Basic Concepts and Issues on Human Development

Human Development - The pattern of movement of change that begins at conception and

continues through the life span.

 Basic Concepts of Human Development

 Growth is quantitative in nature.

 Development is qualitative in nature

 Maturation means that potential traits are present at birth in the individual

controlled by heredity

 Learning means acquiring skills due to environmental stimulation and training

 Heredity is a combination of genes we inherit and shown in characteristics

 Environment includes all aspects of the surroundings human and non-human

 Major principle of human development

 Development is relatively orderly

 Cephalocaudal pattern

 Proximodistal pattern

 The outcome of developmental process and rate of development are likely to vary

among individuals.

 Development takes place gradually.

 Development as a process is complex because it is a product of;

 biological process

 cognitive process

 socio-emotional process
 Approaches of human development

 Traditional perspective - believes that individuals will show extensive change

from birth to adolescence.

 Life-span approach - believes that even in adulthood, developmental change

takes place as it does during childhood.

 Characteristics of the life-span perspective

 Development is lifelong.

 Development is multidimensional.

 Development is plastic.

 Development is contextual.

 Development involves Growth, Maintenance and Regulation.

 The stages of development and developmental task

 Pre-natal Period – it is where the life begins

 Germinal – 2 weeks after conception

 Embryonic – 2 to 8 weeks after conception

 Fetal – 8 weeks to 7 months after conception

 Infancy and early childhood - which lasts from birth to age 5. These are babies

who are just learning to walk and talk and figuring out the world around them.

 extreme dependence on adults

 beginning psychological activities; language, symbolic thought,

sensorimotor coordination and social learning

 language of newborn is the cry

 usually eats every 2 to 3 hours

  uncoordinated movements

 toothless

 poor vision (focusing range 8 to 12 inches)

 usually doubles weight by 9 months

 responds to human voice & touch

 sway and move to music

 picking up things when standing up

 stand without assistance

 walk without help

 roll a ball

 wants to be like parents

 vocabulary and understanding expands

 can stand one foot

 sentences are more complex

 develops fears

 may begin to read

 socialize to other children their age.

 Middle childhood - lasts from age 6 to age 12. During this time, children become

more self-sufficient as they go to school and make friends.

 Both large 7 muscles are well-develop

 Develop complex motor skills

 Acceptance by peers is important

 Parental approval is still important

 Adolescence - which lasts from age 13 to age 18, comes with hormonal changes

and learning about who you are as an individual.

 Traumatic life stage for child and parents

 Puberty occurs

 Extremely concerned with appearance

 Trying to establish self-identity

 Confrontations with authority

 Early adulthood - lasts from age 19 to age 30 and involves finding an occupation

and often finding a life partner as well.

 Physical development complete.

 Emotional maturation continues to develop.

 Usually learned to accept responsibility for actions & accept criticism.

 Usually knows how to profit from errors.

 Socially progress from age-related peer groups to people with similar

interests.

 Middle Age - lasts from age 30 to age 60 and is the time when most people start a

family and settle into their adult lives.

 Physical changes begin to occur:

 Hair begins to thin & gray.

 Wrinkles appear.

 Hearing & vision decrease.

 Muscles lose tone.

  Main concerns: children, health, job security, aging parents, & fear of

aging.

 Love & acceptance still take a major role.

 Later Maturity - is the time of life after age 60. During this time, people adjust

to life after work and begin to prepare themselves for death.

 Fastest growing age bracket of society.

 Physical deterioration (brittle bones, poor coordination)

 Some memory problems

 Coping with retirement & forms of entertainment

 Very concerned with health & finances.

 Significant number become depressed; suicide rate is high.

 Issues on Human development (Module 3)

 Nature vs. Nurture - The degree to which human behavior is determined by

genetics biology (nature) or learned through interacting with the environment

(nurture).

 Nature - refers to our genetics the unique combination of genes that we

have naturally inherited from our biological parents from their DNA.

 Nurture - refers to the effect of the environment; care for and protect

(someone or something) while they are growing.

 Continuity vs. Discontinuity - Changes through the lens of a qualitative analysis

with an emphasis on the discontinuous nature of how someone changes.

  CONTINUITY - Says that someone changes throughout their life along a

smooth course -Believe that human development is gradual and

continuous process with no sudden changes.

 DISCONTINUITY - Contends that people changes abruptly. These

changes can be describing as a wide variety of someone's social and

behavioral makeup like their emotions, traditions and beliefs.

 Stability vs. Change

 Stability – first experience has made us

 Change - First experience has developed us into someone different from

who we are at an earlier point in development.

 Which is the most significant in all the theories presented to the human

development?

 The interaction of heredity and environment is so extensive that to ask which is

more important, nature or nurture, is like asking which is more important to a

rectangle, height or width. -William Greenough

 Research in Child and Adolescent Development (Module 4)

 RESEARCH IS TO SEE WHAT EVERYBODY ELSE HAS SEEN AND TO THINK

WHAT NOBODY ELSE HAS THOUGHT” -ALBERT SZENT-GYORGI,

HUNGARIAN BIOCHEMIST

 As a pre-service teacher, it is important to have a positive regard research. Best

practices in education are usually borne out of research. Research informs

practice.

 Teachers as Researchers
  The conduct of research does not only belong to thesis and dissertation writers.

 It is for students and teachers, too.

 The Scientific Method

Dewey gave us 5 scientific methods. They are the following:

 Identify and define the problem

 Determine the hypothesis

 Collect and analyze the data

 Formulate conclusions

 Apply conclusions to the original hypothesis

 Research Designs

 To be able to conduct a quality research, it is important to know various research

designs and different data-gathering techniques used by developmental

researchers.

Research Design Description Strengths Weaknesses

Case Study An in-depth look at an It provides information Need to exercise caution
individual. about the individual’s when generalizing
personal development. information.

Correlational A research design that Useful because the more
determines associations. strongly the two events are
Study correlated, the more we
can predict one from
another.
Because correlational
research does not involve
the manipulation of
factors.

Experimental A research design that A research design that Experimental research is

determines the cause-and- determines the cause-and- limited to what
effect relationship. effect relationship. observable, testable and
 can manipulate.

Naturalistic A research design that One of the advantages of The disadvantages of

focuses on children’s this type of research is that naturalistic observation
Observation experiences in natural it allows the researcher to include the fact that it can
setting. directly observe the be difficult to determine
subject in a natural setting. the exact cause of a
behavior experimenter
can’t control the variables.
Longitudinal This research design Allows them to record and They are expensive and
studies and follow through monitor develop-mental time consuming.
a single group over a trends.
period of time.

Cross-Sectional A research strategy in Allows them to record and It gives no information

which individuals of monitor develop-mental about how individuals
different ages are trends. change about the stability
compared at one time. The researcher does not of their characteristics.
have to wait for the
individuals to grow up or
become older.

Sequential This is the combined Allows them to record or It is complex, expensive

cross-sectional and monitor develop-mental and time consuming.
longitudinal approaches to trends.
learn about life-span
development.

Action Research Action research is a Appropriate in particular Typically takes place in

reflective process of setting when the purpose one organization only at a
progressive problem of study is “to create particular time and could
solving led by individuals changes and gain not be interpreted within
working with others in information on processes different organizations in
team or as part of and outcome of the the same way.
“community of practice”. strategies used.

Data gathering techniques

Data gathering techniques Definition/description
Observation Observations can be made in either laboratories
or natural settings. In naturalistic observation,
 behavior is observed in the real world like
classrooms, home in neighborhood.

Physiological Measure Certain indicators of children’s development

such as, among others, heart rate, hormonal
levels, bone growth, body weight and brain
activity are measured.

Standardized These are prepared tests that assess individuals’

performance in different domain. These tests
are administered in a consistent manner.

Interviews and Questionnaires Involve asking the participants to provide

information about themselves based on the
interview or questionnaire given by the
researcher.

Life-History Records These are records of information about a

lifetime chronology of events and activities.

 Ethical Principles

 These ethical standards serve as reminders that as researchers, we should strive to

protect the subjects of our study and maintain the integrity of our research.

 Ethical Principles are found in documents.

 Ethical standards of the American Educational Research Association

 Ethical standards for Research with children- society for Research child

development
  Standards of the American Psychological Association Concerning

Research

Some keypoints;

 Research procedures must never harm children, physically or psychologically.

 Children and their families have the right to full information about the

research in which they may participate, including possible risks and benefits.

 Children’s questions about the research should be answered in a truthful

manner in a way that children can understand.

 There should be respect for privacy.

The Data Privacy Act of 2012 (R.A 10173)

 This law was passed in the Philippines in 2012 “to protect the fundamental

human right of privacy of communication while ensuring free flow of

information to promote innovation and growth”

 The law states that the collection of personal data “must declared, specified and

legitimate purpose and that... Consent is required prior to the collection of all

personal data

 Impact of Teacher’s Research Involvement in Teachers

 Teachers who have been involved in research may become more reflective, more

critical, and analytical in their teaching and more open and committed to

professional development.
 Participating in teacher research also helps teachers become more deliberate in

their decision-making and actions in the classroom.

 Teacher research develops the professional dispositions of lifelong learning,

reflective and mindful teaching and self-transformation.

 Engaging in teacher research at any level may lead to rethinking and

reconstructing what it means to be a teacher or teacher educator and,

consequently, the way teachers relate to children and students.

Teacher research has the potential to demonstrate to teacher and prospective

teachers that learning to teach in inherently connected to learning to inquire.