The Child and Adolescent Learner and

2 Learning Principles
10

UNIT 2: DEVELOPMENTAL AND OTHER RELEVANT THEORIES OF

HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
2.0. Intended Learning Outcomes
a. Identify important concepts of the different theories that explain the development of learners.
b. Recognize the implications of the different developmental theories to the learning of self and as a
future teacher.
c. Apply the various theories in the development of learners at various life stages.

2.1. Introduction
Unit 2 is dedicated to the different theories that explain human development particularly in some
of its aspects. This time, we will discuss six (6) prominent theories of development explaining the various
facets of our individuality – from our personality to cognition and to our moral development. We will kick
off this unit with the theory proposed by Sigmund Freud. It provided for us a possible explanation as to why
and how every unique personality is the way they are.
I will try my best to make this as simple as I can for easier digestion of the many concepts and ideas
provided in every theory. If you ever encounter any need for clarification and have some questions, you may
reach me through our respective class’ GC or the various means I had provided on the Preface.
Activities as usual, are provided so you can assess your learning as we go along with the discussion
in this course. I hope you enjoy learning (like I do!) about these theories not just because these are staple
sources of questions during the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET) but because you have developed
a genuine appreciation for their contribution in our lives and the lives of your students (and children) in the
future. That said, let’s do this! 

2.2. Theories Relevant to Learners’ Development

 Lev Vygotsky’s Socio- Cultural Theory of Cognitive Development

2.2..1. Let’s Take Part

In a yellow sheet of paper, briefly answer the following questions:
1. Recall a skill that you wanted to learn and eventually learned well, through the help of another
person (playing an instrument, swimming, or driving).
2. What factor/s made you interested and motivated you to learn that skill?
3. Who taught or assisted you in acquiring the skill/s that you have now?
4. Describe the process of how you went through learning the skill/s. How did the person who
taught or assisted you go about teaching you the things necessary for you to learn the skill well?

2.2..2. Discussion

Lev Semenovich Vygotsky was a Russian psychologist who lived during the
Russian Revolution. He stressed the fundamental role of social interaction in the
development of cognition (Vygotsky, 1978), as he believed strongly that community
plays a central role in the process of "making meaning." Unfortunately, he died while
he was only 37 years old thus it was only in the 1970s that his ideas began to exert
influence, making him the 83rd contemporary psychologist most frequently cited due
to their contribution to developmental and educational psychology (Cherry, 2018).
At the same time that Piaget was coming up with his own cognitive theory of
development, Vygotsky was also finishing his. However, they have some major
www.verywellmind.com
 The Child and Adolescent Learner and
2 Learning Principles
11

differences on how they view cognitive development among learners. For Vygotsky, individual development
cannot be understood without reference to the social and cultural context within which it is embedded and
that higher mental processes in the individual have their origin in social processes.

KEY CONCEPTS:
Social Interaction.
For Vygotsky, this is one of the central factors in his Socio- Cultural Theory of Cognitive
Development. While Piaget believed that children develop their cognitive abilities by their own processing
of the Piagetian tasks occurring in stages and these tend to be true universally, Vygotsky believed that the
socio- cultural context in which children are entrenched have a lot of impact on their cognitive development.
This makes his theory social in focus and one of the foundations laying the groundwork for constructivism.
For Vygotsky, effective learning happens through participation of the individual in social activities, making
the social context of learning important (Corpuz, 2018). Thus, parents, primary caregivers, teachers, other
adults and even peers all contribute to how an individual learn.

Cultural Factors.
Vygotsky believed that culture plays a crucial role in the cognitive development of children. It is
through the wide range of experiences that one gets in the culture where they are part of that gives more
meaning to the world of the learners.

Language.
While Piaget put little emphasis on the effect of language to how a child learns, Vygotsky said that
this is another central factor in how a child learns in the society. It is through language that learners are able
to acquire knowledge that others before him had already learned. This is the main vehicle in which
generations were able to transmit knowledge and other relevant materials to the next generation. Through
language, an individual is able to understand, communicate with the world, and solve problems in his daily
life. Adding to these social functions, it also plays another important individual function of regulating and
reflecting on his own thinking. This is evident among preschoolers who talk to themselves while playing.
According to Vygotsky, this is a an indication of the thinking that goes on in the mind of the child which
would eventually lead to private speech, a form of self- talk that guides an individual’s thinking and actions.

Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD).

Consider the example of a child first given her own jigsaw puzzle
What I composed of approximately 50 pieces. Naturally, she would have difficulty in
can't do
solving that puzzle by her own. However, with the assistance of her mother, she
ZPD was able to realize the easy way of solving and completing the puzzle.
According to Vygotsky, this is the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). This
is the range at a certain level of competency that a child can do alone and what
What I he/she can do with the assistance of a More Knowledgeable Other (MKO). This
can do zone represents a learning opportunity where an MKO can assist the child’s
development.

More Knowledgeable Other.

The MKO is someone who is more competent or a more advanced person
who can provide the assistance needed by the learner to achieve a particular goal,
(solving a jigsaw puzzle). Although, most often than not, the MKO is taken over by
a more competent adult or a more advanced peer, sometimes, it can also be
someone younger (e.g. a grandchild teaching his grandmother how to create a
Facebook profile).

www.definingwornderland.com
 The Child and Adolescent Learner and
2 Learning Principles
12

Scaffolding.
This refers to the support that an MKO provides to the child so that a task is accomplished easily.
Just like how the term is used in construction, this is the support one needs to reach higher level – in this
case, cognitive development. It is not just merely trying to do the task easily for the child while he/she
watches nor is it about giving the child shortcuts to doing anything. Rather, these are actions of an adult that
would actually let children move and develop in learning so that their zones of proximal development gets
broader.
It is not scaffolding if one would unzip the lunch bag for the child while he watches. Scaffolding
occurs when an adult unzips the first 2 inches of the bag then lets the child do the rest. It is all about how the
right amount of assistance and support is provided to allow the child to accomplish the task for themselves.
According to Vygotsky, the process of scaffolding moves in four levels:

I do, you watch I do, you help You do, I help You do, I watch

Scaffolding, when done correctly, can make a learner confident and eventually, able to accomplish
a task without any need for assistance. Thus, instructors and teachers should scaffold in a way that the gap
is bridged between the learner’s current skill levels and the desired level. One should always remember that
the learning of the child depends also on the skills of the MKO and the learners’ readiness and ability to learn
as well as the complexity of the task being learned (Corpuz, 2018).

2.2..3. Application: Vloggers ‘R Us!

In this activity, your task is to apply some of the important concepts proposed by Lev Vygotsky in
his theory. You will be creating a video tutorial using the following steps:
1. Choose a skill, which you are very proficient at. It could be anything as long as you feel confident about
it (planting, cooking, drawing, basic tutorial for an online game, playing a musical instrument, etc.). The
justification as to why you chose this particular
skill should be clearly stated at the beginning of
your video.
2. Break down the steps you will make in teaching
the skill.
3. Determine how you will use scaffolding.
Describe the specific actions you need to do to
provide proper assistance and support to your
target learners.
4. Demonstrate the steps required in a video in a
manner that will be easy to follow for your target
audience.
5. Your video tutorial MUST BE NOT BE LONGER
THAN 5 MINUTES. You can use either English
or Filipino as your medium of instruction.
Upload your video to our Google Classroom
and/or SSU LMS.
6. On the right is the Rubrics for your video output.
 The Child and Adolescent Learner and
2 Learning Principles
13

2.3. References

Corpuz, B. B., Lucas, M. R. D., Borabo, H. G. L., & Lucido, P. I. (2018). The Child and Adolescent
Learners and Learning Principles. Lorimar Publishing, Inc.

Ciccarelli, S., K. & White, J.N. (2012). Psychology. (3rd Ed). Pearson Education, Inc.

Nolen-Hoeksema, S., Fredrickson, B.L., Loftus, G. R. and Wagenaar, W. A. (2009). Atkinson &
Hilgard’s Introduction to Psychology. (15th Ed.). Cengage Learning EMEA.

Rathus, S. A. (2018). Child and Adolescent Development. Cengage Learning.

Online Sources:

American Psychological Association (2002). Eminent psychologists of the 20th century. Monitor on
Psychology. 2002; 33 (7):29.

Cherry, K. (2020, April 15). Jean Piaget's Life and Contributions to Psychology. Very Well Mind.
https://www.verywellmind.com/jean-piaget-biography-1896-1980-2795549

Cherry, K. (2018). Lev Vygotsky. http://verywellmind.com/lev-vygotsky

Doorey, M. (2021, January 13). Lawrence Kohlberg. Encyclopedia Britannica.

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Lawrence-Kohlberg

jenningh. (2007, June 3). Egocentrism [Video]. Youtube. https://youtu.be/OinqFgsIbh0

Lawrence Kohlberg. (n.d.). http://totallyhistory.com/lawrence-kohlberg/.

McLeod, S. (2018, September 03). Erik Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development.

https://www.simplypsychology.org/Erik-Erikson.html

McLeod, S. (2018). Jean Piaget's Theory and Stages of Cognitive Development. Simply Psychology.
https://www.simplypsychology.org/piaget.html

McLeod, S. (2013). Kohlberg. www.simplypsychology.org/kohlberg.html.

McLeod, S. (2018). The Preoperational Stage of Cognitive Development. Simply Psychology.

https://www.simplypsychology.org/preoperational.html

Rambles, B. (2017, February 13). The Psychosocial Theories of Erik Erikson: A Basic Understanding.
https://owlcation.com/social-sciences/The-Psychosocial-Theories-of-Erik-Erikson-A-Basic-
Understanding

"Three Mountain Task" (2020, September 10). Child Development. Encyclopedia.com:

https://www.encyclopedia.com/children/applied-and-social-sciences-magazines/three-
mountain-task

Zierten, E. A. (2018, September 21). Urie Bronfenbrenner. Retrieved from

www.britannica.com.

2.4. Acknowledgment
The images, tables, figures and information contained in this module were
taken from the references cited above.