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PEPSI Screening

Jordan Keegan

College of Southern Nevada

EDU 220: Principals of Educational Psychology

Dr. Hooks

February 27, 2022

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PEPSI Screening

Biography

The individual that I am observing is my thirteen-year-old brother, Richard Keegan. He

comes from a family of six and he is the youngest out of four children. Our household is African

American, Thai, and Irish. He was born in California and lived there until he was six years old.

Our father is a marine and was deployed for a while after he was born. Our family moved to

Nevada during the summer of 2015. Richard has always gone through public school since he was

in pre-school.

Being the youngest child, Richard carries some traits from his older siblings, and even

our parents. For example, he often shows the same mannerisms that our father and older brother

do. This includes the way he talks and interacts with people. Hughes says that “preschoolers’

interactions with peers are related to how they interact with their parents” (Slavin, 2020, p. 53).

Because he comes from a nurturing home, during preschool, he made many friends and had

positive interactions with them while playing together.

After moving to Nevada, Richard started attending a new school in an area in which he

was unfamiliar with. It was not hard for him to make friends, though. He slowly started to

become more comfortable. While becoming accustomed to the changes, he gained a boost of

self-esteem and self-concept. The idea of self-concept is about “the way in which we perceive

our strengths, weaknesses, abilities...” (Slavin, 2020, p. 53). Richard gained an understanding of

his strengths and abilities. He became confident in his abilities and showed this confidence

through his actions. For instance, he always shows excitement when he is about to play a sport,

and he plays confidently.

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Physical Development

Richard is 5 feet and 5 inches, and 110 pounds. According to the Centers for Disease

Control, “the average height for a 13-year-old boy is 5’1 3/4'”” and the average weight is 102

pounds. (JanetB, 2017). He is a very active child and plays outside almost every day. When he is

at school, he plays basketball and football. Although he is active, he does spend a lot of time

playing video games at home. While he plays games, he tends to eat snacks. He usually does this

when he gets home from school, and during the weekends. Hai Chun Sun notes that forms of

technology, including video games, have “been considered a leading cause of sedentary lifestyle

in youth…results in the rise of overweight and obesity” (2012). I believe that this only applies to

children who are not physically active. Richard balances both physical activity and his

technology use.

Richard does not eat breakfast, but he eats lunch and dinner with snacks in between.

During school, he eats the lunch that the school provides. However, he does not always eat all of

it. When he was younger, he did not eat as much as he does now. This makes sense because he is

older and needs more nutrients and energy. Sometimes, he will eat more than he usually does

because he has a big appetite. This appetite usually occurs after he is done with any physical

activity.

As for physical education, Richard has excelled and enjoys participating in it. Structured

physical activity in physical education has shown to “have beneficial effects on executive

functions…attention, concentration…” in 12- to 17-year-old adolescents. (Ericsson, 2019).

Structured physical activity is planned out by those who teach physical education. Unstructured

physical activity is not planned out as thoroughly. Richard has explained to me what he does in

PE and how he enjoys the activities that the class does.

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Emotional Development

I noticed that Richard’s mood shifts when a topic that he does not like comes up. For

instance, whenever someone brings up his homework, grades, or chores, he starts to look

annoyed or angry. I believe that he wants to avoid confrontation and only likes to focus on topics

that he is comfortable with. As mentioned before, during elementary school is when Richard

gained a sense of self esteem and self-concept. During the years of elementary school is when

“school becomes a major influence on development” (Slavin, 62). This influence also includes

the building of social skills. Richard’s self-esteem shifted when he reached middle school.

While observing him, I took note that Richard can be sensitive to criticism. When I ask if

he needs help with homework, he shows hesitance. When I do help him, his mood is affected

negatively. I can tell by the way he drags out his speech, and by his sluggish mannerisms.

Sometimes, he will stop working and do something else if he gets too frustrated. Because of this,

I am led to believe that he would rather deal with things on his own, rather than seeking help

from others.

Although he does not take criticism from others very well, I can see that he is very

critical of himself. When he is working on homework that is challenging, I notice that he mutters

discouraging words like “I can’t do this” or “I’m not good at this”. Along with this, his

mannerisms change. He will drag his hand on his face or move around in a tantrum-like manner.

When it comes to identity development, adolescents “critique their personal characteristics,

compare themselves to others, and try to change the way they are” (Slavin, 57). Richard tends to

critique himself and his actions, but it sometimes leaves him with a more negative outlook of

things.
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Philosophical Development

When it comes to moral reasoning, Richard understands what is morally right and wrong.

He knows and understands rules when they are told to him. In a study of children playing a

game, Piaget found that “before about the age of 6, children play by their own idiosyncratic,

egocentric rules” (Slavin, 2020, p. 48). This was true for Richard and the other children he

played with around that age. They would change the rules of games to fit what they want, and if

they were told to follow the rules, they would get upset. Now that he is older, he fully

understands and tends to follow the set rules.

Now that Richard is 13 years old, he has the capability to put himself in others’ shoes and

treat others the way he would like to be treated. In Piaget’s Stages of Moral Development, this is

the basis of the autonomous morality stage. He has this cognitive ability because of the “decrease

in egocentrism” that comes with becoming older. (Slavin, 2020, p. 50). Although he has respect

for others, he will sometimes have preconceived notions about others and may judge them.

When Richard does something wrong, he shows signs of guilt. He will say that he is sorry

and that he did not mean to do it. He fiddles with his hands and crosses his arms when he feels

guilty. He understands that he has done something wrong and feels bad for doing it. For

example, one day, he was playing a video game, and something had happened in the game to

upset him. He threw his controller out of frustration and ended up breaking it. When our father

had asked about it, Richard told him it was an accident and showed the previously mentioned

behavior.

Because he grew up in a nurturing household, he has a positive outlook on life. When it

comes to the topic of nature versus nurture, it is the environment that influences a child’s
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development. This includes encouraging them and showing positive reinforcement. Slavin states

that these types of influences in their environment “build skill, motivation, and self-confidence”

(2020, p. 24). Richard’s encouragement and support from family has, and still is building his

confidence and giving him the motivation to put effort into what he does.

Social Development

During his years in elementary school, Richard started to make friends and ended up

having a friend group. This friend group was made up of boys around the same age group. Slavin

notes that these types of friend groups usually occur, and it is a result of “the variety of abilities

and interests among young children” (2020, p. 55). These types of friend groups are normally

made in the early years of elementary school. As Richard grows up, his friend group becomes

more diverse.

Richard has a strong relationship with his brother, whom he looks up to. His personality

and way of talking is inspired by him. The relationships that children have with family,

especially with siblings, “affect relationships with peers” (Slavin, 2020, p. 55). He talks to his

friends the same way he talks to his family, and especially his brother. He shows a sense of

comfort around those who he is close to.

Since Richard is currently in middle school, he has shown signs of maturing. Because of

this, he is allowed to spend time with friends outside of school. After most school days, he

spends time with his friends at the park. According to Slavin, the time that children spend with

their friends “increases dramatically” as they become adolescents (2020, p. 58). Richard spends

almost the same amount of time with his friends as he does with his family, if not, more. Based

on Slavin’s words, this is normal for those his age.

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Intellectual Development

Richard is not interested in learning what he is taught in school. However, he likes

learning about topics outside of school. For instance, he likes to learn about cooking and the

development of video games, but he dislikes learning math subjects like pre-algebra. There are

many children who feel the same way. What he likes to learn, though, is different from his actual

intelligence. In Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development, the formal operational stage gives

adolescents the “ability to deal with potential or hypothetical situations” (Slavin, 2020, p. 29).

When he is faced with a challenge, Richard thinks of different ways to go about it, as well as the

possible outcomes.

When our family went to an escape room, Richard began to work on a coded lock that he

saw. He assumed that what was locked would help with escaping. He looked around for numbers

on the wall and in books. This is an example of transitivity, which is “the ability to infer a

relationship between two objects on the basis of knowledge of their respective relationships…”

(Slavin, 2020, p. 29). Richard can make logical inferences based on the situations that he is faced

with because of the change that comes along with his transition from childhood to adolescence.

Richard sometimes will think of hypothetical situations and contemplates what he would

do if they were to occur. For instance, when playing a game about the apocalypse, he began to

question the characters in the game. He told me that they should not be making noise and that

they should have come up with a plan before leaving their houses. Richard questions many

decisions made by fictional characters and real people. In Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive

Development, the ability to “reason about situations and conditions that have not been

experienced” comes along when children reach adolescence. (Slavin, 2020, p. 31).
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Graph
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Recommendations

In the area of physical development, Richard is doing very well. When it comes to his

height and weight, it is normal for his age range. He is very active, and he gains most of the

necessary nutrients from what he eats. I do recommend, though, that he eats breakfast every

morning. Having a well-balanced meal every morning, afternoon, and night is a very important

aspect in the development of children and adolescents. I also recommend that he does not eat too

many unhealthy snacks in a day while playing games. Overeating can occur while one is

distracted by something else.

As for emotional development, Richard does not verbally express how he is feeling, but

he shows it through his actions. I hope that he will be more open with his feelings and feel

comfortable speaking about it with people who he is close to and trusts. By doing so, he would

not have to hold in his emotions, and he will be able to have an outlet. I also suggest that his

teachers provide support for him and encourage him to ask for help whenever he needs it.

Richard’s philosophical development is mostly normal for his age range. His thought

process involves much critical thinking and understanding of what is going on around him. My

suggestion is for our parents to take the time to teach him more about what is morally right and

wrong. He already has a basic comprehension and understanding of this topic, but to have a more

in-depth explanation from those whom he looks up to would benefit his philosophical

development at his current age.

I recommend that for Richard’s social development, he should participate more in school

activities and clubs. He has tried out for sports, which is beneficial to this development, but by
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attending school gatherings, he can expand his circle of friends and even find create more

platonic bonds.

When it comes to Richard’s intelligence development, I recommend that he receives

tutoring for the subjects that he shows struggles in. Also, activities that were mentioned

previously can expand his knowledge and give him the opportunity to strengthen his critical

thinking. He may even also gain new skills that he can apply to everyday situations.
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References

Sun, H. (2012). Exergaming impact on physical activity and interest in elementary school

children. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 83(2), 212-20.

doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02701367.2012.10599852

Ericsson, I., PhD. (2019). PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND MUGI MOTOR SKILLS

TRAINING: A NINE-YEAR INTERVENTION STUDY WITH SOCIETAL GAINS IN

SWEDEN *. Current Politics and Economics of Europe, 30(2), 233-284. Retrieved from

http://ezproxy.library.csn.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/physical-

education-mugi-motor-skills-training/docview/2279748003/se-2?accountid=27953

Slavin, R. E. (2020). Educational Psychology: Theory and Practice. Pearson

JanetB. (2021, February 11). The average weight & height for a 13-year-old. Healthfully.

Retrieved February 27, 2022, from https://healthfully.com/average-weight-height-13yearold-

7417018.html