MODULE 23 - SOCIO-EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE INTERMEDIATE

SCHOOLERS

At the end of this module, students should be able to identify the socio-emotional
characteristics of children in their late childhood stage, and determine the qualities of
family life that affect older children's development including changes in family
interactions.

Children spend less time at home and more time outside the home alone or with
other children than they do with adults throughout this phase of their socioemotional
development. Older children have already made friends with other children. They
already regularly interact with individuals of all ages and genders. These social media
sites are locations of social support as well as a variety of educational tools for many
people.

Self-Competence, Self-Identity and Self-Concept

The development of a sense of self-competence is one of the most well-known
traits of this developmental stage. When he discussed the social crisis industry versus
inferiority as the developmental work of middle childhood, Erik Erikson was referring to
this. Industry is the desire to learn new things and engage in worthwhile "work." A child's
competency should grow. The child's conceptions of who they are and what they have
accomplished differ substantially depending on how the environment is interpreted.
Children need to be given a variety of opportunities to cultivate a sense of
perseverance. They should be given opportunities to achieve and fail, as well as honest
criticism and encouragement.
During late childhood, children can now describe themselves with internal and
psychological characteristics and traits. They most likely employ more social
comparison, distinguishing themselves from others. In dealing with other children, they
show an increase in perspective-taking. This ability increases with age. It enables them
to judge others' intentions, purposes, and actions; give importance to social attitudes
and behaviors; and increase skepticism of others' claims.

Emotional Development
As with other areas of development, children in this stage show improved
emotional understanding and an increased understanding that more than one emotion
can be experienced in a single experience. They may also show a greater ability to
show or conceal emotions, utilize ways to redirect feelings, and have a capacity for
genuine empathy.
Another milestone in this stage is the development of the children's emotional
intelligence (EQ), which involves the ability to monitor the feelings of oneself and others
to guide and motivate behavior.
Emotional Intelligence has four main areas:
 Developing emotional self-awareness
 Managing emotions (self-control)
 Reading emotions (perspective taking)
 Handling emotions (resolve problems)

Building Friendships
Children spend more time interacting with their peers as they grow throughout
late childhood. Healthy peer interactions are critical to them. Their emotional growth is
more stable and secure when they feel accepted and like they belong. Peer size
likewise rises, necessitating less adult supervision. Children want to be in peer groups
with other kids their own age.

There are five types of peer status:

 Popular - frequently nominated as the best friend and one who is rarely disliked
by peers
 Average - receive an average number of positive and negative nominations from
peers
 Neglected - very seldom nominated as best friend but is not really disliked
 Rejected - infrequently nominated as a best friend but one who is also disliked by
peers
 Controversial - frequently nominated as a best friend but at the same time is
disliked by peers

Popular children have the following skills which peers find very positive and as a
result they become the most favored in the group:
1. They give out reinforcement.
2. They act naturally.
3. They listen carefully and keep open communication
4. They are happy and are in control of their negative emotions.
5. They show enthusiasm and concern for others.

On the other hand, here are the characteristics of neglected children and why the
group or majority of the peers develop negative feelings toward them:
1. They participate less in the classroom.
2. They have negative attitudes on school tardiness and attendance.
3. They are more often reported as being lonely.
4. They are aggressive.

In boys:
 They become impulsive, have problems in being attentive and disruptive.
 They are emotionally reactive and slow to calm down.
 They have fewer social skills to make and maintain friends.
Family
Family support is crucial right now. When kids develop an interest (like riding a
bike or playing an instrument) and they don't have a family who supports them, they can
get easily irritated. When families are the primary source of support, failures and
setbacks become temporary and reversible, rather than being attributed to flaws or
personal failings. Children are maturing at a critical time in their judgment of
competence. They need strong adult bonds, especially with family, to help them get
through this developmental time.
Big Ideas. This module stresses that:
 During late childhood, a wide variety of biological, psychological and social
changes take place across the developmental domains.
 As children progress through late childhood, the family environment remains
extremely important, while the community environment - including the school -
also becomes a significant factor in shaping the child's development.
 During late childhood, peers have an increasingly strong impact on development;
peer acceptance becomes very important to well-being.
Implications to Child Care, Education and Parenting
Primary school children's socio-emotional competency should be viewed in the
context of the child's developmental age. Health-care providers, teachers and parents
should be able to:
 gain understanding of their child's socio-emotional strengths and weaknesses by
encouraging children to talk about their feelings without doing it forcefully
 provide opportunities for children to build relationships with teachers and fellow
classmates;
 remind children that friendships have their ups and downs and that occasional
conflicts and arguments can be healthy;
 design activities that allow children to work on their own and discover activities
and hobbies that they enjoy; and model healthy relationships.