PEPSI SCREENING

EDU 220
Lillian Luke
 Biography

The child is fifteen years of age, is female, and named Jordyn. The middle child of four,

she is still living at home with her mother, father, older brother, and two younger sisters. Her

parents have been sobered for 3-4 years. Being the oldest sister of the family, she is constantly

being relied on by her entire family. She is passionate, creative, and a quick learner. With such

good qualities, she has a lot of potential to do great in school, but teenage laziness and

prioritizing seems to be a big factor and the reason why her grades are suffering. The family is in

the middle class and both parents work full time jobs to support the family and pay the bills. As

soon as she turned fifteen, she looked for any job she could get. Due to lack of staff, Café Rio let

her work as a cashier, despite her age and experience. Even though she went through a very

tough time during the pandemic with online school, she still had to undergo summer classes

online as well. Jordyn has a very tough time learning from her mistakes and continues to make

repeat her mistakes without regard to her future. She is currently a sophomore in high school.

She was at a good start until she got with the wrong crowd of friends and started ditching class.

She still continues to ditch class, despite how long her parents “ground her.” Jordyn was

diagnosed with ADHD when she was 7 years old, which explains why she struggles focusing or

finding interest in any of her classes. Jordyn also suffers from chronic depression due to

abandonment from her recently sober parents and other factors such as frequent relocating and

abuse. These factors could indicate why she struggles in school and in enjoying life the right

way. Jordyn struggles with substance abuse such as alcohol and marijuana. With her mother also

smoking and drinking, it’s no coincidence because Jordyn enjoys such things as well. As a

younger student, Jordyn excelled in school. She was in the GATE program and had a 3.5 GPA.

Since she turned eleven, she smoked marijuana for first time, and her grades began to drop.
 Physical development

Physical development effects each child at a different rate. The physical development for

teenagers is an important time and the rate at which it happens can be fast or slow. Puberty is a

main factor during this stage, and it affected Jordyn at a very young age. She was ten when she

started growing breasts and began her first menstrual cycle. This is a tough time for a woman,

especially at such a young age when you have so much innocence as a young child. It is obvious

that she was self-conscious about her body until she full grew into it. Girls nowadays were

experiencing the same things she was. She also had a great support system from her older cousin,

mother, and aunt who also experienced the same changes at the same age. However, puberty

affected her mentally overall. She was first diagnosed with crippling depression not too long

after starting her first menstrual cycle. With so much physical change, her mental state

drastically changed as well. “While puberty involves a series of biological, or physical

transformations, the process can also have an effect on the psychosocial and emotional

development of the adolescent” (Mersch, John). Not only is puberty effecting her attitude, but it

is also affecting her attendance in school. She often says that she is suffering mentally and can’t

get out of bed. She was also given a “stress pass” by her school counselor for times she feels to

overwhelmed in school. It is apparent that Jordyn has chronic anxiety and depression that affects

her the most when it comes to school. “Recent research suggest that teens brains are not fully

developed until late in adolescence. This could explain why some teens seem to be inconsistent

in controlling their emotions, impulses, and judgments” (Morgan, Erin). This is evident in Jordyn

and seems to be a great struggle for her. A lot of her decision making is inconsistent, and she

does not realize these inconsistencies even when she is told about them. Another physical

development trait that is obvious in Jordyn is her sleep patterns. She has a hard time falling
asleep at night and waking up early for school. “The brain re-sets the body clock during puberty.

Children going through puberty need more sleep than they did just before puberty started”

(Physical Changes in Adolescents). This is very obvious for Jordyn and sometimes she misses

the first part of school because of waking up late and missing the bus or deciding not to go

overall.

Emotional Development

The emotional development is also a difficult time for teenagers. Minor problems can

easily be blown out of proportion, and it is apparent that Jordyn is an emotional girl. She seems

to be very passionate about her views of the world and she lets her emotions play a big part in

this. Her opinion about the importance of school is very obvious and she feels that she does not

have to do good in school to be successful in life. By letting her emotions get the better of her,

she is showing signs of delinquency. “Delinquency are usually low achievers who have been

given little reason to believe that they can succeed by following the path laid out for them by the

school” (Slavin, Robert). Jordyn is not completed dedicated to the idea that school is not for her,

but she is definitely showing signs that it may happen. Jordyn’s emotional development,

however, seems to be normal for a child her age. “Most adolescents experience emotional

conflicts at some point and for most adolescents, emotional distress is temporary and is

successfully handled” (Slavin, Robert). Every child this age experiences similar emotions and

feelings and Jordyn is no different. Even though her emotions at times seem to affect her in a

negative way, she also uses her emotions to make poor decisions and seems to let peer pressure

weigh her down. A piece of that may play a big role in Jordyn’s emotional development is the

trauma she’s gone through as a child. Jordyn constantly changed schools due to relocating when
her parents went to prison for drug abuse. “The transitions from elementary, to middle school, or

junior high and then on to high school can also be quite stressful” (Slavin, Robert). With these

changes and constant relocating, Jordyn may be experiencing higher stress and anxiety levels.

Philosophical development

“As people develop their cognitive abilities, their understanding of moral problems also

become more sophisticated” (Slavin, Robert). This is very apparent is Jordyn’s case. She is able

to use moral reasoning in a lot of her decision making and it is impressive to see her maturity

level shine through. She talks about bad decisions her friends make and how she does not let her

friend pressure her into bad decision making. Jordyn is at a very important age for this stage in

her maturity towards moral reasoning. It is obvious that Jordyn is a smart girl, and she is visibly

learning day by day things that are write and wrong. She is putting a lot of her reasoning to use

in social situations in school. “Resolving conflicts with peers weakened children’s reliance on

adult authority and heightened their awareness that rules are changeable and should exist only as

the result of mutual consent” (Slavin, Robert). This is something Jordyn sees on a daily Basis,

and she is very quick in the reasoning and problem solving. She will continue to learn in this

stage and if she keeps going as the same pace, her moral reasoning and cognitive development

will stay above her peers. Even though Jordyn is handling this stage of development well, she

does struggle in certain areas. Jordyn still has a lot of ignorance about things she does not agree

with, and this could cause issues with peers. She is very passionate about her opinion and does

not listen to others’ ideas very well (unless they are her close friends). As she gets older, she will

learn ways of sharing her opinion without being overbearing. “As children improve their
cognitive skills, they are also developing self-concepts, ways of interacting with others, and

attitudes toward the world” (Slavin, Robert).

Social Development

Social development for a child at fifteen is an important stage. Jordyn is definitely

flourishing in this stage. Not only is it apparent that she is a very social teen, but she seems to

enjoy the social aspect of school more than any other part. She is beginning to form her view of

the world and where she stands on these issues. “One of the first signs of early adolescence is the

appearance of reflectivity, the tendency to think about what is going on in one’s own mind and to

study one-self” (Slavin, Robert). Jordyn is visibly growing and learning in her social

development, and it is impressive to watch. Another part of social development that Jordyn is

doing well in her relationships with peers. She is very sociable and often talks about her friends

and they seem to play a big part in ger daily routine. “In general, the amount of time with friends

increases dramatically; adolescents spend more time with their peers than they do with family

members or by themselves” (Slavin, Robert). This is very true for Jordyn. She often does not

want to stay at home but would rather leave and hang out with her friends. It is also apparent that

her friends’ opinions matter a great deal to her when family members opinions do not. Also,

Jordyn’s self-concept and self- esteem appear to be normal for her age. She is going through

many body changes and her self-esteem is affected but not in a way to cause worry. “Self-esteem

is lowest as children enter middle school or junior high and the onset of puberty” (Slavin,

Robert). Even though she may seem unsure of herself sometimes, Jordyn’s self-esteem is at a

normal level for her age, and she seems to have a normal level of confidence.
 Intellectual Development

Jordyn is at an important age for intellectual development. Her way of thinking is

beginning to change, and she often talks about things she plans on doing for her future. “During

adolescence the individuals rapidly physiology, coupled with pressures to make decisions about

future education and career, creates the need to question and redefine the psychosocial identity

established during the earlier stages.” (Slavin, Robert). Even though her intellectual development

seems to be growing at the normal, pace, her future plans are not realistic and do not involve her

education. One area Jordyn’s intellectual development that seems to be lacking is some of her

reasoning. Her future plans do not involve furthering her education, yet she plans on living in an

expensive city. Her reasoning is not realistic in this situation. She views her education as not top

priority and does not realize that she needs it in order to have a successful career. As she gets

older and matures more, her ideas about her future are likely to change and she will hopefully

realize the importance of her education. One of her older siblings is currently flourishing in

school and is headed for college in a year. Which provides her a good role model for her to look

up to. “The way in which children progress from one stage to the next is by interacting with

others whose reasoning is or, at most, two stages above her own” (Slavin, Robert). Jordyn is also

expanding her way of thinking about the world around her. She is realizing that the world does

not revolve around her, and it affects her way of thinking. This is normal for others her age and

she is on the right track to expanding her way of thinking about the world around her. Her

friends have a big impact on her growth in this area and she looks up to them in many ways. “By

continually interacting and cooperating with other children, the child’s ideas about rules and,

therefore morality begin to change” (Slavin, Robert).

PEPSI chart showing Jordyn’s initial profile
 Recommendations for Teachers/Parents

After viewing Jordyn in each of the developmental stages, she is overall at a normal level

with a few spots of minor concern. Jordyn’s biggest issue is motivation to get to school and

wanting to stay. She lacks the motivation needed to go to school every day and her absences are

something to worry about. One solution for this would be to find her a reason to look forward t

school every day. If Jordyn has a class, club, sport, that she could be passionate about, this will

help get her motivated to go to class and do well. Jordyn loves music and she likes to be the

center of attention with her peers, so music class or even drama would be a good choice for her

and it would be somewhere she could thrive. Another area where Jordyn struggles is her outlook

on her future education. She feels that her furthering her education is not necessary to have

successful career. She sees celebrities and people eon television who became wealthy by chance

and seems to think this could happen to her. One solution for this would be to surround her with

positive role models. Jordyn has three siblings who are currently enrolled in college and if they

were to take some time and talk to her, it could make a big difference. Another solution hat will

help her realize that she needs to further her education is for her to get a job once she turns

sixteen. Once she is working, she will soon realize how hard and how many hours she will have

to work to make a decent living. Another solution that might help Jordyn’s overall attitude is

having a good teacher-student relationship. If Jordyn’s teachers reached out to her and expressed

how much potential she has to be successful if could give her the push she needs to be more

motivated. When asked about her teachers, she seem sot not care about them and what they are

teaching. Even though Jordyn has a few speed bumps coming her way, if she is able to get the

motivation she needs to get to school and realize how important it is, she will do great things.
 References

Mersch, John. “Teen Child Development (12-17 years Old).” MedicineNet.com. N.p.,21 Oct.

2014, Web.

Morgan, Erin. “Adolescent Growth and Development.” Pubs.ext.vt.edu. N.p., 8 Feb. 2012. Web.

“Physical Changes in Adolescence.” N.A. Raisngchildren.net. N.p., 1 Jan 2016. Web.

Slavin, Robert E. Educational Psychology Theory and Practice. 11th ed. N.p.: Pearson, n.d. Print.