MODULE 1

Human Development: Meaning, Concepts and Approaches

LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the of this, you should be able to:

1. Define human development in your own words.

2. Draw some principles f human development.
3. Distinguish two approaches to human development.

INTRODUCTION:

As you read and do the activity, you are undergoing the process of development. What principle govern
this development proven? What do experts say about development? These are the concerns of this module.

ACTIVITY: Here are pictures of Naschielle and Kenn. Each one is a bundle of possibilities. Describe what they were
before birth (their point of origin) and who they will they possibly be after unto adulthood. What will they possibly
become? Expound on your answers.

ANALYSIS:

After your predictions, Answer the following questions:

1. When you gave your own predictions as to the kind of child, adolescent and adult Naschielle and Kenn may
become and hypothesized on who they once were, you were referring to human development. What then
is development?
2. Will there be anything common in the pattern of development of Naschielle and Kenn? If yes what?
3. Will there be differences in the development, e. g. pace or rate of development? Hat and why?
4. Will the process of development take place very fast of gradually? Expound on your answer.
5. Do you believe that Naschielle and Kenn will continue to develop even in adulthood? Or will they stop
developing in adulthood?

ABSTRACTION:

Meaning of Human Development:

Human development is a pattern of movement or change that begins at conception and continuous through the
life span. Development includes growth and decline. This means that development can be positive or negative.
( Santrrock,2002).

Some major principles of human development

Here are some major principles of human development:

1. Development is relatively orderly. (http://www.cdipage.com/development.htm) Naschielle and Kenn
will ern to sit, crawl then walk before they can run. The muscular control of the trunk and the arms comes
earlier as compared to hands and fingers. This is the Proximodistal pattern. During infancy, the greatest
growth always occurs at the top-the head with physical growth in size, weight and future differentiation
gradually working its way down from top to bottom (for example, neck, shoulders, middle trunk and so
on). This is the cephalo-caudal pattern.
By understanding how characteristics develop, we can make relatively accurate and useful
prediction bout learners and design effective instructional strategies based on our knowledge of
development ( Santrocks, 2002)

2. While the pattern of the development is likely to be similar, the outcomes of developmental processes
and the rate of development are likely to vary among individuals, (http:
//www.cdipage.com/development.htm) – what were shared in the small group discussion on what
Naschielle and Kenn may becomewere premised on many “ifs”. Meaning if they come from a good home
with loving and caring parent they maybe develop into warm and responsible children, adolescents, and
adults. If they come from a deprived environment, they maybe develop into carefree and irresponsible
adolescents and adult.
Naschielle may develop faster and more favorably than kenn due to differences in here-

Dity and environment are different for different people, it seems obvious that individuals will
encounter factors that make them different from other individuals. As a result, we can expect
individuals differences in developmental characteristics and variation in the ages when people
will experience events that will influence their development.

3. Development takes place gradually, (http://www. Cdipage.com/development.htm) Naschielle and Kenn

won’t develop into pimply teenagers overnight. It takes years before they become one. In fact. That’s the
way of nature. The bud does not blossom suddenly. The seed does not germinate overnight.While some
changes occur in a flash of insight, more often it takes weeks, mnths, or years for a person to undergo
changes that results in the display of developmental characterestics.

4. Development as a process is complex because it is the product of biological, cognitive and socioemotional
process (Santrock, 2002),

Biological Process involves changes in the individual’s physical nature. The brains of Naschielle
and
Kenn develop. They will gain height and weight. They will experience hormonal changes when they reach
the period of puberty, and cardiovascular decline as they approach late adulthood, All these show the
biological processes n development.
Cognitve processes involve changes in the individual’s thought intelligence, and language.
Naschielle and Kenn develop from mere sounds to a word becoming two words, the two words becoming
a sentence. They would move on to memorizing their first prayer, singing Bayang Magiliw in every flag
ceremony to imagining what it would be like to be a teacher or a pilot, playing chess and solving a
complex math problem. All these reflect the role of cognitive process in development.
Socioemotional processes include changes in the individual’s relationships with other people,
changes in emotions, and changes in personality. As babies, Naschielle and Kenn responded with a sweet
smile when affectionately touched and frowned when displeased and even showed temper tantrum when
 they could not get or do what they wanted. From aggressive children, they maybe develop into a fine lady
and a gentleman or otherwise, depending on a myriad of factors, They may fall in love and get inspired for
life or may end up betrayed, deserted and desperate afterwards, All these reflect the role socioemotional
processes in development.
These biological, cognitive and socioemotional processes are inextricably intertwined. While
these processes are studied separately , the effect of one process or one factor on a person’s
development is not isolated from the other processes, If Kenn and Naschielle were undemourished and
trouble by the thought of father and mother about to separate, they could not concentrate on their
studies and consequently would fail and repeat. As a consequence, they maybe lose face and drop out of
school , revert to illiteracy, become unskilled, unemployed and so on and so forth. See how a biological
process, affect the cognitive process which in turn, affect the socioemotional process.

Two approaches to human development

If you believe that Nikki and Kenn will show extensive change from birth to adolescence , little or no
change in adulthood and decline in late old age, your approach to development is traditional. In contrast, if you
believe that even in adulthood developmental change takes place as it does during childhood, your approach is
termed life-span approach.
What are the characteristics of the life-span perspective? Paul Baltes (Santrock, 2002), an expert in Life-
span development, gives the following characteristics:
1. Development is lifelong , It does not end in adulthood . no developmental stage dominates
development
2. Development is multidimensional, Development consists of biological, cognitive , and socio-
emotional dimensions.
3. Development is plastic. Development is possible throughout the life-span
4. Development is contextual. Individual are changing being in a changing world.
5. Interpret the following quotations in relation to human development:
a. “Every man is in certain respects like all other men, like some other men, no other man. “
(Murray. H.A. & C. Kluckholn)
b. “Man is an unfinished project. He is always in the process of becoming”
6. In the light of researches on human development, which of the two approaches is closer to the truth
traditional or lifespan? Why?
7. If your approach to human development is traditional, are the characteristic of human development
from a life-span perspective acceptable? Explain your answer.

BIG IDEAS

Do the following to ensure mastery of the big ideas presented in this chapter.
1. Meaning of human development _____________________
2. Four principles of human development and their educational implications.

Principle Educational Implication

a.

b.
c.

d.

3. Patterns of development
a. The direction of growth following the cephalocaudal pattern is from _______________________
to the ________________________,
b. The direction of growth following the proximodistal pattern is from ______________________ to
the __________________________,
4. Two approach to human develompent

Traditional vs. Life Approach

Concept Approach
Traditional Life-span
Development during childhood

Development during adulthood

Development stage/s as focus of

study

5. Characteristics of human development from a life-span perspective.

Characteristic
s of human
development
 Socioemotional
processess

Cognitive Biological
Processess Processess

6. In one sentence, write the principle on human development expressed in this Venn diagram.

7. Discuss the meaning of the quotations written beneath the title of these Unit and Module. Relate the
quotation to your life.

RESEARCH

Research and read any research on human development. Give an absent of the research by stating
the:

1. Problem
2. Methods
3. Findings
4. Conclusions

TEST YOUR UNDERSTANDING

Put a √ check before a correct statement and an X before a wrong one. If you put X, explain why.

__________ 1. Development is a pattern of change.

__________ 2. Development is either growth or decline

__________ 3. From both traditional and life-span perspectives development is lifelong .

__________ 4. In the development process, there are things that hold true to all people.

__________ 5. Individuals develop uniformly

__________ 6. Development is predictable because it follows an orderly process.

__________ 7. Development is unidimensional.

__________ 8. Development takes place in a vacuum.

__________ 9. The effect of biological process on development is isolated from the effect of cognitive and

Socioemotional process.