Academic challenge
 Carnegie Corporation 1989
Recommendations
 Improving America’s High Schools
 High expectations for all students
 Improve drop-out rates

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Social Contexts and
Socioemotional Development

Socioemotional
Development

Moral Coping with


The Self
Development Stress

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Describe the terms self-concept
and self esteem.

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Self-Concept and Self-Esteem

Self-concept is a cognitive appraisal of our social,


physical, and academic competence.

Academic Social Cognitive Physical

Self-esteem is the affective or emotional


reaction to one’s self-concept.

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Improving Children’s Self-Esteem
 Identify causes of low self-esteem and areas
of competence important to the self
 Provide emotional support and social
approval
 Help children achieve
 Develop coping skills

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How can identity be described?

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Marcia’s Four Statuses of Identity

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Ethnic Identity …
“is an enduring aspect of the self that includes
a sense of membership in an ethnic group,
along with the attitudes and feeling related to
that membership” (Phinney, 2006) (as cited in
Santrock, 2009).
Positive ethnic identity
 Higher school engagement
 Lower aggression
 Navajo adolescents: higher self-esteem, school
connectedness, and social functioning

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Which theory about moral develoment
do you know?

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Kohlberg’s Levels of Moral
Development

 Preconventional Moral reasoning is


controlled by external
rewards and punishments.

 Conventional Internal standards are


imposed by others.

 Postconventional Morality is internal, not


based on external
standards.

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Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral
Development Theory into Practice

Sam starts to get out of his seat to sharpen his


pencil without permission. He stops because he
realizes that if he does, others might also do so and
this could result in disorder in the classroom.
Because of this, he understands that it is his duty to
follow the rules.

Q: At which of Kohlberg’s stages of moral development is


Sam functioning?

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Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral
Development Theory into Practice

Sam starts to get out of his seat to sharpen his


pencil without permission. He stops because he
realizes that if he does, he will be punished.

Q: At which of Kohlberg’s stages of moral development


is Sam functioning? Explain.

© 2009 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.


Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral
Development Theory into Practice

Sam starts to get out of his seat to sharpen his pencil


without permission. He stops because he realizes
that if he does, it will displease his teacher.

Q: At which of Kohlberg’s stages of moral development


is Sam functioning? Explain.

© 2009 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.


Care vs. Justice Perspective

Justice
perspective focuses
on rights of individuals

Care perspective
emphasizes
relationships and
concern for others

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Reflection & Observation
Reflection:
 Recall a cheating incident. What
factors influenced the decision to
cheat?

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Enter the Debate
Should teachers teach students values/morality?
YES NO

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Moral Education
1. Hidden Curriculum
School personnel serve as models of ethical
behavior.
Classroom rules and peer relationships transmit
positive attitudes to students.
2. Character Education
Schools take a direct approach to teaching moral
literacy and design an environment that rewards
proper behavior.

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Moral Education
3. Values Clarification
Schools design programs that allow students to
clarify their own values and understand the values of
others.
4. Cognitive Moral Education
Schools base programs on the belief that students
should learn to value things like democracy and
justice as moral reasoning develops.

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Moral Education
5. Service Learning
Schools encourage students to be involved in the
community by becoming a tutor, helping the elderly,
volunteering in hospitals or day care, etc.
6. Integrative Approach
Schools encourage students to be reflective moral
thinkers and committed to justice, and develop
children’s moral character.

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Crack the Case
The Case of the Fight

1. What are the issues in this case?


2. At what stage of moral development would
you expect these boys to be, based on the
information you have? What predictions can
you make regarding each boy’s sense of self
and emotional development?
3. What can you say about the boys’ mothers?

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Crack the Case
The Case of the Fight

4. What do you think about the punishment


that Luke received? How would you have
handled this situation?
5. What impact do you think this will have
on the boys’ future relationship? What
impact will it have on their attitudes
toward school?

© 2009 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.


Strategies for Coping with
Stress

 Reassure children
 Encourage talk
 Protect from re-exposure to stress
 Help make sense

© 2009 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.

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