Running head: MIDTERM ESSAY EXAM

Midterm Essay Exam

Amanda R. Rucker

EDUC 5302 Educational Psychology

Professor Dr. Kristy Duckworth
East Texas Baptist University

June 23, 2015

Version 1.0

MIDTERM ESSAY EXAM

Midterm Essay Exam

The two scenarios that I have chosen hit very close to home for me. For example, my
little brother has been a victim of school administration trying to force him to accelerate multiple
grades. However, it has been a conscious decision by my parents to make sure he has been
surrounded by children whose social development is the same as his. Academically he has tested
to be as intelligent as a ninth grader, but socially and emotionally he needs to remain in the sixth
grade. I personally have been diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. My parents
have been told time and time again that I should have been on medication for my disorder.
Fortunately they have always refused and I have flourished academically and socially. My
parents have found behavioral and academic strategies to help me cope with ADHD. The
research I have done to elaborate on these scenarios will help me better understand how to assist
my future students in all of their endeavors.
Prompt 2
My views have been against the proposed acceleration program presented by the school
board member. I have not been led to believe that children in the specified grades are cognitively
ready for these subjects. One specific example has been the introduction of algebra in the sixth
grade. Piagets stages of cognitive development have shown children at this age to still be in the
concrete operational stage. Piagets theory has suggested that children only think logically about
concrete problems in this stage (Woolfolk, 2015). Algebra curriculum has many abstract
concepts; therefore the majority of sixth grade students have not been shown to be able to grasp
those concepts. Woolfolk (2015) has suggested that children in the concrete operational stage
cannot reason about hypothetical or abstract problems that involve many factors at once. While
the school board member has been led to think the teachers are the problem, Piaget has stated
that parents and teachers actually have little impact on the maturation of cognitive development
(Woolfolk, 2015). Eriksons theory has focused on the social aspect of development. The school

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board members idea of accelerated programs has not taken into account the importance of social
development. Eriksons eight stages of psychosocial development has suggested that kids, ages
six to twelve, are in the industry versus inferiority stage where school is the most important event
going on in their lives. Research has suggested that children must master new skills at the same
time they are being compared to others and risking failure (Woolfolk, 2015). Research has also
stated that children in high school or adolescence are developing capabilities for abstract
thinking. These students have been shown to be more focused on their identity in gender roles,
politics, and religion (Woolfolk, 2015). It has been proven that a child, who cannot think
abstractly about their identity, would not be able to function in a class full of children that are
more socially developed. If a school has been moving children up a grade based on their
intelligence and not on their social development, it could diminish their self-concept. Children
who have always been the most intelligent in their grade have a high academic self-concept. If
these same children were to be accelerated, they might have to experience failure which could
greatly damage their academic future. Research has linked self-concept to a wide range of
accomplishments, one of them being achievement in school (Woolfolk, 2015). A student can
have a high academic self-concept in just one subject. For example, a student may have excellent
grades in math but average in reading. If the school has chosen to accelerate this student too
quickly in math, then that student will not have a good self-concept, which could have an effect
on their future career choices. Also if students have been introduced to subjects that they are not
cognitively ready for, then they will automatically have a low self-concept in that subject. If the
school board has implemented this acceleration program based on test scores, then the children
could face a moral dilemma, such as cheating. A child who has the desire to stay in the same
grade with their friends, might bomb the test in order to make that happen. On the other side,

MIDTERM ESSAY EXAM

children might have cheated to get a better score on the test, so they can catch up to a friend who
has already moved on. Kohlberg has suggested six stages of moral development. Stage two has
stated that right and wrong is determined by personal needs and wants (Woolfolk, 2015). This
has explained why students at that age would consider cheating, because it would satisfy their
need to be with their friends. In my opinion educational systems have become more effective in
their teaching by challenging students within their correct grade. Schools can have a program
implemented where students are grouped by their intellectual abilities. This type of program will
have allowed teachers to appropriately challenge each student. The schools have considered
taking it a step further by accelerating the material so the students are learning concepts from
higher grades, but are still with students who they are socially compatible.
Prompt 3
The nature of Micahs problem has been shown to be hyperactivity. The definition of
hyperactivity has been given as a child that fidgets, squirms, and cannot stay in their assigned
seat (Woolfolk, 2015). This definition has been directly correlated with Micahs symptoms. The
learning disorder that has been suggested based on his symptoms is attention-deficit
hyperactivity disorder also known as ADHD. This disorder has been known to be relatively
common across the United States. The CDC has announced that 12% of boys ages 3 to 17 and
5% of girls are diagnosed with ADHD (Woolfolk, 2015). Research has stated that the main
problem for children, who are labeled hyperactive, is directing and maintaining attention, not
simply controlling their physical activity (Woolfolk, 2015). Woolfolk (2015) has suggested that it
is a persistent or ongoing pattern of hyperactivity-impulsivity that gets in the way of an
individuals typical development. Micahs likely prognosis, without treatment, has been shown to
be a continued decline in academic achievement and social development. Research has indicated
that symptoms occur across many other settings, and these symptoms have led to problems

MIDTERM ESSAY EXAM

getting along with others (Woolfolk, 2015). The longevity of this problem has often been
misunderstood. Most psychologists have been known to think that ADHD has diminished as the
child gets older. However, new evidence has shown that this problem can persist into adulthood
for at least half of those diagnosed with ADHD. When children with ADHD have become adults,
25% have shown persistent behavioral problems such as drug use and criminal behavior, and
about 25% have experienced depression (Woolfolk, 2015). Therefore proper diagnosis and
treatment have been shown to be very important. In my opinion drug therapy would seem to be
very drastic in this situation. Considering Micah is only six years old, perhaps he has just been
going through a normal phase in life. Many young boys this age have a problem controlling their
impulses, but it does not mean they cannot correct it on their own. However drug therapy has
some advantages in the treatment of ADHD. Research has suggested that 70% to 80% of children
who are on medication for ADHD are more manageable and benefit from educational and social
interventions. Medication has many short term effects such as, improvements on cooperation,
attention, and compliance (Woolfolk, 2015). On the other hand, drug therapy has limitations.
Many children have experienced negative health side effects such as increased heart rate and
higher blood pressure. Many studies have stated the improvements in behavior from the drugs
rarely lead to improvements in academics or peer relationships (Woolfolk, 2015). I personally
would have suggested behavior management strategies that the child can use to self regulate his
or her behavior. Woolfolk (2015) has suggested that behavioral treatments involve the
application of methods such as contingency management, time-out, shaping, self-regulation, and
modeling. One specific technique that has been used is to divide the assignment into short
sections that allow the student to move when appropriate yet still feel accomplished
academically. This method has been shown to allow the teacher to gradually increase the amount

MIDTERM ESSAY EXAM

of work done in each section. To improve the outcome of this method the teacher has offered
small rewards for appropriate behavior during learning time. I have also suggested that Micah
have manipulatives to work with while completing his assignments. For students with ADHD
this has allowed them to move and fidget while still learning the concepts. The book has
supported this method by saying long assignments may overwhelm students with attention
deficits, so give them a few problems at a time with clear expectations for completion (Woolfolk,
2015). Woolfolk (2015) has also suggested that the teacher study the child and record the times
he or she is engaged, then the teacher can make changes in their teaching that support the
changes the student is trying to make. This method has been shown to make the teacher and
student partners in controlling the behavior (Woolfolk, 2015).
Conclusion
I am very passionate about both of these situations. Even though my brother has not
skipped grades, the school has taken the initiative to make sure he is challenged in the classroom.
Since my parents are educators, this allows for him to also be challenged outside of the
classroom. While growing up with ADHD, I have learned strategies to help myself regulate my
own behavior. This has allowed me to excel in every aspect of my life. I still use a few of the
strategies today in this class to help me stay focused. Studying these situations has helped open
my eyes as an educator to all different types of students.

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7
References

Woolfolk, A. (2015). Educational Psychology (13th ed., pp. 45-145). Pearson.

Appendix A
Points
Possible

SelfEvaluation

APA formatting / Grammar / Punctuation /

Usage / Spelling

15

13

Quality, depth, and support for the first

response

35

33

Quality, depth, and support for the second

response

35

33

Introduction, conclusion and evidence of

personal insight and/or learning

15

15

Total Points

100

94

Categories

Average of the two scores:

Instructor
Evaluation