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PEPSI Screening

Valeria Ojeda

Professor Rochelle Hooks, EDU 220

College of Southern Nevada

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Biography

The child is fifteen years of age, is female, and is named Emely. The youngest of five,

she is the only child still living at home with her mother and step-father. Her parents divorced

when she was two and has no memory of her birth father who has not been involved in her life.

Being the baby in the family, she has gotten more lenient than her older siblings and school does

not seem like a priority. It is obvious she is witty, passionate, and a quick learner. With such good

qualities, she has a lot of potential to do great in school but teenage laziness seems to be a big

factor in her recent failing grades.

The family is in the lower middle class and both parents work full time jobs to support

the family and pay the bills. With sixteen around the corner, she is anxious to get her own job so

she can buy her own things and cell phone. The past school year the family moved and she

changed schools. This is when her grades went from bad to worse. After failing several classes,

her only option was summer school to make up her credits without being held back. Even though

she is in summer school, grades do not seem important. She had an opportunity to go to

Disneyland if she kept passing grades but even this did not give her the encouragement she

needed to try harder.

As a younger student, she did well in school and this could have been due to the fact that

her siblings still lived at home and were there to motivate and push her. Once she hit the age of

thirteen, her grades began slipping and in this last year, her grades have hit their lowest mark.

Motivation is lacking for her in school but she does have other interests. Music is a big part of

her life and she can play many instruments, most of which were self-taught. Her family

encouraged her to join band, but she does not seem interested in the class.
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Physical Development

Physical development affects each child at a different rate. The physical development for

teenagers is an important time and the rate at which it happens can be slow or fast. Puberty is a

main factor during this stage and it is visibly affecting Emely in a negative way. She is tall for a

girl her age and this causes more attention than she may want. It is obvious that she is self

conscious of her body but this is something many children her age are experiencing. “While

puberty involves a series of biological, or physical transformations, the process can also have an

effect on the psychosocial and emotional development of the adolescent'” (Mersch, John).

Not only is puberty affecting her attitude, it is affecting her attendance in school. She

often says that she is suffering from all sorts of aches and pains and her mother lets her stay

home from school. Even though she is told about the importance of her attendance, her attitude is

very indifferent about it. It is also apparent that Emely’s emotions are hard for her to control.

“Recent research suggests that teens’ brains are not fully developed until late in adolescence.

This could explain why some teens seem to be inconsistent in controlling their emotions,

impulses, and judgements'” (Morgan, Erin). This is evident in Emely and seems to be a great

struggle for her. A lot of her decision making is inconsistent and she does not realize these

inconsistencies even when she is told about them.

Another physical development trait that is obvious in Emely is her sleep patterns. She has

a hard time falling asleep at night and waking up early for school. “The brain resets the body

clock during puberty. Children going through puberty need more sleep than they did just before

puberty started” (Physical Changes in Adolescence). This is very obvious for Emely and

sometimes she misses the first part of school because of waking up late and missing the bus. The

physical development stage seems to be a difficult time for Emely and her struggles are apparent.
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Emotional Development

The emotional development stage for teenagers is also a difficult time. Minor problems

can easily be blown out of proportion and it is apparent that Emely is an emotional girl. She

seems to be very passionate about her opinions and views of the world and she lets her emotions

play a big part in this. Her opinion about the importance of school is very obvious and she feels

that she does not have to do well in school to be successful in life. By letting her emotions get

the better of her, she is showing signs of delinquency. “Delinquents are usually low achievers

who have been given little reason to believe that they can succeed by following the path laid out

for them by the school” (Slavin, Robert). Emely is not completely dedicated to the idea that

school is not for her, but she is definitely showing signs that it may happen.

Emely’s emotional development, however, seems to be normal for a child her age. “Most

adolescents experience emotional conflicts at some point and for most adolescents, emotional

distress is temporary and is successfully handled” (Slavin, Robert). Every child this age

experiences similar emotions and feelings and Emely is no different. Even though her emotions

at times seem to affect her in a negative way, she also uses her emotions to make good choices

and does not seem to let peer pressure wear her down.

A piece that may play a big role in her emotional development is the changing of high

schools. Emely began a new school halfway through her freshman year and this could be the

reason for her high emotions. “The transitions from elementary to middle school or junior high

and then on to high school can also be quite stressful” (Slavin, Robert). With these changes,

Emely may be experiencing a higher emotional stress level.

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Philosophical Development

“As people develop their cognitive abilities, their understanding of moral problems also

becomes more sophisticated” (Slavin, Robert). This is very apparent in Emely’s case. She is able

to use her moral reasoning in a lot of her decision making and it is impressive to see her maturity

level shine through. She talks about bad decisions her friends make and that this is something

that she would not do. Emely is at a very important age for this stage and her moral reasoning is

at an impressive level.

It is obvious that Emely is a smart girl, and she is visibly learning day by day things that

are right and wrong. She is putting a lot of her reasoning to use when in social situations in

school. “Resolving conflicts with peers weakened children’s reliance on adult authority and

heightened their awareness that rules are changeable and should exist only as the result of mutual

consent” (Slavin, Robert). This is something Emely sees on a daily basis and she is very quick in

her reasoning and problem solving. She will continue to learn in this stage and if she keeps going

at the same pace, her moral reasoning and cognitive development will stay above her peers.

Even though Emely is handling this stage of development well, she does struggle in

certain areas. She still has a lot of ignorance about things she does not agree with and this could

cause issues with peers. She is very passionate about her opinion and does not listen to others

ideas very well (unless they are her close friends). As she gets older, she will learn ways of

sharing her opinion without being overbearing. “As children improve their cognitive skills, they

are also developing self-concepts, ways of interacting with others, and attitudes toward the

world” (Slavin, Robert).

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Social Development

Social development for a child of fifteen is an important stage. Emely is definitely

flourishing in this stage. Not only is it apparent that she is a very social teen but she seems to

enjoy the social aspect of school more than any other part. She is beginning to form her view of

the world and where she stands on these issues. “One of the first signs of early adolescence is the

appearance of reflectivity, the tendency to think about what is going on in one’s own mind and to

study one-self” (Slavin, Robert). Emely is visibly growing and learning in her social

development and it is impressive to watch.

Another part of social development that Emely is doing well in is her relationships with

peers. She is very sociable and often talks about her friends and they seem to play a big part in

her daily routine. “In general, the amount of time spent with friends increases dramatically;

adolescents spend more time with their peers than they do with family members or by

themselves” (Slavin, Robert). This is very true for Emely. She often does not want to stay at

home, but would rather leave and hang out with her friends. It is also apparent that her friend’s

opinions matter a great deal to her when family member’s opinions do not.

Also, Emely’s self-concept and self-esteem appear to be normal for her age. She is going

through many body changes and her self-esteem is affected but not in a way to cause worry.

“Self-esteem is lowest as children enter middle school or junior high school and the onset of

puberty” (Slavin, Robert). Even though she may seem unsure of herself at times, Emely’s

self-esteem is at a normal level for her age and she seems to have a normal level of confidence.

Intellectual Development

Emely is at an important age for intellectual development. Her way of thinking is

beginning to change and she often talks about things she plans to do in the future. “During
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adolescence the individual’s rapidly changing physiology, coupled with pressures to make

decisions about future education and career, creates the need to question and redefine the

psychosocial identity established during the earlier stages” (Slavin, Robert). Even though her

intellectual development seems to be growing at the normal pace, her future plans are not

realistic and do not involve her education.

One area in Emely’s intellectual development that seems to be lacking is some of her

reasoning. Her future plans do not involve furthering her education yet she plans on living in an

expensive city and her reasoning is not realistic in this situation. She views her education as not

important and does not realize that she needs it in order to have a successful career. As she gets

older and matures more, her ideas about her future are likely to change and she will hopefully

realize the importance of her education. Two older siblings are currently in college and they are

providing good role models for her to look up to. “The way in which children progress from one

stage to the next is by interacting with others whose reasoning is one or, at most, two stages

above their own” (Slavin, Robert).

Emely is also obviously expanding her way of thinking about the word around her. She is

realizing that the world does not revolve around her and it affects her way of thinking. This is

normal for others her age and she is on the right track to expanding her way of thinking about the

world around her. Her friends have a big impact on her growth in this area and she looks up to

them in many ways. “By continually interacting and cooperating with other children, the child’s

ideas about rules and, therefore morality begin to change” (Slavin, Robert).
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PEPSI Chart Showing Emely’s Initial Profile

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Recommendations for Teachers/Parents

After viewing Emely in each of the developmental stages, she is overall at a normal level

with a few spots of minor concern. Her biggest issue is motivation to get to school and wanting

to stay. She lacks the motivation needed to go to school every day and her absences are

something to worry about. One solution for this would be to find her a reason to look forward to

school every day. If Emely had a class/club/sport that she was passionate about, this would help

get her motivated to go to class and to do well. She loves music and she likes to be the center of

attention with her peers, so a music class or even drama would be a good choice for her and it

would be somewhere she could thrive.

Another area where Emely struggles is her outlook on her future education. She feels that

furthering her education is not necessary to have a successful career. She sees celebrities and

people on television who became wealthy by chance and seems to think this could happen to her.

One solution for this would be to surround her with positive role models. Emely has two siblings

who are currently enrolled in college and if they were to take some time and talk to her, it could

make a big difference.

Another solution that will help her realize that she needs to further her education is for

her to get a job once she turns sixteen. Once she is working, she will soon realize how hard and

how many hours she will have to work to make a decent living. Another solution that might help

Emely’s overall attitude is having a good teacher student relationship. If her teachers reached out

to her and expressed how much potential she has to be successful it could give her the push she

needs to be more motivated. When asked about her teachers, she seems to not care about them

and what they are teaching. Even though Emely has a few speed bumps coming her way, if she is
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able to get the motivation she needs to get to school and realize how important it is, she will do

great things.
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References

Mersch, John. “Teen: Child Development (12-17 Years Old).” MedicineNet.com. N.p., 21 Oct.

2014. Web.

Morgan, Erin. "Adolescent Growth and Development." Pubs.ext.vt.edu. N.p., 8 Feb. 2012. Web.

"Physical Changes in Adolescence." N.A. Raisingchildren.net. N.p., 1 Jan. 2016. Web.

Slavin, Robert E. Educational Psychology Theory and Practice. 11th ed. N.p.: Pearson, n.d.

Print.