EU LP Module. UNIT 1

The CHILD and
ADOLESCENT
Learners and
Learning Principles
Student Learning Module
NAME: RIENALYN D. DALIGCON

SECTION: BLOCK B
Unit 1: Understanding Human Growth and Development

Topic 1: Human Development: Basic Concepts, Definition and
Approaches
Topic 2: Stages of Development and Developmental Tasks
Topic 3: Themes and Issues in Human Development
Topic 4: Research Design in Child and Adolescent Development
Unit 1: Understanding Human Growth and

Development
INTRODUCTION
“Measuring human growth and development is not like measuring the

reproduction of a single model on an assembly line. It is a complex system of
helping to figure out where a learner is, and how to help them get where
they are going.” - Robert John Meehan
The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles
Congratulations for finishing Unit 1.
Note that the application of the 14

principles being presented will be realized as you
discover more relevant concepts in the succeeding
lessons.
Now, we move to understanding, in

general, human development as a process. Have
you noticed what pieces of yourselves change and
develop as you voyage through your life? There
have been lots of significant physical, cognitive,
emotional and social changes throughout your
https://www.pinclipart.com
lifespan. But do these changes occur
systematically? Does it apply distinctly or exactly
the same to every individual? How much of these changes do we owe from
genetics and how much is from environmental and experiential impacts? Is
there just one or several pathways of development?
In this unit, you’ll examine these questions and learn about the major
stages of development and what kind of developmental tasks and transitions
we might expect along the way. We will also deal with the significant roles of
research in child and adolescent development. This unit module will be
completed in 7 hours and 30 minutes.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of this unit, you will be able to:
1. understand the meaning, concepts and approaches in human

development;
2. identify developmental stages and developmental tasks expected in
each stage;
3. take a stand on issues related to human development; and
4. explain the role of research in child and adolescent development.
LET’S START
Try This! Predict Thy Self
Paste any photo of you in the box provided. Briefly describe your past
(family background), your present and what and who you think you will
possibly become in the future? In what areas will you need to grow and
develop to realize the future you describe? Use the blank spaces/ lines
provided on the next page for your response.
Me, Myself and I (The past, present and future)
I came from a family whose parents are both farmers, I am the 2 nd

child in the family, I was not able to graduate on time because, I
am only 19 years old when I got married with 2 kids, a boy and a
girl. I am not contented with the life we had, so I decide to work, I
worked from different offices in the Provincial Local Government
of Kalinga as job order since 2016 until 2019, and now a regular
employee in the Local Government Unit of Rizal, Kalinga, last 2021 I
decided to pursue my studies through the help of the people
around me specially my husband and my parents and after a how
many months I got my Diploma last January 28, 2022 at St. Paul
University Philippines under the ETEEAP program with Bachelors
Degree in Business Administration Major in Operation Management
and now fulfilling my earning units for me to take the licensure
examination for teacher and if I pass , if God’s plan, this would be
my stepping stone for promotion, a better and higher position. I
see my own self achieving my goals in life, because all of the
hardship and sarcasms I experience before will be my inspiration in
achieving all of this.
TOPIC 1: HUMAN DEVELOPMENT: BASIC CONCEPTS,

DEFINITION and APPROACHES
Dr. Ma. Angelita S. Rabanal, RN, MSN, LPT
“You cannot predict the outcome of
human development. All you can do is
like a farmer, create the conditions,
under which it will begin to flourish.”
– Ken
Robinson
This topic will elucidate what

theorists and experts say about human
growth and development, its domains
and the different approaches being
used.
Throughout this topic, you will

learn about principles of development,
and examine concepts that will provide
explanations for why these changes occur.
https://www.123rf.com/photo You will have 2 hours for this section.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
1. differentiate human growth and development;

2. distinguish traditional and life-span approach of development; and
3. identify principles of human development.
LET’S LEARN
Do This! My Own Differentiation
After narrating down your story as to the kind of infancy or childhood

you possibly had, and imagined how you looked like and what your life once
were, as well as predicting and visualizing what kind of adult you will
become, what now for you is the meaning of development? How does it differ
to growth? Write your answer inside the box.
GROWTH and DEVELOPMENT
Many people use interchangeably and accept the terms 'growth' and
'development' as synonymous. But the meanings of those two words are
different in fact. Let’s explore and distinguish this two.
Growth: Concept and Definition

Growth refers to merely physical increase in some quantity over time.

It includes changes in terms of height, weight, body proportions and general
physical appearance.
Development: Concept and Definition
Development refers to the qualitative changes in the organism as

whole. Development is a continuous process through which physical,
emotional and intellectual changes occur. It is a wider and more
comprehensive term than growth. It is also possible without growth.
According to Crow and Crow (1965) development is concerned with
growth as well as those changes in behavior which result from an
environmental situation.
Thus, development is a process of change in growth and capability
over time due to function of both maturation and interaction with the
environment. It is continuous and gradual process (Skinner)
Comparison of Growth and Development
Growth Development
Refers to overall changes in the
individual. It involves changes in an
1. Refers to physiological changes
orderly and coherent type onwards the
goal of maturity
Changes in the quantitative Changes in the quality along with
2.
respect quantitative aspect
3. Does not continue throughout life Continues throughout life
4. Stops after maturation It is progressive
Occurs due to multiplication of Occurs due to both maturation and
5.
cells interaction with the environment
6. It is cellular It is organizational
One part of the developmental
7. It is a wider and comprehensive term
process
May be referred to describe the
changes in particular aspects of Describes the changes in the organism as
8.
the body and behavior of the a whole
organism
Changes produced are subjects of Brings qualitative changes which are
measurements. They may be difficult to measure directly. They are
9.
quantified and observable in assessed through keen observation of
nature. behavior in different situations
May or may not bring
10. It is possible without growth.
development
Complete This! Jungle Word

Write down below words/phrases that comes first into your mind of your own
differentiation of growth (shaded ovals) from development (unshaded).
DEVELOPMENTAL DOMAINS
Human development comprises three main domains: physical and

psychomotor, cognitive, and the socio-emotional development. Each domain,
though unique in its own, has a lot of overlap with all other domains. Learning
these principles is important to you, as anything related to human development
can be traced back to these three realms.
Physical and Psychomotor
Physical development is defined as the biological changes that occur in

the body and brain. It relates to gross motor, fine motor and bilateral
coordination including spatial awareness. It also includes examination of
changes in sensory systems, the control over our bodies, body image/
proportions, health and nutrition.
Cognitive
Refers to a range of changes related to thinking and making sense of

the world. It includes all processes involved with thinking or knowing such as
perception, attention, consciousness, memory, intelligence, problem solving,
and language.
Socio-emotional
Maturity centered on the individuals relation to others, which includes

changes in processes related to our affective (emotional) world, such as self-
esteem, love, temperament, personality, and morality, and our interactions
with relationships to other people.
APPROACHES TO HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
Traditional Approach:
Check out this example of a woman’s perception on her son’s development.

You are correct when you look at this woman’s

view as a traditional approach to the study of development.
It’s an approach that emphasizes extensive change from
birth to adolescence (especially during infancy),
little or no change in adulthood, and decline in old age.
It was commonly believed that people

mainly develop in childhood, stay pretty much the
same during adulthood, and then begin to “decline”
in old age.
Life-Span Approach:
Now, let’s study on the other hand the perception of this student on
human development.
His approach emphasizes developmental

change throughout adulthood as well as
childhood.
He has learned that the

lifespan theory of development
describes the way that
development actually takes place.
Since it is central to the life-span approach that development occurs

throughout life, this perspective should be thought of having the following
characteristics that clearly delineate it from the traditional perspective.
1. Development is Lifelong: In the lifespan perspective, early adulthood

is not the endpoint of development; rather, no age period dominates
development.
2. Development is Multidimensional: Development consists of
biological, cognitive, and socioemotional dimensions. Even within a
dimension, such as intelligence, there are many components, such as
abstract intelligence, nonverbal intelligence, and social intelligence.
3. Development is Plastic: A key developmental research agenda is the
search for plasticity and its constraints. Plasticity means the capacity
for change. For example, can intellectual skills still be improved
through education for individuals in their seventies or eighties? Or
might these intellectual skills be fixed by the time people are in their
thirties so that further improvement is impossible? In one research
study, the reasoning abilities of older adults were improved through
restraining. However, developmentalists debate how much plasticity
people have at different points in their development; possibly we
possess less capacity for change when we become old.
4. Development is Contextual: The individual continually responds to

and acts on contexts, which include a person’s biological makeup,
physical environment, cognitive processes, historical contexts, social
contexts, and cultural contexts. The contextual view regards
individuals as changing beings in a changing world.
5. Development involves Growth, Maintenance, and Regulation: The

mastery of life often involves conflicts and competition among three
goals of human development: growth, maintenance, and regulation. As
individuals age into middle and late adulthood, the maintenance and
regulation of their capacities take center stage away from growth.
Thus, for many individuals, the goal is not to seek growth in
intellectual capacities (such as memory) or physical capacities (such as
physical strength), but to maintain those skills or minimize their
deterioration.
Complete This!
Make a comparative illustrations using diagrams or drawings of the five
characteristics of life-span approach to development.
1. 2. 3.
4. 5.
PRINCIPLES OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
There is an array of concepts that define your growth and development

pattern and cycle. Such characteristics describe typical development as a
consistent and orderly process; that is, we can predict how most of us will
generally develop and mature at the same pace as other individuals, and about
the same time.
It is important to understand that that there are individual differences in

the personalities, rates of behavior, and timing of developmental milestones
and stages. Developmental delays do not mean that the child will not catch up
later. The stages described are averages.
In here, you will be oriented to the seven (7) developmental principles

set by Virginia State University (2019) which affirms features of life-span
approach discussed previously in this module.
7 Principles of Development
1. Development proceeds from the head downward.

This is called the cephalo-caudal
principle. This principle describes the
direction of growth and development.
According to this principle, the child
gains control of the head first, then the
arms, and then the legs. Infants develop
control of the head and face movements
within the first two months after birth.
In the next few months, they are able to lift themselves up by using
their arms. By 6 to 12 months of age, infants start to gain leg control
and may be able to crawl, stand, or walk. Coordination of arms always
precedes coordination of legs.
2. Development proceeds from the center of the body outward.

This is the principle of proximo-
distal development that also describes the
direction of development. This means that
the spinal cord develops before outer parts
of the body. The child’s arms develop
before the hands and the hands and feet
develop before the fingers and toes. Finger and toe muscles (used in
fine motor dexterity) are the last to develop in physical development.
3. Development depends on maturation and learning.

Maturation refers to the sequential
characteristic of biological growth and
development. The biological changes
occur in sequential order and give
children new abilities. Changes in the
brain and nervous system account
largely for maturation. These changes
in the brain and nervous system help
children to improve in thinking
(cognitive) and motor (physical) skills.
Also, children must mature to a certain point before they can
progress to new skills (Readiness). For example, a four-month-old
cannot use language because the infant’s brain has not matured enough
to allow the child to talk. By two years old, the brain has developed
further and with help from others, the child will have the capacity to
say and understand words. Also, a child can’t write or draw until he
has developed the motor control to hold a pencil or crayon.
Maturational patterns are innate, that is, genetically programmed
The child’s environment and the learning that occurs as a result
of the child’s experiences largely determine whether the child will
reach optimal development. A stimulating environment and varied
experiences allow a child to develop to his or her potential.
4. Development proceeds from the simple (concrete) to the more

complex.
Children use their cognitive and language skills to reason and

solve problems. For example, learning relationships between things
(how things are similar), or classification, is an important ability in
cognitive development.
The cognitive process of
learning how an apple and orange
are alike begins with the most
simplistic or concrete thought of
describing the two. Seeing no
relationship, a preschool child will describe the objects according to
some property of the object, such as color. Such a response would be,
“An apple is red (or green) and an orange is orange.” The first level of
thinking about how objects are alike is to give a description or
functional relationship (both concrete thoughts) between the two
objects. “An apple and orange are round” and “An apple and orange
are alike because you eat them” are typical responses of three, four and
five year olds. As children develop further in cognitive skills, they are
able to understand a higher and more complex relationship between
objects and things; that is, that an apple and orange exist in a class
called fruit. The child cognitively is then capable of classification.
5. Growth and development is a continuous process.

As a child develops, he or she
adds to the skills already acquired and
the new skills become the basis for
further achievement and mastery of
skills. Most children follow a similar
pattern. Also, one stage of
development lays the foundation for
the next stage of development. For example, in motor development,
there is a predictable sequence of developments that occur before
walking.
The infant lifts and turns the head before he or she can turn
over. Infants can move their limbs (arms and legs) before grasping an
object. Mastery of climbing stairs involves increasing skills from
holding on to walking alone.
By the age of four, most children can walk up and down stairs
with alternating feet. As in maturation, in order for children to write or
draw, they must have developed the manual (hand) control to hold a
pencil and crayon.
6. Growth and development proceed from the general to specific.
In motor development, the

infant will be able to grasp an object
with the whole hand before using
only the thumb and forefinger. The
infant’s first motor movements are
very generalized, undirected, and
reflexive, waving arms or kicking
before being able to reach or creep
toward an object. Growth occurs
from large muscle movements to
more refined (smaller) muscle
movements.
7. There are individual rates of growth and development.

Each child is different and the rates at which individual
children grow is different. Although the patterns and sequences for
growth and development are usually the same for all children, the rates
at which individual children reach developmental stages will be
different.
Understanding this fact of individual differences in rates of

development should cause us to be careful about using and relying on
age and stage characteristics to describe or label children. There is a
range of ages for any developmental task to take place. This dismisses
the notion of the “average child”. Some children will walk at ten
months while others walk a few months older at eighteen months of
age. Some children are more active while others are more passive. This
does not mean that the passive child will be less intelligent as an adult.
There is no validity to comparing one child’s progress with or
against another child. Rates of development also are not uniform
within an individual child. For example, a child’s intellectual
development may progress faster than his emotional or social
development.
Your understanding of these principles of development will help you

prepare meaningful activities and inspire and enhance interactions among
potential learners, and will provide a framework for understanding how to
promote and facilitate learning for these young children.
LET’S PRACTICE
Check This!
A. One-Minute Paper
a. Look at the five characteristics of human development from a life-span

approach as presented in the above lesson.
b. Pick one characteristic that you think you can fully relate your path of
development. State its implications to child and adolescent care,
education as well as parenting.
c. Take at least three minutes to think about the characteristic you chose
without writing anything yet.
d. Then have one minute to write as much as you can in the lines
provided in the next page.
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Check out below the rubrics to be used in grading your output.
Exceeds Meets Approaches

Criterion Expectations Expectations Expectations Comments
3 2 1
Most of the Most of the
Completenes All questions were
questions were questions were
s answered completely
answered not answered
All answers were Answers were Answers were
Depth
profound and clear somewhat clear shallow
Answers were
Answers were Answers were
grounded in
clearly related to vaguely related
Relevance concepts of the
the concepts of to the concepts
lesson in an original
the lesson of the lesson
way
Sentence Grammar, There were few Grammar
Structure punctuation and grammar, punctuation and
spelling were error punctuation and spelling errors
free spelling errors were evident
B. Doodle Mania
Below are passages that talk about human development. Choose one and
create a journalistic cartooning/ doodle out of it in the box provided below.
1. “By virtue of being born to humanity, every individual has the right to
the development and fulfillment of his potentialities as a human
being.”
2. “It is what we know already that often prevents us from learning”
Meets
Exceeds Approaches
Expectation Comment
Criterion Expectations Expectations
s s
3 1
2
Most
All graphics
graphics
were related to Some graphics
were related
the chosen were related to
Relevance to the
passage and the chosen
passage and
easy to passage.
easy to
understand.
understand.
All Graphics
Most of the Graphics were
used on the
graphics used made by the
poster reflect
on the poster student, but
Originality exceptional
reflect most were
degree of
student based on the
student
creativity ideas of others.
creativity
The poster is The poster is
The poster is
exceptionally attractive in
acceptably
Attractivenes attractive in terms of
attractive
s terms of design, design,
though it may
layout, and layout and
be a bit messy.
neatness. neatness.
LET’S ASSESS
Achieve This! Test Your Self
Read the questions carefully. Choose the best answer. Encircle the letter of
your choice.
1. Baby Ariel sat up when he was about 6 months, crawled at 8 months,

and walked when he was about a year old. At about 18 months he
learned to pick up food and feed himself. What principle in human
development does this reflect?
a. development is relatively orderly
b. developmental processes and rate of development are likely to vary
among individuals
c. development is a complex process and is multi-dimensional
d. development takes place gradually
2. No matter how much Teacher Angie tries to teach Xean, 6 years old,
the concept of fraction, he just can’t succeed. What could be the reason
for this?
a. Teacher Angie is female
b. Xean is not yet physically mature
c. Xean may not be fully ready yet for such a task
d. Teacher Angie may not have considered the principle that
individual’s stage of development has certain hazards
3. A child won’t develop into pimply teenager overnight. It takes years

before they become one. This focuses on what principle of human
development?
a. development is relatively orderly
b. developmental processes and rate of development are likely to vary
among individuals
c. development is a complex process and is multi-dimensional
d. development takes place gradually
4. In terms of their emotional behavior, babies respond to strange and

unusual objects with a general fear. Later, their fears become more
specific and are more characterized by different types of behavior.
Which of the following principles is illustrated by this situation?
a. development follows a general pattern
b. development follows an orderly fashion
c. development proceeds from specific to general responses
d. development proceeds from general to specific responses
5. If you believe that an individual will show extensive change from birth
to adolescence, little or no change in adulthood, and decline in old age,
your approach to development is traditional. Which among the
following concept will then make your view of development under the
life-span approach?
a. there will always a developmental stage that dominates another
b. development only consists of physical dimension
c. individuals are changing beings in a changing world
d. growth ends in adulthood
TOPIC 2: THE STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT AND

DEVELOPMENTAL TASKS
“There is in every child at every stage a new miracle of vigorous unfolding

which constitutes a new hope and a new responsibility for all.” – Erik Erikson
From the moment we are born until the moment we

die, we continue to develop.
As you learned at the beginning of this unit,

developmental psychologists often divide our
development into three areas: physical development,
cognitive development, and psychosocial development.
Mirroring these stages, lifespan development is divided
into different stages that are based on chronological
ages. We will discuss in 3 hours prenatal, infant, child, http://socialsci-groby.weebly.com/
adolescent, and adult development and the
developmental tasks underlying each stage of the lifespan.
You have 2 hours to complete this lesson.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. identify the stages of development;

2. describe the developmental tasks expected in each stage; and
3. create a learning plan applying the concepts learned.
LET’S LEARN
Do This! Clip It
Cut images (preferably yours from birth to present) or individuals from

any magazines or newspapers depicting the following identified age ranges.
Then in your own words, write down your observations of the tasks that you
think they are able to do at their age.
Age Range Photo Clip Activities Observed
0-2
year old
3-5
year old
6-12
year old
Age Range Photo Clip Activities Observed
13-18
year old
19-29
year old
30-60
year old
61 year old
and above
STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT and DEVELOPMENTAL TASKS
Have you ever wondered why you are not the same as when you were still a
baby? We will find out how it all happened by analyzing two different
versions of the stages of development and developmental tasks of the two
famous professor/ educator and authors Havighurst (1948-1953) and Santrock
(2002).
Let's take a closer look at the stages

of development and developmental
tasks. In Havighurst's stages of
development he identified six major
stages.
Read the description of each stage and its developmental tasks below.
1. Infancy and early childhood (0-5 years old) - Learning to coordinate

motor skills like walking. Instead of drinking milk for the only source
of food the child is now capable of eating solid foods, starts to talk
(beginning bith babbling). Capable of controlling when to eliminate
body wastes, and able to differentiate sex differences and develop
sexual modesty.
2. Middle childhood (6-12 years old) – Learning the physical skills

necessary for ordinary games, and how to get along with other children
of the same age. Developing fundamental skills in reading, writing and
calculating, concepts necessary for everyday living, conscience,
morality, and values, building a wholesome attitude toward oneself and
achieving personal independence.
3. Adolescence (13-18 years old) Achieving: mature relations with both
sexes, a masculine or feminine social role, emotional independence of
adults, preparing for marriage and family life, an economic career,
accepting one’s physique, acquiring values and an ethical system to
guide behavior and desiring and achieving socially responsible
behavior.
4. Early adulthood Late teens or early 20s to 30s. Time of establishing

personal and economic independence, career development, selecting a
mate, and learning to live with someone in an intimate way, is possibly
starting a family and rearing children.
5. Middle adulthood (40 to 60 years old) Time of expanding personal

and social involvement and responsibility, assisting the next generation
in becoming competent and mature individuals, reaching and
maintaining satisfaction in a career.
6. Late adulthood (60s and above) Time for adjustment to decreasing

strength and health, life review, retirement, and adjustment to new
social roles.
Developmental Tasks
The term developmental-task was introduced by Havighurst in the 1950’s.

According to him, the term developmental-tasks means tasks which come up
in a social context during the course of time of a human being. These
developmental-tasks concept has become an important theoretical approach in
educational science.
Havighurst suggested that all individuals pass through a series of
developmental stages from infancy to old age, each compromising a series of
developmental tasks. He defined developmental task as a task that occurs in an
individual's life at or about a certain time, successful accomplishment of
which leads to his happiness and success with later tasks, while failure leads to
unhappiness in the person, rejection by society and difficulty with later tasks.
Stages Tasks
1. Learning to walk.
2. Learning to take solid foods.
3. Learning to talk.
4. Learning to control the elimination of
body wastes.
5. Learning sex differences and sex
modesty.
6. Forming concepts and learning
language to describe social and
physical reality.
7. Getting ready to read.
1. Learning physical skills necessary for
ordinary games.
2. Building wholesome attitude toward
oneself as a growing organism.
3. Learning to get along with age-mates.
4. Learning an appropriate masculine or
feminine social role.
5. Developing fundamental skills in
reading, writing, and calculating.
6. Developing concepts necessary for
everyday living.
7. Developing conscience, morality, and
a scale of values.
8. Achieving personal independence.
9. Developing attitudes toward social
groups and institutions.
Stages Tasks
1. Achieving new and more mature
relations with age-mates of both sexes.
2. Achieving masculine/feminine social
role.
3. Accepting one’s physique and using
body effectively.
4. Achieving emotional independence of
parents and other adults.
5. Preparing for marriage and family life.
Preparing for an economic career.
6. Acquiring a set of values and an
ethical system as a guide to behavior,
developing ideology.
Desiring and achieving socially responsible
behavior.
1. Selecting a mate.
2. Achieving a masculine or feminine
social role.
3. Learning to live with a marriage
partner.
4. Starting a family.
5. Rearing children.
6. Managing a home.
7. Getting started in an occupation.
8. Taking on civic responsibility.
Finding a congenial social group.
1. Achieving adult civic and social
responsibility.
2. Establishing and maintaining an
economic standard of living.
3. Assisting teenage children to become
responsible and happy adults.
4. Developing adult leisure-time
activities.
5. Relating oneself to one’s spouse as a
person.
6. Accepting and adjusting to the
physiologic changes or middle age.
7. Adjusting to aging parents.
1. Adjusting to decreasing physical
strength and health.
2. Adjusting to retirement and reduced
income.
3. Adjusting to death of spouse.
4. Establishing an explicit affiliation with
one’s age group.
5. Meeting social and civic obligations.
6. Establishing satisfactory physical
living arrangement.
While on the other hand, Santrock’s stages of development and developmental

tasks described eight stages, and the same as Havighurst, every developmental
stage, there is an expected developmental task.
1. Pre-natal Period – It is the progress before birth. There are three

phases of pre-natal developmental.
 Germinal stage- first two

weeks, conception,
implantation formation of
placenta.
 Embryonic stage- 2 weeks
to 2 months, formation of
vital organs and systems.
 Fetal stage- 2 months to birth, bodily growth continues,
movement capability begins, and brain cells multiply
age of viability.
2. Infancy- Birth- two years. Extreme dependence on adults, beginning

psychological activities: language, symbolic thought, sensorimotor
coordination, and social learning, language of newborn, usually eats
every2-3 hours, uncoordinated movements, toothless, poor vision
(focusing range 8-12 inches), usually doubles
weight by 9 months, respond to human voice or
touch.
 1 year old- change from plump baby to leaner more muscular
toddlers, begins to walk and talk, ability for passive language
(better understanding of what’s being said), tentative sense of
independence, determined explorer.
 2 years old- begins to communicate verbally, can usually

speak in 3-4 sentences, famous for negative behavior, will play
side by side other children but not actively play with them,
great imitators.
3. Early Childhood- 3 to 5 years.
 3 years old- wants to be just like

parents, vocabulary and
pronunciation continue expand,
climbs stairs with alternating feet.
Can briefly stand on one foot.
 4 years old- sentences are more
complex, speaks well enough for
strangers to understand, imagination is vivid, line between
reality and imaginary is often indistinct, develops fear
(common fears).
 5 years old- can hop on one foot and skip, can accurately copy
figure, may begin to read, socialize to with other children their
age.
4. Middle and Late Childhood- 6 to 12 years

old, both large and small muscles are well
developed, develop complex motor skills,
from independent activities to same sex
group activities, acceptance by peers,
parental approval still important.
5. Adolescence- 13 to 18 years old, traumatic life stage for child and parent, puberty
occurs, extremely concerned with appearance,
trying to establish self-identity, confrontations
with authority.
6. Early Adulthood- 19 to 29 years old, physical

development complete, emotional maturation
continue to develop, usually learned to accept
responsibility, accept criticism, usually knows how
to profit from errors, socially related from age-
related peer groups to people with similar interests.
7. Middle Adulthood- 30-60 years old, physical changes begin to occur like hair begins
thin gray, wrinkles appear, hearing and vision
decrease. Muscles lose tone, your main
concerns are your children, and health, job
security, aging parents, and fear of aging, love and acceptance still take
a major role.
8. Late Adulthood- 61 years old and above, this is

the fastest growing age of bracket of society,
physical deterioration, some memory problems,
coping with retirement and forms of entertainment,
very concern with health and finances, become
depressed and suicide rate is high.
LET’S PRACTICE
Check This! Know My Learners
As future teachers, you must always consider the developmental stages

your learners are in, and the tasks expected of them. This is important so that
you can expect age appropriate behavior from them and foster their
development to the next stage. Study the characteristics of a primary school
age children in the table below then identify appropriate classroom
implications on each characteristic. The first item is done for you.
Characteristics Classroom Implications
Have inclination towards “bursts” of activity, Schedule quiet activities after

so they need frequent rest periods as they strenuous ones.
often don’t know they need to slow down.
1. With large muscles that are more

developed than those that control _________________________
fingers and hands; are therefore _________________________
clumsy especially in skills like tying _________________________
shoes and buttoning. _________________________
_________________________
2. Quarrels are frequent especially
among boys, but are of short duration _________________________
and are quickly forgotten. _________________________
_________________________
3. Jealousy among classmates is likely
to be common because they seek _________________________
attention and affection of teachers. _________________________
_________________________
4. Quite skillful with languages; most
like to talk especially in front of _________________________
groups. _________________________
_________________________
5. Tend to express their emotions freely
and openly; anger outbursts are _________________________
frequent. _________________________
_________________________

Criterion Expectations Expectations Expectations
Comments
3 2 1
All items were Most of the Most of the
Completeness answered items were items were not
completely answered answered
All answers were Answers were
Answers were
Depth profound and somewhat
shallow
clear clear
Answers were
grounded in
clearly related vaguely related
to the concepts to the concepts
lesson in an
of the lesson of the lesson
original way
LET’S ASSESS
Match each developmental stage with its corresponding developmental tasks.

Write the letter of your choice from the box beside each item.
______1. Pursuit of independence and identity are prominent.

______2. Involves tremendous growth from single cell to an organism.
______3. Adjustment to decreasing strength and to new social roles.
______4. Establishment of personal and economic independence.
______5. Extreme dependence on adults.
______6. Develop school- readiness and self-sufficient skills.
______7. Expands social involvement and responsibility.
______8. Achievement becomes a more central theme of life.
A. Prenatal D. Mid/late childhood F. Middle adulthood

B. Infancy E. Adolescence G. Late adulthood
C. Early childhood F. Early adulthood H. Old age
TOPIC 3: THEMES AND ISSUES ON HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

“Our first impressions are generated by

our experiences and our environment,
which means that we can change our
impressions… by changing the experiences
that comprise our impressions”
– Malcolm Gladwell
There are a number of important issues that have been debated throughout the
history of human development. The major questions include the following: Is
development due more to genetics or environment? Nature or nurture? Does
development occur slowly and smoothly, or do changes happen in stages? Do
early childhood experiences have the greatest impact on development or are
later events equally important?
Two hours will be allotted for this lesson.

http://currentkids.in/hangout/
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. identify the different themes and issues in development that are still
debatable until now; and
2. take a stand on the four issues discussed.
LET’S LEARN
Do This! Take a Stand
Below are four opposing views on what influences human

development more. Color the arrow box of your choice to which you believe
has more impact in development. If undecided, you can color the small square
box in the middle.
Childhood experiences Latter, current experiences
Gradual, cumulative changes Staged, discontinued changes
Commonalities Individual differences
Biological inheritance Environmental experiences
THEMES AND ISSUES IN HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
Theme 1: STABILITY vs. PLASTICITY

“The effects of early experiences and changeability of behavior”
Given that a particular pattern of conduct
has been developed, to what degree will it
remain consistent over time? Will a precocious
child become a bright 3-year-old, and a
successful adult later on? Can a child who has
been abused rebound from his abuse to
become a well-adjusted and active member of
society? Will a 'difficult' baby become a
challenging child and a challenging adult, or
do children develop out of these challenging
times merely transitory stages?
When patterns are set, what does it take to alter them? In short, is stability or
plasticity characterized by human behavior?
Stability
This refers to the degree to which children with respect to some

characteristic retain their same order of rank as compared with other children.
The conduct itself in question may change-for example, a highly smart 10-
year-old knows more and thinks differently than a highly smart 3-year-old.
But if a characteristic is constant, the rank of a child in relation to his or her
peers remains largely the same over time.
This is also assumed that human variations in intelligence and emotionality
were perceived to be fairly constant over time and unlikely to be significantly
affected by subsequent experiences. Many scientists believed that early-life
experience played a critical and non-reversible role in determining some
aspects of social and intellectual behavior.
Jerome Kegan (1976) referred to that view as the tape recorder model of
development. Every encounter was viewed as being tapped for posterity,
without the ability to rewrite or delete anything once it was registered.
Plasticity
That, by contrast, plasticity refers to the capacity to adapt as a result of

experience. Today it's apparent that development is more plastic, or
changeable, then we thought once. While early experience is critical in
influencing growth, we recognize that later experience also plays a role. In
fact, we are all mindful that some patterns are easier to change than others.
One of the developmentalist's tasks is to determine which aspects of
development can be modified through experience, and which, despite changes
in the environment, will likely remain constant.
Theme 2: CONTINUITY vs. DISCONTINUITY

“The ‘stages debate’ or understanding how development
progresses”
We also refer to phases when thinking

about babies. The 'terrible twos' is reserved for 2-
year-olds, and we can speak of a stubborn 4-year-
old who insists on wearing his snorkel, diving mask, and fins wherever he
goes (including neighborhood tricycle rides) as being in a 'stage.' We use the
word 'stage' in everyday language to refer to a period of time during which
children exhibit a certain form of behavior. Stages are transitory, with children
eventually growing out of them, possibly into another.
Discontinuity
Qualitative or Staged Development
Developmental psychologists likewise talk of stages. For a developmentalist,

children are considered to be at a point where their behavior in earlier or later
stages is qualitatively different from other children's behavior.
The best examples of qualitative developmental changes come from organisms
that metamorphose over time, or experience drastic changes in appearance.
Particularly in cognition qualitative changes can be seen. This is best depicted
in the cognitive development theory by Jean Piaget, in which children are said
to understand the world through their physical actions on objects during
infancy (see Unit 3) which develop through a series of sub-stages.
The point in stage theories is that behavior or thought at any one stage is of a
different type than the behavior or thought at another stage. Stage theorists
hold that changes from one stage to another are discrete, reflecting
discontinuity of development. This means that the change from one style of
behaving or thinking to another is relatively abrupt.
Continuity
Quantitative Development
A contrasting belief is that developmental changes are mainly

quantitative in nature. This is, when children grow older, they do not vary
significantly in the types of things they do, but they do it more skillfully. For
example, with cognitive development, it is possible that as children age they
are able to hold more things in memory, know the meaning of more words,
and process information faster. These are quantitative or countable changes.
Developmental changes of quantitative abilities are said to exhibit continuity
of development, with development occurring gradually.
Theme 3: NORMATIVE vs. IDIOGRAPHIC APPROACHES

“Developmental Function and Individual Differences”
We have defined development as being

characteristic of the species-of human beings, in
general. This does not mean, however, that
developmental psychology is concerned only with the
things that do not vary from individual to individual.
No two children are alike in terms of physical abilities,
rate of growth, intelligence, personality, temperament,
social responsiveness, or any other dimension you can
think of. Nonetheless, most children of a particular age
share certain things in common, and the factors that
promote change and the consequences of such change are also highly similar
among children.
Normative
Developmental psychologists sometimes refer to research that focuses

on commonalities of children at a given age as the normative or nomographic
approach. They are studying developmental function, the typical, or
normative, for or pattern that occurs over time. These changes may be in
physical characteristics, such as in body size and proportion, motor abilities, or
the organization of neurons in the brain; in social characteristics, such as
children’s relationships with significant others, from infant-mother
attachment, to friendships, to romantic partners; or in cognitive characteristics,
such as children’s understanding of numbers and arithmetic concepts, logical
reasoning, and the number of items one can keep in mind at one time.
Idiographic
This is contrasted with researchers whose principal concern is with

individual differences-factors that make children distinct from one another.
Variation among people is as universal as is the general course of
development, and describing these differences, explaining their origins, and
sometimes discovering ways to alter the course of atypical development has
long been a focus of developmentalists. They must identify these individual
differences, while still acknowledging the commonalities among people at a
particular time in life and the factors that influence change over time.
However, one needs to be aware both of universal psychological
changes over time and what varies among individual children and when, and
recognize that the normative and idiographic approaches, both alone and in
combination, can contribute important information about children and their
development.
Theme 4: NATURE vs. NURTURE

“Interaction of Genes and the Environment”
A significant issue in developmental

psychology is the relationship between the
innateness of an attribute (whether it is part
of our nature) and the environmental effects
on that attribute (whether it is influenced by
our environment, or nurture). This is often
referred to as the nature vs. nurture debate,
or nativism vs. empiricism.
The nature vs. nurture debate seeks to understand how our personalities and
traits are produced by our genetic makeup and biological factors, and how
they are shaped by our environment, including our parents, peers, and culture.
For instance, why do biological children sometimes act like their parents? Is it
because of genetic similarity, or the result of the early childhood environment
and what children learn from their parents?
Today, developmental psychologists rarely take such polarized positions
(either/or) with regard to most aspects of development; instead, they
investigate the relationship between innate and environmental influences
(both/and). Developmental psychologists will often use the biopsychosocial
model to frame their research: this model states that biological, psychological,
and social (socio-economical, socio-environmental, and cultural) factors all
play a significant role in human development.
Nature
A nativist (“nature”) account of development would argue that the processes

in question are innate and influenced by an organism’s genes. Natural human
behavior is seen as the result of already-present biological factors, such as
genetic code.
We are all born with specific genetic traits inherited from our parents, such as
eye color, height, and certain personality traits. Beyond our basic genotype,
however, there is a deep interaction between our genes and our environment:
our unique experiences in our environment influence whether and how
particular traits are expressed, and at the same time, our genes influence how
we interact with our environment (Diamond, 2009; Lobo, 2008). There is a
reciprocal interaction between nature and nurture as they both shape who we
become, but the debate continues as to the relative contributions of each.
Heritability refers to the origin of differences among people; it is a concept in
biology that describes how much of the variation of a trait in a population is
due to genetic differences in that population. Individual development, even of
highly heritable traits such as eye color, depends not only on heritability but
on a range of environmental factors, such as the other genes present in the
organism and the temperature and oxygen levels during development.
Nurture
An empiricist (“nurture”) perspective would argue that these processes are

acquired through interaction with the environment. Nurtured human behavior
is seen as the result of environmental interaction, which can provoke changes
in brain structure and chemistry. For example, situations of extreme stress can
cause problems like depression.
Some concrete behavioral traits are dependent upon one’s environment, home,
or culture, such as the language one speaks, the religion one practices, and the
political party one supports. However, some traits which reflect underlying
talents and temperaments—such as how proficient at a language, how
religious, or how liberal or conservative—can be partially heritable.
Environmental inputs can affect the expression of genes, a relationship called
gene-environment interaction. Genes and the environment work together,
communicating back and forth to create traits.
As should be apparent by now, there is not a single answer to all
developmental questions and important issues are still debated ones.
LET’S PRACTICE
Check This!
Go back to how you answered the Take a Stand activity. Review the
choices you made, and answer the following questions.
a. After reading through the lesson, are the things you thought to
influence development more are still the same choices you have
now? Why or why not?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
___
b. If you have neutral answers in the pre-activity, what made you

more decisive of your choice now?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
c. Choose one among the themes issues presented. Write down

conclusions that you can derive from this opposing theme.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
___________________________
_________________________________________________________

3 2 1
All questions Most of the Most of the
Completeness were answered questions were questions were
completely answered not answered
Answers were
shallow
clear clear
Answers were
grounded in
clearly related vaguely related
to the concepts to the concepts
lesson in an
of the lesson of the lesson
original way
There were Grammar
Grammar,
few grammar, punctuation
Sentence punctuation and
punctuation and spelling
Structure spelling were
and spelling errors were
error free
errors evident
LET’S ASSESS
your choice.
1. A developmental psychologist attempts to answer weather a precocious

infant will become a bright 3 year old and later a talented adult. He is
focusing on what particular issue in development?
a. Continuity vs. discontinuity
b. Stability vs. Plasticity
c. Normative vs. Idiographic Approach
d. All of the above
2. When speaking of children, we often refer to stages, the periods of

time in which children display certain type of behavior. This is seen in
what developmental view?
a. Plasticity
b. Nature
c. Discontinuity
d. Idiographic
3. It is considered to be the central issue of development. It answers

inquiry on whether development is a function of biology or experience.
a. Stability and plasticity conflict
b. Nature-nurture interaction
c. Approaches on normative- idiographic
d. Continuity vs. discontinuity
4. Developmental psychologists sometimes refer to research that focuses

on commonalities of children at a given age. This is contrasted with
those whose principal concern is on individual differences. What
approach is used by the latter?
a. Idiographic
b. Normative
c. Continuity
d. Discontinuity
5. Many scientists believed that experiences early in life played a critical

and nonreversible role in establishing certain aspects of social and
intellectual behavior. This refers to:
a. Discontinuity
b. Nature
c. Plasticity
d. Stability
6. The learners will be able to make adjustments with their learning styles
and study habit. Children during infancy are said to understand the
words by their physical actions on objects, which develops through a
series of sub-stages particularly the lack and existence of object
permanence. This refers to:
a. Discontinuity
b. Nature
c. Continuity
d. Nurture
7. An empiricist point of view suggests a nearly infinite ability to change

mind and behavior. Which of the following examples below does not
assume empiricism?
a. ‘tabula rasa’
b. Genetic determinism
c. Plasticity
d. Nurture
8. The scientific debate over whether developmental change is gradual or

relatively abrupt is:
a. Stability and Plasticity of Human behavior
b. Continuity vs. Discontinuity
c. Normative vs. Idiographic approach
d. Nature vs. Nurture
9. Culture is often viewed as the major source of individual differences in

children’s behavior. All of the following put emphasis on this thought
except?
a. No two people have the same set of genes other than identical
twins making it the major source of variation.
b. The values and intellectual tools of a culture greatly influence how
child develops.
c. There are other factors responsible for individual differences within
a ‘culture’
d. Substantial variability in functioning within any particular child is
through the culture.
10. Nativisim is a philosophical perspective that human intellectual
abilities are innate. Examples of these are all of the following except?
a. No human nature other than ability to adapt behavior to the
demands of the environment.
b. Discovery of genes for some diseases.
c. Fusion of male sperm and female eggs to form a zygote.
d. Activation of complex instincts of humans and animals.
TOPIC 4: RESEARCH IN CHILD AND ADOLESCENT

DEVELOPMENT
“Knowing others is intelligence. Knowing yourself is wisdom. Mastering

others is strength. Mastering yourself is true power.”
-Lao Tzu
How do children know about the world

they live in-and how are they changing
with age? These are the kinds of
questions the developmental scientists
have addressed. This section discusses
research methods and designs used to
study developmental patterns in
children and adolescents investigate
age-related developmental changes.
http://vajiramias.com/current-affairs/
Developmental psychologists use testing
techniques to address issues like these that are specific to the unique skills of
the children being examined. Importantly, developmental research is more
than just looking at how children behave during hide-and-seek games – the
findings derived from developmental research were used to guide best
practices in parenting, schooling, and policy.
This section which you will finish in 1 hour and 30 minutes, discusses various
research methods used to study psychological patterns in infants and kids,
research designs used to investigate age-related changes in developmental
processes and changes over time, and specific problems and special issues
associated with conducting research with infants and kids.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. identify basic principles of research;

2. demonstrate appreciation of the role of teachers as consumers and
producers of developmental research; and
3. critique researches on child and adolescent development and make
sample abstracts out of researches read.
LET’S LEARN
Do This! Quickie Survey
Recall what you believe about research. Write in the blanks five (5)
things you believe research is.
Now let’s examine other common beliefs you might have on research. Please
tick if you agree or not on the statements provided below.
Statement Yes No
1. Research is only for those who plan to take master’s
degree or doctorate degree
2. Research is an easy to do
3. Research is all about giving questionnaires and
tallying responses
4. Research with one or two respondents is not a valid
research
5. Teachers, because they are busy in their classrooms,
are expected to use existing research rather than
conduct their own research in the classroom
6. There is no need to go into research because a lot of
researches have already been conducted.
7. Learners are mere users of knowledge arrived at by
research. It is not their task to conduct research.
8. Learners do not possess the qualifications to
conduct research.
9. It is not worth conducting research considering the
time and money it requires.
Reference: Part 1 Unit 2 Module 4 – Research in Child and Adolescent
Development pp. 49-50 CAL-LP 2018
Your responses to the above activities show somehow your basic

outlook toward research. As a teacher in the making, it is important to have a
positive attitude for research. This is because best practices in teacher
education are usually outcomes of good research works. So it is imperative
that you know the significant roles teachers perform in research.
TEACHERS’ ROLES IN RESEARCH
Teachers as End Users of Research
Teachers are trained in the concepts, values, and approaches that create new
knowledge and new curriculum. It offers valuable information for teachers and
policy-makers to use in decision-making to support the learners and the
community.
Well-informed teachers can use the most informative findings of the research
and integrate them. Work helps teachers to arrive at educated decisions on
what to teach and how to teach.
This includes decisions relating to educational policies, curriculum, successful
teaching-learning method and even those involving study. It can help us,
teachers, to be better informed about how to adapt our teaching to the
developmental levels of our learners.
Teachers as Participants in Research
A rich problem-initiation experience can be found in participating actively in

research works conducted in teacher education.
Being a respondent in developmental researches, your participation is jointly

planned with researchers and is designed so that research results will be useful
in your future professional work as decision-maker, and implementer in the
educational system.
Teachers as Active Partners in Research
One effective way of involving teachers in research and development

processes is through conduct of developmental research projects. The main
feature of this is its focus on teachers as development agents specifically in the
field of researches on child and adolescent development. This meant teachers
conducting developmental studies would have to be involved independently in
the decision-making processes and be engage in finding out the different
research principles, methods and designs appropriate for use. This ties in with
the notions of teachers functioning as judges of the requirements of their
situations and as partners in the generation an effective teaching-learning
environment.
THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD
Steps in Research Process
Research often begins with a problem. Perhaps some learners are not
mastering objectives, or there are disruptive behaviors, these problems can
become the focus of classroom action research using the scientific method of
problem solving.
These are the steps:
The result of research will be the basis of the program of instruction or

innovation; further observation and evaluation will continue in the process
until it is refined and packaged as instructional materials and guides for
teachers.
Complete This!
For you to clearly understand our topic, watch also the video entitled “The
Scientific Method: Steps, Examples, Tips, and Exercise” via YouTube link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yi0hwFDQTSQ
CONCEPTS ON DEVELOPMENTAL RESEARCH
Basic Definitions
Concept Definition
The extent to which a measurement accurately assesses
Validity
what it purports to measure.
The trustworthiness of a research finding; includes inter-
Reliability
observer reliability and replicability.
Inter-
The same behavior seen by one observer is also seen by
observer
second observer.
Reliability
Replicability Observing the same thing under the same conditions.
Preference for the simplest scientific explanation for a
Parsimony
phenomenon.
Independent In experimental studies, the factors that are modified to see
Variables their effect on the dependent or outcome variables.
Dependent
The ‘outcome’ variable or behavior that is being studied.
Variables
The psychological effects associated with being a member
of a group born at a particular time (for example, a
Cohort
generation) and place; the fact that people who are living in
Effects
a culture at the same time are influenced by the same
historical events.
Various Forms of Validity Important to Developmental Psychology
Form Definition
The extent to which the design of one’s experiment
Internal Validity permits one to make cause- effect statements about the
variables under study.
The extent to which the findings of a particular study
External Validity
can be generalized to other people or contexts.
The extent to which a test or measurement ‘looks like’
what it is supposed to measure. For example, does a test
Face Validity
of infant-mother attachment ‘look like’ (on the face of it)
it reflects such attachment?
The extent to which a measure represents all facets of a
given concept. For example, does a test of impulsivity
Content Validity
measure both cognitive and behavioral impulsivity, and
only one?
The extent to which a measure relates to a theorized
Construct
psychological construct (such as ‘intelligence or
Validity
personality’)
Methods of Collecting Data in Developmental Psychology
Method Definition Strengths Weaknesses

Children are The researcher can Structured
interviewed under control many interviews may
conditions in factors in the have poor
which the interview session ‘ecological
Structured researcher can that may influence validity’, and
Interviews control extraneous children’s their results may
factors that may performance. not be
influence a child’s generalized to
behavior. real- world
contexts.
Clinical When performed It is difficult to
interviews are by a skilled generalize
conversations in interviewer, such findings, and
which the as Jean Piaget, bias in the
examiner probes a researchers can interview
Clinical
child’s knowledge gain much insight process is likely.
Interviews
about certain into development
topics. and generate
hypotheses for
later experimental
testing.
Children are asked Children can Self- reports
to answer a series reveal information may be biased.
of questions about about themselves. And children’s
Questionnaires
themselves or memory may be
and
perhaps other incomplete or
Standardized
children. incorrect.
Tests
Questionnaires are
a form of self-
report.
Children’s More naturalistic Some behaviors
behaviors are behavior can be may never be
observed and observed, and, in emitted, and the
recorded in either structured settings, researcher has
Observational
structured or children’s less control over
Studies
naturalistic behavior can be the situation,
settings. compared in the especially in
same context. naturalistic
observations.
Case Studies A case study is Case studies are Case studies are
and Diaries detailed very useful for not
description of an collecting representative of
individual made information that the general
by an expert would be difficult population, have
observer. A diary to get at questionable
study is a otherwise. reliability, and
particular type of no experimental
case study. control.
Different Research Designs in Developmental Psychology
All Research
Definition Strengths Weaknesses
Designs
Correlational Can often Correlations do
studies examine identify not imply
relations between relations casualty, so it is
two or more between two not possible to
factors (e.g. variables determine what
weight, age, quickly. causes what (for
vocabulary, example, do
Correlational
socio-economic aggressive
status) children like to
watch violent
video or does
watching video
cause children to
be aggressive?)
Experimental If conducted Some factors
studies involve properly, results cannot be
the manipulation from ethically
of one or more experimental manipulated. For
factors and studies can point instance, one
observation of to casualty (for cannot assign
how these example, one group of
manipulations samples of children to an
change the children who intellectually
Experimental
behavior under watched violent ‘deprived’
investigation. video were environment and
subsequently another to an
more aggressive ‘enriched’
than children in environment and
a control group see the
who watched consequences on
nonviolent intelligence.
video).
For Developmental Designs
Developmental
Definition Strengths Weaknesses
Designs
Cross-sectional
studies do not
Information
measure change
about changes in
Cross- sectional within
average abilities
studies assess individuals,
over broad age
Cross-sectional different making any
ranges can be
individuals at definitive
obtained quickly
different ages. statement about
and
the mechanisms
economically.
of development
tentative.
Longitudinal
Longitudinal studies can be
studies measure costly to run,
Longitudinal
‘true’ take a long time
studies assess
developmental to get
Longitudinal the same people
(change over meaningful
over an extended
time within results, and can
period of time.
single suffer from
individuals) subject loss and
cohort effects.
In cross- This approach Like
sequential combines the longitudinal
studies, groups strengths of the designs, it can
of children at longitudinal and take many years
different ages cross-sectional before all data
are tested, and studies; are collected.
each group of information
Cross-sequential
children is the about change
followed over time can be
longitudinally. obtained
quickly, and true
developmental
change can be
assessed.
Microgenetic Details of Microgenetic
studies involve change can be studies are not
assessing assessed for useful for
children behaviors and assessing
Microgenetic repeatedly over cognitions that characteristics
relatively short change over of development
intervals, usually brief periods of that change over
days or weeks. time. longer periods
of time.
ETHICAL STANDARDS FOR RESEARCH WITH CHILDREN
Doing research with children involves all the same ethical

considerations when one does research with adults, plus some additional ones.
The principles listed below are a subset of those published in the 1990-91
Directory of the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD).
Non-harmful procedures The investigator should use no research

operation that may harm the child either
physically or psychologically. The investigator
is also obligated at all times to use the least
stressful research operation whenever possible.
Informed consent Before seeking consent or assent from the
child, the investigator should inform the child
of all features of the research that may affect
his or her willingness to participate and should
answer the child’s questions in terms
appropriate to the child’s comprehension. The
investigator should respect the child’s freedom
to participate in the research or by not giving
the child the opportunity to give or not give
assent to participation as well as to choose to
discontinue participation at any time.
Parental consent The inform consent of parents, legal guardians
or those who act in loco parent is (for example,
teachers, heads of institutions) similarly should
be obtained, preferably in writing.
Additional consent The informed consent of any persons, such as
school teachers for example, whose interaction
with the child is the subject of the study should
also be obtained.
Incentives Incentives to participate in a research project
must be fair and must not unduly exceed the
range of incentives that the child normally
experiences.
Jeopardy When, in the course of research, information
comes to the investigator’s attention that may
jeopardize the child’s well-being, the
investigator has a responsibility to discuss the
information with the parents or guardians and
with those expert in the field in order that they
may arrange the necessary assistance to the
child.
Unforeseen consequences When research procedures result in undesirable
consequences for the participant that were
previously unforeseen, the investigator should
immediately employ appropriate measures to
correct these consequences, and should re-
design the procedures if they are able to be
included in subsequent studies.
Confidentiality The investigator should keep in confidence all
information obtained about research
participants. The participants’ identity should
be concealed in written and verbal reports of
the results, as well as in informal discussion
with learners and colleagues.
DATA PRIVACY ACT OF 2012
When conducting research, one of the major activity is on data

collection. This is why, as a researcher, you must have a good grasp on the
existing law governing the protection of all data and information you gather
from your informants.
The Data Privacy Act was enacted into law in the Philippines in 2012 and
promulgates “to protect the fundamental human right of privacy of
communication while ensuring free flow of information to promote innovation
and growth”.
The law clearly states that the collection of personal data “must be a
declared, specified, and legitimate purpose and that… consent is required prior
to the collection of all personal data”. For additional details, read RA 10173.
LET’S PRACTICE
Check This! Research O-Yeah!
Explore a research topic about child and adolescent development that you find
most interesting. Then, using the matrix below, come up with a statement of
the problem, research design and data collection method that you think suits
best the topic you have chosen. After accomplishing the template, answer the
guide questions that follow.
Research Topic: Research design:
Statement of the problem: Data collection method:
1. What NEW knowledge YOU expected to learn from the topic you plan
to research on?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________
2. What benefits can you drive from the research topic?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
__________________________________________
3. Identify possible future research problems that can be derived from the
study.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
____________________________________
4. What do you think are the impact research involvement has on teachers
and future teachers like you?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
____________________________________

3 2 1
All questions Most of the Most of the
Completeness were answered questions were questions were
completely answered not answered
Answers were
shallow
clear clear
Relevance Answers were Answers were Answers were
grounded in clearly related vaguely related
concepts of the to the concepts to the concepts
lesson in an of the lesson of the lesson
original way
There were Grammar
Grammar,
few grammar, punctuation
Sentence punctuation and
punctuation and spelling
Structure spelling were
and spelling errors were
error free
errors evident
LET’S ASSESS
your choice.
1. What does the researcher need to bear in mind to assure internal

validity of his study?
a. Design studies in such a way that experimental measurements
assess what they purport to measure.
b. The study should not permit to make cause-effects statements
about variables involved.
c. Make sure that the findings of the study can be generalized to other
people and contexts.
d. The measurements should encompass all facets of a given concept.
2. Two observers are sent to a school playground to observe aggression in

children. Inter-observer reliability is at hand if which of the following
is present?
a. Different observation is seen by the observers.
b. The same observations were taken by both observers but recorded
differently
c. The findings of the other observer can be replicated by the other
one in another setting
d. The two observers recorded the behaviors similarly.
3. ALL BUT ONE are weaknesses of a Structured interview method done

by a researcher:
a. It may have poor ecological validity
b. Results may not be generalized to real-world contexts
c. Researcher have control over many factors that may influence the
interviewee’s performance
d. Children can reveal information about themselves
4. What is the most important thing to consider when conducting clinical

interviews?
a. The age of the child
b. The time of the interview
c. The topics being discussed
d. The interviewer should be skilled
5. Ethologists’ favorite method in studying the behavior of animals in
their natural habitats is what we call?
a. Standardized test
b. Naturalistic observations
c. Structured observations
d. Questionnaires
6. The study on the ‘Relationship between children’s viewing filmed

aggression and engaging in aggressive behavior” utilizes what
appropriate research design?
a. Cross- sectional
b. Longitudinal
c. Correlational
d. Microgenetic
7. A developmental psychologist wants to study what do toddlers do in a

preschool classroom when they are on their own. What method is most
appropriate in collecting data?
a. Case studies
b. Observational studies
c. Questionnaires
d. Standardized test
8. What method of collecting data most likely will result to bias with self-
reports?
a. Case studies
b. Clinical interviews
c. Questionnaires
d. Observational studies
9. These types of studies are not representative of the general population,

have questionable reliability and have no experimental control:
a. Structured interviews
b. Clinical interviews
c. Case studies/ diaries
d. Observational studies
10. These are special types of questionnaires such as Scholastic Aptitude

Test that are administered following a consistent, uniform instructions:
a. Standardized test
b. Unstructured test
c. Evaluation kit
d. Skills checklist
11. A researcher in one of his studies manipulated more than one factors
involved then observed how the manipulation changes the behavior
under investigation. It is correct to note that the researcher is using
what research design?
a. Correlational
b. Experimental
c. Microgenetic
d. Longitudinal
12. All of the following are weaknesses of Longitudinal research design

except:
a. Costly to run
b. Take a long time to get meaningful results
c. Can suffer from cohort effects
d. Will never experience subject loss
13. A researcher wants to gather information about changes in average

abilities over broad age ranges in quick and economic manner. What
research design should he use?
a. Longitudinal
b. Microgenetic
c. Cross- sectional
d. Cross- sequential
14. This research design does not only measure ‘true’ developmental
changes but needed information are obtained quickly as well:
a. Cross- sequential
b. Cross- sectional
c. Microgenetic
d. Longitudinal
15. It refers to a research design that is not useful in assessing

characteristics of development that change over longer periods of time:
a. Cross- sequential
b. Cross- sectional
c. Microgenetic
d. Longitudinal
UNIT SUMMARY
Read This!
The study of development can help us understand adults, including

ourselves; can provide insights into origins of human nature; can help us better
deal with children in everyday situations.
Growth and development were defined separately- growth as referring to
physical increase in some quantity over time while development refers to the
qualitative changes in the organism as whole
Also, it was discussed that human development comprises three main
domains: physical and psychomotor, cognitive, and the socio-emotional
development which were all interrelated and over-lapping with one another.
Two approaches to studying human develop were delineated from traditional
and the life-span approach.
Traditional talks about that which emphasizes extensive change from birth to
adolescence (especially during infancy), little or no change in adulthood, and
decline in old age and life span approach emphasizes developmental change
throughout adulthood as well as childhood.
On the other hand, life-span perspective has with it five characteristics:
lifelong, multi-dimensional, plastic, contextual and involves growth,
maintenance and regulation.
Different versions of the stages of development and developmental tasks of
the two famous professor/ educator and author Havighurst (1948-1953) and
Santrock (2002) were also elaborated in the unit as basis later in the discussion
of the different stage theories.
Issues on human development were clearly laid to allow us to contemplate and
make a stand to whether what we believe were more influential to
development – if is it early life experiences or latter and current ones, is it
gradual continuous changes or the staged and discreet, is it commonalities of
individual differences, and lastly, is it biological inheritance of environmental
experiences itself?
Lastly, teachers were taken into the roles they importantly play in research and
development. They perform the tasks of end-users and participants of research,
and more so them being researchers themselves. Thus, research-based decision
making processes employed to classroom teaching-learning scenarios were in
place.
LET’S REFLECT
Finish This! Things Learned
1. What was the most important thing you learned? Why did you think
so?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________
2. When were you the most creative? And why do you think that is?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
________________________________________________
3. When were you at your best in this unit, and why?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
________
REFERENCES
"Human Growth and Development " Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied
Health. . Encyclopedia.com. 10 Jul. 2020 <https://www.encyclopedia.com>.
Hurlock, Elizabeth. (1953) Developmental Psychology – A Life Span

Approach.
Mc Graw Hill Education.
Human Development: Meaning, Concepts and Approaches

https://prezi.com/2vy-ujytf8m3/human-development-meaning-concepts-and-
approaches/
Understanding Human Development: Approaches and Theories.

https://us.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-assets/106359_book_item_1063
59.pdf
Ruffin, Elizabeth (2019) Human Growth and Development – A Matter of

Principles. Virginia Tech. Virginia State University
Havingurst R. J., (1972) Developmental Tasks and Education. New York.

McKay
Company
Manning, M. (2002). Havighurst's Developmental Tasks, Young Adolescents,

and
Diversity. The Clearing House, 76(2), 75-78. Retrieved August 3, 2020,
from www.jstor.org/stable/30189796
Santrock, J.W. (2018). Essentials of Life-Span Development (5th Ed.). New

York: McGraw-Hill, 554 pp. (Published January, 2017)
Bjorklund, D., Blasi, C. Child and Adolecent Development: An Integrated

Approach. (1st Ed.). Cengage Learning Asia
F. Michael Connelly (1980) Teachers’ Roles in the Using and Doing of

Research
and Curriculum Development, Journal of Curriculum Studies, 12:2, 95-
107, DOI: 10.1080/0022027800120202
ICON REFERENCES
https://webstockreview.net/explore/document-clipart-lab
report/#gal_post_993_clipart-pen-reflection-paper-12.png
https://pngimage.net/objectif-png-4/
http://onlineresize.club/pictures-club.html
https://www.iconfinder.com/icons/1296370/book_note_icon
https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/215469163399087874/?lp=true
https://iconscout.com/icon/book-folder-pen-pencil-notebook-education-log-
office-1
https://www.flaticon.com/free-icon/brainstorm_201557

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The CHILD and

NAME: RIENALYN D. DALIGCON

Unit 1: Understanding Human Growth and Development

Unit 1: Understanding Human Growth and

“Measuring human growth and development is not like measuring the

Congratulations for finishing Unit 1.

Note that the application of the 14

Now, we move to understanding, in

At the end of this unit, you will be able to:

1. understand the meaning, concepts and approaches in human

Try This! Predict Thy Self

Me, Myself and I (The past, present and future)

I came from a family whose parents are both farmers, I am the 2 nd

TOPIC 1: HUMAN DEVELOPMENT: BASIC CONCEPTS,

This topic will elucidate what

Throughout this topic, you will

https://www.123rf.com/photo You will have 2 hours for this section.

At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

1. differentiate human growth and development;

Do This! My Own Differentiation

After narrating down your story as to the kind of infancy or childhood

GROWTH and DEVELOPMENT

Growth: Concept and Definition

Growth refers to merely physical increase in some quantity over time.

Development: Concept and Definition

Development refers to the qualitative changes in the organism as

Comparison of Growth and Development

Complete This! Jungle Word

Human development comprises three main domains: physical and

Physical and Psychomotor

Physical development is defined as the biological changes that occur in

Refers to a range of changes related to thinking and making sense of

Maturity centered on the individuals relation to others, which includes

APPROACHES TO HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

Check out this example of a woman’s perception on her son’s development.

You are correct when you look at this woman’s

It was commonly believed that people

His approach emphasizes developmental

He has learned that the

Since it is central to the life-span approach that development occurs

1. Development is Lifelong: In the lifespan perspective, early adulthood

4. Development is Contextual: The individual continually responds to

5. Development involves Growth, Maintenance, and Regulation: The

PRINCIPLES OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

There is an array of concepts that define your growth and development

It is important to understand that that there are individual differences in

In here, you will be oriented to the seven (7) developmental principles

1. Development proceeds from the head downward.

2. Development proceeds from the center of the body outward.

3. Development depends on maturation and learning.

4. Development proceeds from the simple (concrete) to the more

Children use their cognitive and language skills to reason and

5. Growth and development is a continuous process.

6. Growth and development proceed from the general to specific.

In motor development, the

7. There are individual rates of growth and development.

Understanding this fact of individual differences in rates of

Your understanding of these principles of development will help you

a. Look at the five characteristics of human development from a life-span

Check out below the rubrics to be used in grading your output.

Exceeds Meets Approaches

2. “It is what we know already that often prevents us from learning”

Check out below the rubrics to be used in grading your output.