Lesson 3: The Stages of Development and Developmental Tasks

DPE 101 – Child & Adolescent Learners & Learning Principles

Introduction
As a teacher, to be most effective, you need to understand why children behave
the way they do. This way, you will be able to provide opportunity to help learners realize
their potentials.

This lesson focuses on the development of the child and adolescent learners as
they are your clientele in education. It includes the different stages of development and
the general characteristics of the learners at various stages in the lifespan. It also provides
you with the opportunity to apply what you are learning in the teaching-learning process.

In this chapter, you are expected to:

1. identify developmental stages of learners in different curricular year level (CLO 3)
2. state how these developmental tasks affect them as facilitators of learning (CLO 6);

Activity
Accomplish the activity without looking at the notes provided in this module. All
answers must be based from your personal observations or experience.

What are expected from What symbol/object can

Stage in Development individuals at each you represent for each
stage? Give at least 2. stage?
1. Prenatal Period

2. Infancy (0-2 years)

3. Early Childhood (3-5

years)
4. Middle and Late
Childhood (6-12 years)
5. Adolescence (13-18
years)
6. Early Adulthood (19-29
years)
7. Middle Adulthood (30-
60 years)
8. Late Adulthood (61
years and above)

DPE 101 – Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles

Based from the activity, be able to complete the following:

• For every developmental stage …

• For me, the most significant period is …

Discussion
The lifespan development includes the entire human life cycle, that is, from
conception to adulthood. It is significant to understand them as you relate to your learners,
to yourself, to your co-workers, to parents, to non-formal education clienteles and to other
education stakeholders.
Developmental psychologists divide the lifespan into stages or periods. At each
period or stage they specified based from research, what children can do and the rate at
which they grow. From this, they came up with the milestone of development. A
milestone of development refers to the age when most children are expected to reach
a certain stage of development.

Robert J. Havigurst identified 6 developmental stages. These include:

1. Infancy and Early Childhood (0-5)
2. Middle Childhood (6-12)
3. Adolescence (13-18)
4. Early Adulthood (19-29)
5. Middle Adulthood (30-60)
6. Later Maturity (61 and over).
John W. Santrock identified 8 developmental stages. These are:
1. Prenatal Period (from conception to birth)
2. Infancy (from birth to 18-24 months)
3. Early Childhood (end of infancy to 5-6 years (Grade 1)
4. Middle and Late Childhood (6—11 years, the elementary school years)
5. Adolescence (10-12 years ending up to 18-22 years)
6. Early adulthood (from late teens or early 20s lasting through the 30s)
7. Middle Adulthood (40-60 years) and Late Adulthood (60s and above).

Try to compare them by paying close attention on the number of stages or periods
they have identified. What have you noticed?

A developmental task is an activity which arises at or about a certain period in the

life of the individual. It is an ability to master certain essential skills and acquire approved
patterns of behavior at various stages. It provides teachers and parents awareness of
whether the child being early or late or on time with regards to a given tasks. Study the
developmental tasks during the lifespan according to Havigurst. Pay attention to what
individuals can do at each stage or period. Now, go back to your answers in the
Introductory activity, were you able to get the expected task at each stage of
development? What have you noticed on the tasks as one moves up to the next level, are
lower tasks necessary for one to carry out higher tasks?

DPE 101 – Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles

 Havighurst’s Developmental Tasks During the Life Span
Source: https://www.imbalife.com/havighursts-developmental-tasks-during-your-life-
span
1. BABYHOOD AND EARLY CHILDHOOD 4. EARLY ADULTHOOD (19-29 years)
(0-5 years)
Learning to take solid foods Getting started in an occupation
Learning to walk Selecting a mate
Learning to talk Learning to live with a marriage partner
Learning to control the elimination of body Starting a family
wastes Rearing children
Learning sex differences and sexual modesty Managing a home
Getting ready to read Taking on civic responsibility
Learning to distinguish right and wrong and Finding a congenital social group
beginning to develop conscience
2. LATE CHILDHOOD (6-12 years) 5. MIDDLE AGE (30-60 years)
Learning physical skills necessary for Achieving adult civic and social
ordinary games responsibility
Building a wholesome attitude toward Assisting teenage children to become
oneself as a growing organism responsible and happy adults
Learning to get along with age-mates Developing adult leisure time activities
Beginning to develop appropriate masculine Relating oneself to one’s spouse as a
or feminine roles person
Developing fundamental skills in reading, Accepting and adjusting to the
writing and calculating physiological
Developing concepts necessary for changes of middle age
everyday living Reaching and maintaining satisfactory
Developing a conscience, a sense of performance in one’s occupational
morality, and a scale of values career
Developing attitudes toward social groups Adjusting to aging parents
and institutions
Achieving personal independence
3. ADOLESCENCE (13-18 years) 6. OLD AGE (61 years and above)
Achieving new and more mature relations Adjusting to decreasing physical strength
with age-mates of both sexes Adjusting to retirement and reduced
Achieving a masculine or feminine social income
roles Adjusting to death of spouse
Accepting one’s physique and using one’s Establishing an explicit affiliation with
body effectively members of one’s age group
Describing, accepting and achieving socially Establishing satisfactory physical living
responsible behavior arrangements
Achieving emotional independence from Adapting to social roles in a flexible way
parents and other adults
Preparing for an economic life and family life
Acquiring a set of values and an ethical
system as a guide to behavior-developing
an ideology

DPE 101 – Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles

 Below is the summary of the general characteristics from prenatal to adolescent
period taken from various authors.

General Characteristics from Prenatal to Adolescence

1. PRE-NATAL (Outset of fertilization to birth)
• The period of gestation, the period of pregnancy
• Takes place for 9 months or 280 days
• Is divided into 3 stages: the period of the ovum or germinal stage from
fertilization to 2 weeks, the period of the embryo or embryonic stage from 2
weeks to 2 months where major organs are forming and the period of the fetus
or the fetal stage from 2 months to birth where organ systems develop and begin
to function.
• The age when hereditary endowments and sex are fixed and all body features
are developed (both external and internal).
• Hazards of pre-natal development include prescription and non-prescription drugs,
psychoactive drugs, environmental hazard such as radiation, pollutants, and other
maternal factors such as Rubella, German measles, AIDS, anxiety and stress,
maternal age. These can cause birth defects and are called teratogens.
Thalidomide is a powerful teratogen that can cause abnormal prenatal
development. This drug is given to women who are pregnant to relieve nausea
but was found to cause irreversible damages to the developing fetus and result to
congenital malformations.
In Santrock’s developmental stages, this is the period where remarkable
growth takes place –from a single-celled organism to a complete human being
endowed with behavioral capabilities and a brain that is distinct from other forms
of animals.

2. INFANCY (First two weeks after birth)

• The shortest of all developmental periods
• Is divided into 2 periods: period of partunate (from birth and 30 minutes after birth)
and period of the neonate from the cutting of the umbilical cord to second week of
life
• The period of radical adjustment, the time when the child is adjusting from its
new environment outside the womb of the mother such as breathing, sucking,
swallowing and waste elimination on its own.
• A plateau in development caused by the lack of progress in growth due to the
sudden change in environment.
• A preview of later development that provides a clue as to what to expect later
on.
• A hazardous period because of difficulties of making necessary adjustments
According to Santrock 2002, this is the time when the child is extremely dependent
on their caregivers. They are also beginning to carry out several psychological
activities such as language, use of symbols, sensorimotor coordination and social
learning.
The works of Piaget, Erickson and research findings on brain development are
influential in understanding infants and toddlers. Despite they look helpless yet they are

DPE 101 – Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles

individuals with feelings, rights and individuality. Caregiving routines are the focus of this
age-group. The challenges during this stage are the: use of daily routines to interact,
development of trust and security and provision of educational opportunities. Magda
Gerber is the pioneer of infant care. She introduced the term educaring which is used to
describe the relationship between infant and an adult. Its key elements are: observing,
listening and reading. Her philosophy is anchored on responsive and reciprocal
interaction where the child and the caregiver learn about each other. The Program for
Infant/Toddler Care (PITC) has currently introduced the relationship-based curriculum
where caregivers observe and record the child’s behavior (needs, feelings and thinking)
and use them in designing environments appropriate to the developmental challenges of
the child and in strengthening the child’s family and cultural identity.

Infant and toddler program emphasizes on security, exploration and socio-emotional

growth. These include:
• creating a stable environment with low staff turn-over and low care-giver-child ratios
• providing more one-to-one physical care
• ensuring immediate response from adults
• following up with parents and families on a daily basis
• using ordinary routines as learning opportunities
• developing skills that go beyond teaching, such as mothering and being a playmate
• promoting intentional rather than discovery learning
• developing finely tuned interpretation skills to recognize needs and distress signals
in young children
• understanding the significance of cultural sensitivity as children gain a sense of their
own identity

3. EARLY CHILDHOOD (Two to six years –Grade 1)

• Preschool age since this is the period when they will be enrolled in day care
centers or nursery or kindergarten schools
• An age of independence
• The time when the child developed language sufficiently to express himself
purposively and his entrance to school
• The period of increased physical vigor and muscular control
• Rote memory is functioning excellently where they quickly recall information by
repetition
• The stage of imitative plays and love listen to stories they like
• The problem or troublesome age as evident by their stubbornness, disobedience
pessimism and antagonism
• The toy age where they spend most of their waking time playing with toys
• Pre-gang stage, the time when they learn the foundations of social behavior that
will prepare them for the more highly organized social life required to adjust to
when they enter first grade
• Exploratory age, when they want to know what his environment is
• Imitative age, tends to follow what others are doing and saying
• Creative age, use of improvise toys

DPE 101 – Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles

 • Questioning age, asks endless questions
For Santrock 2002, this is when children become self-sufficient and to start
caring for themselves. They also begin to develop their readiness for school and
to socialize with other children through play activities.

Kindergarten
The kindergarten year is a transition from early childhood programs to a formal
school setting and is considered the first year of formal schooling.
Nearly all states offer only half-day kindergarten. Kindergarten is mandatory for 5-
year-old children. The following are to be considered in the kindergarten program:
• The purpose of the kindergarten program. It has to begin with the child, that is, to fit
with the child’s needs, interests, skills and developing activities
• The effects of a full day on children. It has to be adapted to the age, interest and
abilities of children.
• The needs and concerns of families. The program should be suited to the needs of
families.
• The effect on teachers. Teachers teach one class in the morning and in the afternoon.
This prevents the risk of teacher burnout.
• The concerns of the administration. Half-day classes require less staff, supplies and
equipment and other services.
• The nature and quality of the program.

Looping-the practice of keeping a teacher and the same group of children together in
the same class for at least 2 years. This provides a greater continuity of care and
education.
Mixed-age groupings- where children of several age levels (usually 2-4 years) are in
the same classroom. This enables young children to learn from older children and vice
versa thus, enhancing social skills, a sense of family and community.
The traditional nursery/preschool exemplifies a developmental approach to learning
in which children actively explore materials and in which activity or learning centers are
organized to meet the developing skills and interests of the child. Its idea is to make a
school a place of human activity. Its philosophy emphasizes the human needs, growth
patterns and relationships in a young child’s life. Developmentally, its focus is on social
competence and emotional well-being.
The curriculum encourages self-expression through language, creativity, intellectual
skill and physical activity. Its methods and philosophy are influenced by Johann Amos
Comenius, John Locke, Jean-Jacque Rousseau, Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi,
Friedrich Froebel and Maria Montessori. This includes:
• Devoting more time to free play where children are free to initiate their own activities
and become deeply involved without interruption, emphasizing the importance of
play. This helps children learn to make choices, select playmates, and work on their

DPE 101 – Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles

 interests and issues at their own rate. A dominant belief is that children learn best in
an atmosphere free from excessive restraint and direction.

• There is a balance of activities (indoors and out, free choice and teacher-directed
times) and a wide variety of activities (large and small muscle games, intellectual
choices, creative arts and social play opportunities.

Changes in the kindergarten program:

• Children today experience very different childhoods than even a decade ago.
• Knowledge of how children learn and develop has expanded.
• The standards-based reform movement has changed expectations for kindergarten
children. This increases the academic expectations on them and the pressure on
teachers to comply with regulations.

Some issues in kindergarten programs

• School entry age
• Length of school day
• Untrained staff
• Use of inappropriate screening and readiness tests
• Denial or discouragement of entrance for eligible children
• No transitional classes for not ready children
• Core Standards –the national standards that dictate what children need to learn at
each age and grade level.

4. MIDDLE CHILDHOOD (Six to nine or ten years)

• Designated as the primary school period
• Physical growth is slower
• Achieving a sufficient degree of maturity to enable him to profit from formal
education
• A critical stage in development since the child moves from home to school, they
are learning to make adjustments, learning to accept authority of the teacher in
place of the parents and learning to accept discipline as a necessary component
of a school life and assume responsibilities in school
• Attain satisfaction in doing things for himself
• Readiness to learn involves proper physical, mental and emotional development,
adequate experiential background and interest or willingness to learn
• Reading, the most fundamental skill taught in school
• Enjoys stories on children of their own age where experiences are similar to
their own
• Interested in reading about child life in other lands and retains his interest in fairy
tales
• Interest in comics begins as soon as the child can read
• Learn a great deal from other children as well as from adults, in both didactic and
cooperative learning situations

DPE 101 – Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles

 • Period of great activity, there is an increasingly steady gain in coordination and
control of the fine muscle
• Have trouble reasoning about abstract and hypothetical questions

Often overlooked as part of a comprehensive view of young children are first

through third grades, serving children from 6-8 years old. These grades focus on the basic
academic skills of reading, writing, math, science, social studies, arts and dram, health
and safety and physical education. Although these subjects are taught separately, the
curriculum should be integrated so that children learn subject matter through a variety of
activities.
Dramatic changes are taking place in this stage. Children at this age are eager to
learn and are developing logic and relational skills as they move from preoperational
stage to concrete operations. Learning tasks are more difficult compared to kindergarten
and requires greater persistence and effort. They like choosing their own tasks, working
cooperatively in small groups with their classmates and participating in planning each
day’s work. Group discussions and planning projects address the child’s needs to be part
of the planning process.
Enhancing the child’s enthusiasm for learning is a primary task for the teachers of
this age group. Play for the primary-age group revolves around rules that accompany
organized games and cards. Learning still takes place through independent exploration
and manipulation of materials, so classroom centers are an important part of the
environment. The classroom itself maybe more structured but it is important to use
developmentally appropriate principles, practices and environment.

5. LATE CHILDHOOD (Nine or ten until the onset of puberty or sexual maturity)
• The elementary school periods
• Learning essential skills both curricular and extra-curricular
• The real formative period, marked by individualism, a growing independence and
self-assertion
• The time when fundamentals of teamwork and cooperation are learned
• The period of competitive socialization, wants to engage in competitive team
sports
• The troublesome age, are engage in fights and are not willing to do what they are
told to do
• Gang age, major concern is acceptance by their age-mates and membership in a
gang
• Play age, the peak of play activities since more time is devoted to play
• Critical stage in the achievement drive, a time when they form the habit of being
achievers, underachievers or overachievers
• The sloppy age, the time when children tend to be careless with their physical
appearance
Santrock 2002, put the two periods together Middle and Late childhood from
6-11 years of age which he labeled as Elementary School years. This is when

DPE 101 – Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles

 children learn the fundamentals of reading, writing and arithmetic and are exposed
to a larger world and various cultures. Achievement becomes the central theme in
the child’s development as he gains self-control.

PUBERTY (Ten years until the maturation of the sexual apparatus)

• A part of adolescence
• The pre-adolescent period when sexual maturation occurs which occurs at
various stages, varies in the age at which it occurs
• Age of womanhood/manhood, which refers to the physical rather than to the
behavioral changes
• An overlapping period because it encompasses the closing years of childhood
and the beginning years of adolescence
• This short period is further divided into 3 stages:
a. pre-pubescent stage-secondary sex characteristics begin to appear like
development of breasts in females and facial hair in males, growth of pubic hair
but primary sex characteristics such as growth of sex organs are not yet fully
developed
b. pubescent stage-sexual maturity appears, menarche (beginning of
menstruation) in females and spermarche (first ejaculation of seminal fluid) in
males, otherwise known as nocturnal emission or wet dream
c. post-pubescent stage-secondary characteristics become well developed and
sex organs begin to function in a mature manner
• The time of rapid growth and change, marked by changes in body proportions
which is referred to as adolescent growth spurt
• Is a negative phase, takes an anti-attitude toward life or seems to lose good
qualities
• Puberty in girls and boys begin earlier today than in the past. This downward shift
in age is known as secular trend.
• Differences in the timing of pubertal change from one adolescent to the next is
known as Asynchrony
• The stage when eating disorder may develop
a. Bulemia- binge eating or over-eating which is common to girls
b. Anorexia-severe limit in food intake to the point of actual starvation
• The pituitary gland and the gonads play important in puberty changes

7. ADOLESCENCE (Twelve to eighteen years to twenty years)

• Is generally designated as the high school years
• Follows an orderly sequence or pattern of development
• Is referred to as the transition period from childhood dependence to assumption
of adult activities and responsibilities
• The period of change in behavior and behavior and so with its physical features
• A dreaded age-a period where abnormal behaviors are displayed like rudeness in
speech, moodiness, swearing, demanding money, negative characteristics
• The time for unrealism-looks at life through rose-tinted glass and illusive
aspirations

DPE 101 – Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles

 • A problem age-experience problems in coping with new roles and in solving
problems due to lack of experience
• A time of search for identity-are no longer satisfied to be like their peers in every
respect
• The threshold of adulthood-begin to display behavior associated with adult
status such as smoking, drinking, using drugs and engaging in sex
• Rebellious against requirements and prohibitions
• Seek reassurance from their own age group
• Snub persons outside their clique
• Unsure of oneself
• Unproductive but creative
• More reckless, less considerate of others, rude in speech, more secretive, more
moody, more vocal in demanding for money
• 3 As of happiness in Adolescence
Acceptance
Affection
Achievement

References:

Bergin, C. C. and Bergin, D. A. (2012). Child and Adolescent Development in Your

Classroom, Chronological Approach.USA: WadsworthCengage Learning.

Bjorklund, D. F. and BLASI, H. C. (2012). Child and Adolescent Development. An

Integrated Approach.Canada: WadsworthCengage Learning.

Corpuz, B.B., et. al (2018). The Child and Adolescent Leñares and
Learning Principles.Quezon City: Lorimar Publishing, Inc.

Gordon, A.M. and Browne, K.W. (2017). Beginnings & Beyond. Foundations in Early
Childhood Education, 10th Edition. United States of America:Cenage Learning.

Havigurt’s Developmental Tasks (May 4, 2018).The Psychology Notes HP. Online

Resources for Psychology Students. Retrieved from
https://www.psychologynoteshq.com/development-tasks/

Levine, L. E. and Munsch, J. (2016).Child Development from Infancy to

Adolescence, An Active Approach. Thousand Oaks, California. SAGE
Publications, Inc.
Santrock, J.W. (2016).Essentials of Life-span Development, Fourth Edition.New
York, NY. McGraw-Hill Education.
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-hccc-ss-152-1/chapter/periods-of-development/

DPE 101 – Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles