A LEARNING MODULE FOR:
THE CHILD
                                                            AND
                              ADOLESCENT LEARNERS
                                                            AND
                                  LEARNING PRINCIPLES
                                                               Prepared by:
                                                            IVY S. DIAZ, MAED
                                                                CTE-Faculty
                                                                    &
The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles                     Page 1
                                               ANGEL ANN T. ALEJANDRO, LPT
                                                              CTE-FACULTY
Overview
   “Child development”, or “child and adolescent development” refer to
the process of growth and maturation of the human individual from
conception to adulthood. In many cultures, the care of children is shared
among a wider group of adults, and often older children, than is common in
western societies. The emotional, social and physical development of
young children has a direct effect on their overall development and on the
adult they will become. That is why understanding the need to invest in very
young children is so important, so as to maximize their future well-being.
    In this course, we are going to learn concerning child and adolescent
development, both from theoretical perspectives, and also from applied
perspectives, in the form of parenting skills coverage. .In order to create an
effective learning environment, a teacher must understand how students
learn. This module will discuss basic concepts and issues on human
development, its meaning, concepts and approaches , as well as the stages
of developmental tasks, and research in child and adolescent development.
This module contains four lessons . These are:
 Basic Concepts and Issues on Human Development
           Lesson 1- Human Development: Meaning, Concepts and
                     Approaches
           Lesson 2- The Stages of Development and Developmental Tasks
           Lesson 3- Issues on Human Development
           Lesson 4- Research in Child and Adolescent Development
After studying this module, you should be able to:
      Define growth and development and differentiate these two terms;
      Identify the different developmental stages and tasks in child and
        adolescent development;
      Recognize the major issues on human development and take a stand
        on it; and
      Know and apply the research in child and adolescent development as
        a reference for present pre-service training and for actual future
        teaching.
The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles           Page 2
   Table of Contents
   Overview                                                                2
   Objectives                                                              2
   Table of Contents                                                       3
   Pre-Assessment                                                          4
   Lesson 1 Human Development: Meaning, Concepts & Approaches             5-
   10
   Activity 1                                                          11
   Activity 2                                                          12
   Activity 3                                                          13
   Lesson 2      The Stages of Development and Developmental Task   14-23
   Activity 1                                                          24
   Activity 2                                                          24
   Activity 3                                                          25
   Lesson 3      Issues on Human Development                        26-30
   Activity 1                                                         31
   Activity 2                                                         31
   Activity 3                                                         32
    Lesson 4     Research in Child and Adolescent Development       34-44
   Activity 1                                                         45
   Activity 2                                                        46
    Pre-test Answers Key                                             47
    Summary                                                          48
    References                                                       49
The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles            Page 3
       Pre-Assessment
Direction: Match the items in Column A with their definitions or descriptions in
Column B. Write the letters on the lines before the numbers.
            A                                          B
 ______1. Growth                  a. Refers to biological/genetic predispositions’
impact on                                      human traits
 _____2. Development                 b. Personalities are modified by interactions
with family,                                   experiences   at    school,    and
acculturation
_____ 3. Nature                       c.   Before    birth;   during   or   relating   to
pregnancy
 _____4. Nurture                      d. Refers to the quantitative changes in an
individual as                                       the processes in chronological
age.
_____5. Continuity                e. Personality traits present during infancy
endure                                                throughout the lifespan
_____6. Discontinuity             f. It sees our development as taking place in
specific steps                                   or stages: Changes are sudden.
_____7. Change                       g. It describes the influence of learning and
other                                            influences from one’s environment
_____8. Stability                    h. It is the stage of life from the 60s onward; it
constitutes                                      the last stage of physical change
_____9. Pre-natal stage              i.    It is structured & systematic form of
learning.
_____10. Late adulthood               j. It sees our development as a cumulative
process:                                            Changes are gradual
                                      k. Refers to qualitative changes in an
                                           individual leading to the individual’s
                                           maturation
    If all your answers are correct, very good! This shows that you already
know much about the topics in this module. You may still study the module to
review what you already know.
    If you got a low score, don’t feel bad. This means that this module is for
you. It will help you understand some important concepts that you can apply
in your daily life. If you study this module carefully, you will learn the answers
The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles                         Page 4
to all the items in the test and a lot more! Are you ready? You may go now to
the next page to begin Lesson 1.
                  Lesson 1             HUMAN DEVELOPMENT:
                                       MEANING, CONCEPTS
                                        AND APPROACHES
         Every living creature is called to become what it meant to be. The
    caterpillar is meant to become a butterfly: a seed into a full grown herb,
    bush or tree; and a human baby into a mature person, the person “who is
    fully alive, the glory of God” in the words of St. Irenaeus. The process of
    development involves beginnings and endings.
       In this lesson, you will be acquainted with human development as a
    process, the developmental tasks that come along with each
    developmental stage and relevant issues that are raised about human
    development.
                 After studying this lesson, you should be able to:
      define human development in your own words,
      draw some principles of human development, and
      distinguish two approaches to human development.
  Let’s Study…
        Human Development is the pattern of movement or change that
begins at conception and continues through the life span. Development
includes growth and decline. According to Santrock, development can be
positive or negative.
Growth and Development
   Growth
      - refers to the quantitative changes in an individual as the processes in
           chronological age.
      - refer to increase in size, height, or weight.
   Development
      - refers to qualitative changes in an individual leading to the individual’s
           maturation
      - is a series of orderly progression towards maturity.
The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles                   Page 5
                    Growth                                       Development
      Quantitative changes in size,                  Qualitative changes in the quality
       weight number, etc.
      One of the parts of development                Growth is one of its parts
      Changes that take place in                     Describes the changes in the
       particular aspects of the body and              organism as a whole.
       behavior                                       Continuous process – from womb
      Continue throughout life but stops              to tomb
       with the attainment of maturity                Changes are qualitative in nature
      Quantitative and observable                     and cannot measured
      May or may not bring about                     Possible without growth
       development
Factors influencing Growth and Development
   1. Maturation/Nature – the natural growth resulting from heredity
   2. Environmental Influences/Nurture – in and through which the growing
                                          takes place
Principles of Development
   1. Development follows an orderly sequence which is predictable.
      Patterns of Physical Development
      a. Cephalocaudal Pattern – during infancy, the greatest growth always
          occur at the top.
      b. Proximodistal Pattern – muscular control of the trunk and arms
          comes earlier as compared to the hands and finger.
   2. The rate of development is unique in each individual.
   3. Development involves change.
   4. Early development is more critical than later development.
   5. Development is the product of maturation and learning.
   6. Principle of inter-related development.
   7. There are social expectations for every development period which are
      often referred to as developmental tasks.
The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles                       Page 6
Domains of Development – also referred to as areas of development which
include:
     Physical Development
      a. Gross motor development – the large muscle in the body such as
         legs, arms, and the chest.
      b. Fine motor development – the small muscles such as those in the
         hand, fingers, lips and tongue. Hand-eye co-ordination is an
         example.
     Social/Emotional Development
         - Refers to the development of self-concept and self-esteem as well
             as the ability to express feelings and form relationships with other
             people.
     Language Development
         - Speech – production of sounds (articulation) and voice quality
         - Language development – understanding or comprehending
            (receptive language) and being able to communicate using
            language
         - (expressive language)
Meaning of Human Development
      Human development is the pattern of movement or change that
begins at conception and continues through the life span. Development
includes growth and decline. This means that development can be positive
or negative (Santrock, 2002).
Some major principles of human development
         Here are some major principles of human development:
1.       Development is relatively orderly.
         (http://www.cdipage.com/developnet.htm)
     -   A child will learn to sit, crawl then walk before they can run. The
         muscular control of the trunk and the arms comes earlier as compared
         to the hands and finger. This is the proximodistal pattern.
     -   During infancy, the greatest growth always occurs at the top – the
         head with physical growth in size, weight and future differentiation
         gradually working its way down from top to bottom (for example, neck
         should, middle tuck and so on). This is the cephalocaudal pattern.
The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles                  Page 7
2.       While the pattern of development is likely to be similar, the outcomes of
         developmental processes and the rate of development are likely to
         vary among individuals.
         (http://www.cdipage.com/development.htm)
     -   A child who comes from a good home with loving and caring parents
         may develop into warm and responsible child, adolescent and adult. If
         the child comes from a deprived environment, he/she may develop
         into carefree and irresponsible adolescent and adult.
3.       Development takes place gradually.
         (http://www.cdipage.com/development.htm)
     -   Children won’t develop into pimply teenagers overnight. It takes years
         before they become one. In fact, that’s the way of nature. The bud
         does not blossom suddenly. The seed does not germinate overnight.
         While some changes occur in a flash of sight, more often it takes
         weeks, months, or years for a person to undergo changes that result in
         the display of developmental characteristics.
4.      Development as a process is complex because it is the product of
     biological, cognitive and socio-emotional processes (Santrock, 2002)
     -   Biological processes involve changes in the individual’s physical
         nature. The brain of a child develops. He/she will gain height and
         weight; and will experience hormonal changes when he/she reaches
         the period of puberty, and cardiovascular decline as he/she
         approaches late adulthood.
     -   Cognitive processes involve changes in the individual’s thought,
         intelligence, and language. A child develops from mere sounds to a
         word becoming two words, the two words becoming a sentence.
         He/she would move on to memorizing their first prayer, singing Lupang
         Hinirang in every flag ceremony to imagining what it would be like to
         be a teacher or a pilot, playing chess and solving a complex math
         problem.
     -   Socio-emotional processes include changes in the individual’s
         relationships with other people, changes in emotions, and changes in
         personality. Babies respond with a sweet smile when affectionately
         touched and frown when displeased and even show temper tantrum
         when they could not get or do what they wanted. From aggressive
         children, they may develop into a fine lady and a gentleman or
         otherwise, depending on a myriad of factors. They may fall in love and
         get inspired for life or may end up betrayed, deserted and desperate
         afterwards.
The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles                   Page 8
Two approaches to Human Development
     Children show extensive change from birth to adolescence, little or no
change in adulthood and decline in late old age, your approach to
development is traditional. In contrast, if you believe that even in adulthood
developmental change takes place as it does during childhood , your
approach is termed life-span approach.
What are the characteristics of the life-span perspective? Paul Baltes
(Santrock, 2002), an expert in life-span development, gives the following
characteristics:
   1. Development is life-long. It does not end in           adulthood.    No
      developmental stage dominates development.
   2. Development is multi-dimensional. Development consists of biological,
      cognitive, and socio-emotional dimensions.
   3. Development is plastic. Development is possible throughout the life-
      span.
   4. Development is contextual. Individuals are changing beings in a
      changing world.
   5. Development involves growth, maintenance and regulation. Growth,
      maintenance and regulation are three (3) goals of human
      development. The goals of individuals vary among developmental
      stages. For instance, as individuals reach middle and late adulthood,
      concern with growth gets into the back stage while maintenance and
      regulation take the center stage.
Principles of child development and learning that inform practice
       Below are the principles of child development and learning which are
the bases of developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) in early childhood
program for children from birth through age 8, which were stated in the
position paper of the National Association for the Education of Young
Children (2009). They affirm the principles of human development and
characteristics of life-span development approach we just discussed. Find
out which one is a re-statement of the principles of human development.
   1. All the domains of development and learning-physical, social and
       emotional, and cognitive – are important, and they are closely
       interrelated. Children’s development and learning in one domain
       influence and are influenced by what takes place in other domains.
The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles               Page 9
   2. Many aspects of children’s learning and development follow well
       documented sequenced sequences, with later abilities, skills, and
       knowledge building on those already acquired.
   3. Development and learning proceed at varying rates from child to
       child, as well as at uneven rates across different areas of a child’s
       individual functioning.
   4. Development and learning result from a dynamic and continues
       interaction of biological maturation and experience.
   5. Early experiences have profound effects, both cumulative and
       delayed, on a child’s development and learning; and optimal periods
       exist for certain types of development and learning to occur.
   6. Development proceeds toward greater complexity, self-regulation,
       and symbolic or representational capacities.
   7. Children develop best when they have secure, consistent relationships
       with responsive adults and opportunities for positive relationships with
       peers.
   8. Development and learning occur in and are influenced by multiple
       social and cultural contexts.
   9. Always mentally active in seeking to understand the world around
       them, children learn in a variety of ways; a wide range of teaching
       strategies and interactions are effective in supporting all these kinds of
       learning.
   10. Play is an important vehicle for developing self-regulation as well as for
       promoting language, cognitive, and social competence.
   11. Development and learning advance when children are challenged to
       achieve at level just beyond their current mastery, and also when they
       have many opportunities to practice newly acquired skills.
   12. Children’s experiences shape their motivation and approaches to
       learning, such as persistence, initiative, and flexibility; in turn, these
       dispositions and behaviors affect their learning and development.
The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles                 Page 10
         Activity No. 1
Direction: Answer the following questions.
1. “Growth is an evidence of life”, what does this mean?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
2. Define development in your own words. Translate the meaning of
development in Filipino and in your local dialect.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Filipino
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Local Dialect
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles           Page 11
          Activity No. 2
Direction: Do the following to ensure mastery of the big ideas presented in
the lesson.
   1. Four principles of human development and their educational implications.
                    Principle                               Educational Implication
       a. _______________________________
       _________________________________
       _________________________________
                                          __________________________________
       b. _______________________________ __________________________________
       ________________________________   __________________________________
       c._______________________________
       _________________________________
       _________________________________          __________________________________
       d._______________________________          __________________________________
       _________________________________          __________________________________
       _________________________________          __________________________________
       _________________________________
   2. Patterns of development
       a. The direction of growth following the cephalocaudal pattern is from
          _______________________ to the ________________________.
       b. The direction of growth following the proximodistal pattern is from
          _______________________ to the ________________________.
   3. Two approaches to human development
                Concept                                      Approach
                                            Traditional                  Life-span
       Development during
       childhood
       Development during
       adulthood
       Developmental stage/s
       as focus of study
The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles                            Page 12
            Activity No. 3
Direction: Put a     check if the statement is correct and an   if it is a wrong
            one .
_______ 1. Development is a pattern of change.
_______ 2. Development is either growth or decline.
_______ 3. From both traditional and life-span perspectives development is
            lifelong.
_______ 4. In the development process, there are things that hold true to all
            people.
_______ 5. Individuals develop uniformly.
_______ 6. Development is predictable because it follows an orderly process.
_______ 7. Development is uni-dimensional.
_______ 8. Development takes place in a vacuum.
_______ 9. The effect of biological process on development is isolated from
            the effect of cognitive and socio-emotional processes.
_______10. Development and learning occur in and are influenced by multiple
            social and cultural contexts.
The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles                  Page 13
Lesson 2              THE STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT
                       AND DEVELOPMENTAL TASKS
       For every developmental stage, there is an expected developmental
task. What happens when the expected developmental tasks are not
achieved at the corresponding developmental stage? How can you help
children achieve these developmental tasks?
                 After studying this lesson, you should be able to:
      define developmental tasks in your own words.
      identify developmental stages of learners in different curriculum year
       levels.
      describe the development tasks in each stage.
      state for yourself how these developmental tasks affect your role as a
       facilitator of learning.
STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT
PRE-NATAL STAGE
   -   Before birth; during or relating to pregnancy.
   -   Relating to pregnant woman and her unborn baby.
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   Three Periods of Prenatal Stage (GEF)
   1. Germinal Period
        - Prenatal development that
             takes place in the first two
             weeks after conception.
        - It includes the creation of the
             Zygote, continued cell division
             and the attachment of the
             zygote to the uterine wall.
        A. Blastocyst
                - Inner layer of cells.
                - Develops later into
                   embryo
        B. Trophoblast
                - Outer layer of cells.
                - Provides nutrition and
                   support for the embryo.
   2. Embryonic Period
        - Prenatal development occurs 2
            to 8 weeks after conception.
        - The zygote will become Embryo.
          The following development takes
          place:
             - Cell differentiation intensifies
             - Life-support systems for the
                embryodevelop
             - Organs appear
              Organogenesis – it is the
              process of organ formation
              during the first two months of
              prenatal development.
The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles   Page 15
        Three layers of cells
              Endoderm
                - inner layer of the cell.
                - becomes the digestive and respiratory systems.
              Ectoderm
                - outermost layer of the cell
                - becomes the nervous, sensory receptors and skin parts.
              Mesoderm
                - middle layer
                - develops into circulatory, skeletal, muscular, excretory, and
                reproductive system.
             As the three layers of the embryo form, the support systems for
             the embryo develop rapidly.
                                  Three life-support systems: (PUA)
                                             a. Placenta – a life support system that
                               consists of disk-shaped group of tissues in which
                               small blood vessels from the mother and the off-
                               spring intertwine but do not join.
                                             b. Umbilical Cord – contains two
                               arteries and one vein that connect the baby to the
                               placenta.
                                             c. Amnion/Amniotic Sac – is a bag or
                               an envelope that contains a clear fluid in which
                               the developing embryo floats.
                                 3. Fetal Period (Fetus)
          - Last from about 2 months after conception until 9 months when
             the infant is born.
          - Dramatic course and organ systems mature to the point at which
             life can be sustained outside of the womb.
The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles                     Page 16
INFANCY (from birth to 2 years)
    Infancy is defined as the first year of life and is the period of most
rapid growth after birth. As a toddler, humans develop motor skills, such as
the ability to walk, and communication skills. Adolescence is an important
period in terms of physical, mental, emotional, and social changes. New-born
usually refers to a baby from birth to about 2 months of age. Infants can be
considered children anywhere from birth to 1 year old. Baby can be used to
refer to any child from birth to age 4 years old, thus encompassing newborns,
infants, and toddlers.
EARLY CHILDHOOD (3 to 5 years)
        Early childhood, defined as the period from birth to eight years old, is
a time of remarkable growth with brain development at its peak. Early
childhood care and education (ECCE) is more than preparation for primary
school.
         In early childhood, the rapid increase in body size of the first two years
tapers off into a slower growth pattern. On average, children add 2 to 3
inches in height and about 5 pounds in weight each year. The child gradually
becomes thinner; girls retain somewhat more body fat, whereas boys are
slightly more muscular. Posture and balance improve, resulting in gains in
motor coordination. Individual differences in body size are even more
apparent during early childhood than in infancy. To determine if a child's a
typical stature is a sign of a growth or health problem, the child's ethnic
heritage must be considered.
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MIDDLE AND LATE CHILDHOOD (6-12 years)
    Children add about 2 to 3 inches in height and 5 pounds in weight each
year. Girls tend to have small growth spurts at ages 4.5, 6.5, 8.5, and 10, boys
slightly later at 4 .5, 7, 9, and 10.5. Girls are slightly shorter and lighter than
boys at ages 6 to 8, but by age 9 this trend is reversed. The lower portion of
the body is growing fastest at this age period and children during this time
appear long-legged. Girls have slightly more body fat and boys have more
muscle. After age 8, girls begin accumulating fat at a faster rate.
     The frontal lobes of the cortex show a slight increase in surface area
between ages 5 and 7 due to continuing myelinization. The corpus callosum
thickens, leading to improved communication between the two cortical
hemispheres. Synaptic pruning continues, and lateralization of the cerebral
hemispheres increases over the school years. Neurotransmitters are chemicals
that permit neurons to communicate across synapses. Secretions of particular
neurotransmitters are related to cognitive performance. Brain functioning
may also change because of an increase in androgens that occurs in both
boys and girls around age 7 to 8.
ADOLESCENCE (13-18 years)
The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles                  Page 18
    Adolescence is a developmental transition between childhood and
adulthood. It is the period from puberty until full adult status has been
attained. Adolescence is one of the most fascinating and complex transitions
in the life span. Its breathtaking pace of growth and change is second only
to that of infancy.
    Biological processes drive many aspects of this growth and development,
with the onset of puberty marking the passage from childhood to
adolescence. Puberty is a transitional period between childhood and
adulthood, during which a growth spurt occurs, secondary sexual
characteristics appear, fertility is achieved, and profound psychological
changes take place. Although the sequence of pubertal changes is relatively
predictable, their timing is extremely variable. The normal range of onset is
ages 8 to 14 in females and ages 9 to 15 in males, with girls generally
experiencing physiological growth characteristic of the onset of puberty two
years before boys.
    Pubertal maturation is controlled largely by complex interactions among
the brain, the pituitary gland, and the gonads, which in turn interact with
environment (i.e., the social, cultural, and ambient environment). A relatively
new area of research related to puberty is that of brain development.
Evidence now suggests that brain growth continues into adolescence,
including the proliferation of the support cells, which nourish the neurons, and
myelination, which permits faster neural processing. These changes in the
brain are likely to stimulate cognitive growth and development, including the
capacity for abstract reasoning.
EARLY ADULTHOOD (19-29 years)
    Early adulthood extends from age 18 to 40 and contains many important
milestones. This stage of life generally consists of leaving home, completing
education, beginning full-time work, attaining economic independence,
establishing a long-term intimate relationship, and starting a family.
  By the time we reach early adulthood, our physical maturation is
complete, although our height and weight may increase slightly. In early
The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles                Page 19
adulthood, our physical abilities are at their peak, including muscle strength,
reaction time, sensory abilities, and cardiac functioning. Most professional
athletes are at the top of their game during this stage, and many women
have children in the early-adulthood years.
    The aging process, although not overt, begins during early adulthood.
Around the age of 30, many changes begin to occur in different parts of the
body. For example, the lens of the eye starts to stiffen and thicken, resulting in
changes in vision (usually affecting the ability to focus on close objects).
Sensitivity to sound decreases; this happens twice as quickly for men as for
women. Hair can start to thin and become gray around the age of 35,
although this may happen earlier for some individuals and later for others. The
skin becomes drier and wrinkles start to appear by the end of early
adulthood. The immune system becomes less adept at fighting off illness, and
reproductive capacity starts to decline.
MIDDLE ADULTHOOD (30-60 years)
     During middle adulthood, the aging process becomes more apparent.
Around the age of 60, the eyes lose their ability to adjust to objects at varying
distances, known as presbyopia. Most people between the ages of 40 and 60
will need some form of corrective lenses for vision deficits. Middle-aged adults
are also at higher risk than younger adults for certain eye problems, such as
glaucoma. Hearing also further declines: 14 percent of middle-aged
Americans have hearing problems. Skin continues to dry out and is prone to
more wrinkling, particularly on the sensitive face area. Age spots and blood
vessels become more apparent as the skin continues to dry and get thinner.
The muscle-to-fat ratio for both men and women also changes throughout
middle adulthood, with an accumulation of fat in the stomach area.
    Women experience a gradual decline in fertility as they approach the
onset of menopause—the end of the menstrual cycle—around 50 years old.
This process involves hormonal changes and may last anywhere from six
months to five years. Because of the shifting hormone levels, women going
through menopause often experience a range of other symptoms, such as
anxiety, poor memory, inability to concentrate, depressive mood, irritability,
mood swings, and less interest in sexual activity.
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LATE ADULTHOOD (61 years and above)
     Late adulthood is the stage of life from the 60s onward; it constitutes the
last stage of physical change. ... During late adulthood the skin continues to
lose elasticity, reaction time slows further, and muscle strength diminishes.
Aging process varies significantly from individual to individual and from one
organ system to another. However, some key generalization can be made
including heart muscles thickening with age, arteries becoming less flexible,
and lung capacity diminishing. Kidneys become less efficient in removing
waste from the blood, and the bladder loses its ability to store urine. Brain
cells also lose some functioning, but new neurons can also be produced.
     Chronic illnesses are illnesses that are ongoing, generally incurable
conditions that require continuing medical attention and affect daily life. A
healthy diet is necessary for older adults to increase mental acuteness,
resistance to illness and disease, boost energy levels, improve immune system
strength, recuperation speed, and have greater effectiveness in the
management of chronic health problems.
The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles                Page 21
Concept of development Tasks
    In each stage of development a certain task or tasks are expected of
every individuals. Robert Havighurst defines development task as one that
“arises at a certain period in our life, the successful achievement of which
leads to happiness and success with later tasks while failure leads to
unhappiness, social approval, and difficulty with later tasks,” (Havighurst,
1972).
Developmental stages
    The eight (8) developmental stages cited by Santrock are the same with
Havighurst’s six (6) developmental stages only that Havighurst did not include
prenatal period. Havighurst combined infancy and earl childhood while
Santrock mentioned them as two (2) separate stages. These developmental
stages are described more detail in the next paragraphs.
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The developmental tasks (Santrock, 2002)
   Let’s described the developmental tasks as described by Santrock and
compare them to those listed by Havighurst himself.
1. Prenatal period (from conception to birth) – it involves tremendous
   growth- from a single cell to an organism complete with brain and
   behavioral capabilities
2. Infancy (from birth to 18-24 months) – a time of extreme dependence on
   adults. Many psychological activities are just beginning language,
   symbolic thought, sensorimotor coordination and social learning.
3. Early childhood (end of infancy to 5-6 years (Grade I) – These are the
   preschool years. Young children learn to become more self-sufficient and
   to care for themselves, development school readiness skills and spend
   many hours in play with peers.
4. Middle and late childhood (6-11 years of age, the elementary school
   years) - The fundamental skills of reading, writing and arithmetic are
   mastered. The child is formally exposed to the larger world and its culture.
   Achievements become a more central theme of the child’s world and
   self –control increases.
5. Adolescence – (10-12 years of age ending up to 18-22 years of age)
   Begins with rapid physical changes – dramatic gains in height and
   weight, changes in body contour, and the development of sexual
   characteristic such as enlargement of the breasts. Development of the
   pubic and facial hair, and depending of the voice. Pursuit of
   independence and identity are prominent.
6. Early adulthood (from late teens or early 20s lasting through the 30s) – It is
   a time of establishing personal and economic independence, career
   development, selecting a male, learning to live with someone in an
   intimate way, starting a family and rearing children.
7. Middle adulthood (40 to 60 years of age) – It is a time of expanding
   personal and social involvement and responsibilities; of assisting the next
   generation in becoming competent and mature individuals; and of
   reaching and maintaining satisfaction in a career.
8. Late adulthood (60s and above) – It is a time for adjustment to decreasing
   strength and health, lie review, retirement, and adjustment to new social
   roles.
The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles                 Page 23
                 Activity 1
I. Put a check ( ) beside those statements that are correct and an (        )
beside those that are wrong.
________ 1. Developmental tasks are only for the first 3 stages of human
            development.
________ 2. Failure of achieving developmental tasks in an earlier stage also
          means failure for the learner to master the developmental task in
          the nest stage.
________ 3. Preschool age corresponds to early childhood stage.
________ 4. Adolescence is middle and late adulthood stage.
________ 5. Teenage is middle childhood.
________ 6. Mastery of fundamental skills is a major concern during early
             childhood.
________ 7. Play is a great need of children in middle childhood.
________ 8. Preparing children for school readiness is the major concern of
          middle childhood.
              Activity 2
Direction: Having mastered the developmental tasks of early childhood,
middle and late childhood, and adolescence, reflect on what you should do
as a teacher to facilitate your students’ acquisition of these developmental
tasks. Write down your reflections.
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The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles             Page 24
               Activity 3
Direction: Show the developmental stages by means of drawing a diagram
inclusive of the age. Write also the outstanding characteristic trait and
developmental task of each developmental stage.
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The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles           Page 25
                                            ISSUES
        Lesson 3                              ON
                                      HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
    Each of us has his/her own way of looking at our own and other people’s
development. These paradigms of human development while obviously
lacking in scholastic vigor, provide us with a conceptual framework for
understanding ourselves and others. Scholars have come up with their own
modes of human development. Back up by solid research, they take stand
on issues on human development.
    In this course, we are going to learn about the three different issues in the
human development which are Nature vs. Nurture, Continuity vs.
Discontinuity, and All stability vs. All change. These issues characterize our life-
span development. We will be challenged and encouraged to take stand on
issues on human development that we had, have been, and will be facing in
the next future of time.
                 After studying this lesson, you should be able to:
   Identify the three different issues on human development
   Differentiate each issues and explain each characteristics
   Take a stand on the issues on human development
1. NATURE VS. NURTURE
    In the context of the nature vs. nurture debate, “nature” refers to
biological/genetic predispositions’ impact on human traits, and nurture
describes the influence of learning and other influences from one’s
environment. The debate over whether the strengths and weaknesses of
people are the result of nature or nurture has, and somewhat continues to
rage on between scholars and lay people alike.
    The nature versus nurture debate involves whether human behavior is
determined by the environment, either prenatal or during a person's life, or by
a person's genes. The alliterative expression "nature and nurture" in English has
been in use since at least the Elizabethan period and goes back to medieval
French.The nature versus nurture debate involves the extent to which
particular aspects of behavior are a product of either inherited (i.e., genetic)
or acquired (i.e., learned) influences. Nature is what we think of as pre-wiring
and is influenced by genetic inheritance and other biological factors.
The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles                   Page 26
     The initial use of the Nature vs. Nurture Theory was credited to
psychologist Sir Francis Galton in 1869 (Bynum, 2002). However, it is unclear
who initially described the impact of genes and biology versus environmental
influences.
How does nature vs. nurture affect our mental and physical health?
    It is understood that certain physical traits, as well as the susceptibility to
most physical and mental health disorders tend to run in families. Specifically,
whatever illnesses your parents, grandparents, siblings, and other biological
family members have does not guarantee you will inherit them, but it does
increase the likelihood that you may develop them. On the other hand, it is
understood that environmental factors often have a significant effect on
whether or not you develop the health problems that run in your family. (You
can change your gene expressions).
 A couple of examples of how the environment (nurture) can provide a
  benefit, and possibly decrease your risk in getting an illness from your
  family are:
      If   you are      at   risk for heart   disease or diabetes, eat    a
       healthy diet and exercise.
      If you are at risk for other conditions, for example, breast or colon
       cancer, get regular health screenings like mammograms and
       colonoscopies per your doctor's recommendations.
 Examples of how negative environmental influences can affect genetic
  expression include:
      Exposure to community violence increasing the likelihood of anxiety
      Depression and negative behaviors
      Children    who    are     exposed    to secondhand        smoke may
       develop cancers more often than those who do not have that
       experience (Nesterak, 2015).
2. Continuity vs. Discontinuity
 Continuous development views development as a cumulative process,
  gradually improving on existing skills. With this type of development, there
  is gradual change. Consider, for example, a child’s physical growth:
  adding inches to her height year by year.
      In contrast, theorists who view development as discontinuous believe
  that development       takes place in unique stages: It occurs at specific
  times or ages. With this type of development, the change is more
  sudden, such as an infant’s ability to conceive object permanence.
The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles                  Page 27
 The continuity view says that change is gradual. Children become more
  skillful in thinking, talking or acting much the same way as they get taller.
        The discontinuity view sees development as more abrupt-a succession
    of changes that produce different behaviors in different age-specific life
    periods called stages.
 Continuous development sees our development as a cumulative process:
  Changes are gradual.
      On     the    other      hand, discontinuous        development sees
  our development as taking place in specific steps or stages: Changes are
  sudden.
3. All stability vs. All change
    Stability implies personality traits present during infancy endure
throughout the lifespan. In contrast, change theorists argue that personalities
are modified by interactions with family, experiences at school, and
acculturation.This capacity for change is called plasticity.
   For example, Rutter (1981) discovered than somber babies living in
understaffed orphanages often become cheerful and affectionate when
placed in socially stimulating adoptive homes.
              Here is an interesting article titled “How the First Nine Months
           Shape the Rest of Your Life” from the October 4, 2010 Issues of
           Time Magazine.
              Read, analyze then answer the following questions.
             “How the First Nine Months Shape the Rest of Your Life”
    What makes us the way we are? Why are some people predisposed to
be anxious, overweight or asthmatic? How is that some of us are prone to
heart attacks, diabetes or high blood pressure?
    There’s a list conventional answers to these questions. We are the way we
are because it’s in our genes. We turn out the way we do because of our
childhood experiences. Or our health and well-being stem from the lifestyle
choices we make as adults.
      But there’s another powerful source of influence you may not have
considered: your life as a fetus. The nutrition you received in the womb; the
pollutants, drugs and infection you were exposed to during gestation; your
mother’s health and state of mind while she was pregnant with you – all these
factors shaped you as a baby and continue to affect you to this day.
The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles               Page 28
       This is the provocation contention of a field known as fetal origins,
whose pioneers assert that the nine months of gestation constitute the most
consequential period of our lives, PERMANENTLY (Underscoring, mine)
influencing the wiring of the brain and the functioning of organs such as the
heart, liver and pancreas. In the literature on the subject, which has
exploded over the past 10 years, you can find references to the fetal origins
of cancer, cardiovascular disease, allergies, asthma, hypertension, diabetes,
obesity, mental illness. At the farthest edge of fetal-origins research, scientists
are exploring the possibility that intrauterine conditions influence not only our
physical health but also our intelligence, temperament, even our sanity.
     As a journalist who covers science, I was intrigued when I first heard about
fetal origins. But two years ago, when I began to delve more deeply into the
field, I had a more personal motivation: I was newly pregnant. If it was true
that my actions over the next nine months would affect my offspring for the
rest of his life, I needed to know more.
    Of course, no woman who is pregnant today can escape hearing the
message that what she does affects her fetus. She hears it at doctor’s
appointments, sees it in the pregnancy guidebooks: Do eat this, don’t drink
that, be vigilant but never stressed. Expectant mothers could be forgiven for
feeling that pregnancy is just a nine-month slog, full of gilt and devoid of
pressure, and this research threatened to add to the burden.
    But the scientist I met weren’t full of dire warnings but of the excitement of
discovery - and the hope that their discoveries would make a positive
difference. Research on fetal origins is prompting a revolutionary shift in
thinking about where human qualities come from and when they begin to
develop. It’s turning pregnancy into a scientific frontier: the National Institutes
of Health embarked last year on a multidecade study that will examine its
subjects before they’re born. And it makes the womb a promising target for
prevention, raising hopes of conquering public-health scourges like obesity
and heart disease through interventions before birth.
                                                   -Time Magazine. October 4, 2010
The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles                    Page 29
 Does the article agree that heredity, environment and individual’s choice
    are the factors that contribute to what a person may become? Read
    and write that paragraph that tells so.
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___________________________________________________________________________
 Read the 4th paragraph again. Focus your attention on the highlighted
    word, PERMANENTLY. Relate this to the issue on stability versus change
    issue on previous page. Does the word PERMANENTLY convince you that
    we are what our first experience have made of us (stability)? Explain your
    answer.
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The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles              Page 30
                 Activity No.1
As far as our discussions are concerned, which statement is correct and
which one is wrong?
Put a check ( √ ) before the correct statement and mark ( × ) the wrong one.
If you mark a statement (×), explain why.
              1. Heredity exerts a greater influence on human development
                  than environment.
              _______________________________________________________________
              _______________________________________________________________
              2. What has been experienced in the earlier stages of
                  development can no longer be changed.
              _______________________________________________________________
              _______________________________________________________________
              3. From the perspective of life-span developmentalist, later
                  experiences are the key determinants of a person’s
                  development.
              _______________________________________________________________
              _______________________________________________________________
           Activity No. 2
                                       REFLECTION
   1. Relate what you learned here to your personal development. Reflect on
   your own personal development. What has helped you become the
   person that you are now? Is what you have become a product of the
   mere interaction of heredity and environment? Or what you have
   become a product of both heredity and environment interacting and
   what you have decided or determined yourself to become? (Self-
   determination or freedom is a third factor). Write your reflections.
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The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles             Page 31
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              Activity No. 3
                Direction: Using a diagram, differentiate and explain each
            issue on the human development. Give at least one example in
            each issue.
1. Nature vs. Nurture
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The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles           Page 32
The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles   Page 33
2. Continuity vs. Discontinuity
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3. Stability vs. Change
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The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles           Page 34
    Lesson 4                      RESEARCH IN CHILD
                                        AND
                               ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT
    You may have a separate 3-unit course on research. This lesson is not
intended to be a substitute for that three-unit course. It is simply meant to
supplement what you got or will still get in the Research course.
     As you may have noticed, most if not all of what is presented about the
development of the child and the adolescent are products of research. It
might interest you to know how these concept/theories researches were
arrived at. Or after having been exposed to a number of research cited in
this Course, hopefully, you may be so inspired that you, too, would like to start
conducting researches on you own or join a group for research.
                 After studying this lesson, you should be able to:
            explain the basic principles of research.
            demonstrate appreciation of the role of teachers as consumers
               and producers of developmental research.
            read researches on child and adolescent development and make
               simple research abstracts out of researches read.
ACTIVITY
    Read each statement below. Do you agree/disagree with each
statement? Put a check mark √ to indicate your answer.
                           Statement                                  Yes    No
   1.   Research is only for those who plan to take master’s
        degree or doctorate degrees.
   2.   Research is easy to do.
   3.   Research is all about giving questionnaires and
        tallying the responses.
   4.   Research with one or two respondents is not a valid
        research.
   5.   Teachers, because they are busy in their classrooms,
        are expected to use existing research rather that
        conduct their own research in the classroom.
   6.   There is no need to go into research because a lot
        of researches have already been conducted.
The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles                   Page 35
   7. Students are mere users of knowledge arrived at by
      research. It is not their task to conduct research.
   8. Students do not possess the qualifications to
      conduct research.
   9. It is not worth conducting research considering the
      time and money it requires.
ABSTRACTION
    Your answers to the short questionnaire indicate your basic attitude about
research. As a pre-service teacher, it is important to have a positive regard
for research. Best practices in education are usually borne out of research.
Research informs practice.
    All of the topics discussed in this book is, in one way or another, a product
of research. Research is a very reliable means for teachers to learn about
child and adolescent development. When conducted in an appropriate and
accurate manner, it becomes a strong basis for making decisions about the
things you will do as an effective teacher.
 Teachers as Consumer/End Users of Research
    Research gives teachers and also policy-makers important knowledge to
use in decision-making for the benefit of learners and their families. Well-
informed teachers are able to use and integrate the most authoritative
research findings. Research enables teachers to come up with informed
decision on what to teach and how to teach. This involves decisions related
to educational policies, curriculum, effective teaching-learning processes,
and even those involving research, too. It can help us, teachers, to be more
knowledgeable about how to fit our teaching with the developmental levels
of our learners.
 Teachers as Researchers
    The conduct of research does not only belong to thesis and dissertation
writers. It is for students and teachers, too. Let us learn how to conduct
research by finding out the different research principles and the research
methods and designs with focus on child and adolescent development.
 The Scientific Method
  One important principle in research is adherence to the scientific
method, since research is a systematic and a logical process. As such,
The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles                 Page 36
researchers basically follow the scientific method. Dewey gave us 5 steps of
the scientific method. They are as follows:
      1. Identify and define the problem
      2. Determine the hypothesis
      3. Collect and analyze data
      4. Formulate conclusions
      5. Apply conclusions to the original hypothesis
       Simply explained, identifying the research problem is the first step. This is
followed by stating a tentative answer to the research problem called the
hypothesis. The hypothesis is also referred to as an “educated guess”. How
correct is your “educated guess” or “hypothesis”? If you research problem is
concerned with determining the cause of an effect or a phenomenon you
have to gather and analyze data derived from an experiment. This is true with
experimental research. However, if your research problem is concerned with
describing data and characteristics about the subjects or phenomenon you
are studying, you do not need to perform an experiment. This is descriptive
research. After analyzing the data, you formulate your conclusions.
     Compare your conclusions to your original hypothesis to find out if your
original hypothesis is correct or not. If your original hypothesis jibes with your
finding and conclusion, affirm your hypothesis. If your original hypothesis does
not jibe with your findings and conclusions, reject your original hypothesis.
 Research Design
    Researchers that are done with high level of quality and integrity provide
us with valuable information about child and adolescent development. To be
able to conduct quality research, it is important that you know various
research design and different data-gathering technique used by
developmental researchers. Some are given and described below:
  Research Design            Description             Strengths     Weaknesses
   1. Case Study          An in-depth look      It provides      Need to exercise
                          at an individual.     information      caution when
                                                about an         generalizing from
                                                individual’s     the information;
                                                fears, hopes,    the subject of a
                                                fantasies,       case study is
                                                traumatic        unique, with a
                                                experiences,     genetic make-
                                                upbringing,      up and
                                                family           experiences no
The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles                   Page 37
                                                relationships,one else shares;
                                                health, and   involves
                                                anything that judgments of
                                                helps a       unknown
                                                psychologist  reliability, in that
                                                understand that
                                                              usually no heck is
                                                person’s      made to see if
                                                development   other
                                                (Santrock, 2002)
                                                              psychologists
                                                              agree with other
                                                              observations
                                                              (Santrock, 2002)
   2. Correlational       A research         Useful because   Because
      Study               design that        the more         correlational
                          determines         strongly two     research does
                          associations       events are       not involve the
                                             correlated, the  manipulation of
                                             more we can      factors, it is not a
                                             predict one from dependable
                                             the other.       way to isolate
                                                              cause
                                                              (Kantowitz, et al,
                                                              2001 cited by
                                                              Santrock, 2002).
   3. Experimental        A research         The only true    Experimental
                          design that        reliable method research is
                          determines         of establishing  limited to what is
                          cause-and-         cause and        observable,
                          effect             effect.          testable and
                          relationships. The                  manipulable.
                          experimental
                          method involves                     Failure to
                          manipulating                        achieve
                          one variable to                     randomization
                          determine if                        may limit the
                          changes in one                      extent to which
                          variable cause                      the study sample
                          changes in                          is representative
                          another                             of the parent
                          variable. This                      population and,
                          method relies on                    with it,
                          controlled                          generalizability
                          methods,                            of the findings of
                          random                              the study.
                          assignments and
                          the                                 Experimentation
                          manipulation of                     with humans is
The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles                  Page 38
                          variables to test                           subject to a
                          a hypothesis.                               number of
                                                                      external
                                                                      influences that
                                                                      may dilute the
                                                                      study results
                                                                      (Donnan, 2002)
                                                                      A further
                                                                      limitations of
                                                                      experimental
                                                                      research is that
                                                                      subjects may
                                                                      change their
                                                                      behavior or
                                                                      respond in a
                                                                      specific manner
                                                                      simply because
                                                                      of awareness of
                                                                      being observed
                                                                      – Hawthome
                                                                      effect (Haughey,
                                                                      1994; Clifford,
                                                                      1997).
   4. Naturalistic        A research            One of the            The
      Observation         design that           advantages of         disadvantages
                          focuses on            this type of          of naturalistic
                          children’s            research is that it   observation
                          experiences in        allows the            include the fact
                          natural settings.     researcher to         that it can be
                                                directly observe      difficult to
                          This does not         the subject in a      determine the
                          involve any           natural setting.      exact cause of a
                          intervention or                             behavior and
                          manipulation on                             the experimenter
                          the part of the                             cannot control
                          researcher. This                            outside
                          technique                                   variables.
                          involves
                          observing
                          subjects in their
                          natural
                          environment.
                          This type of
                          research is often
                          utilized in
                          situations where
The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles                       Page 39
                          conducting lab
                          research is
                          unrealistic, cost-
                          prohibitive or
                          would unduly
                          affect the
                          subject’s
                          behavior.
   5. Longitudinal        This research         Allows them to   They are
                          design studies        record and       expensive and
                          and follows           monitor          time-consuming,
                          through a single      developmental
                          group over a          trends           The longer the
                          period of time.                        study lasts, the
                          The same                               more subjects
                          individuals are                        drop out – they
                          studied over a                         move, get sick,
                          period of time,                        lose interest, etc.
                          usually several                        Subjects can
                          years or more.                         bias the
                                                                 outcome of a
                                                                 study, because
                                                                 those who
                                                                 remain may be
                                                                 dissimilar to those
                                                                 who drop out.
   6. Cross-              A research        Allow them to        It gives no
      sectional           strategy in which record and           information
                          individuals of    monitor              about how
                          different ages    developmental        individuals
                          are compared      trends. The          charge or about
                          at one time.      researcher does      the stability of
                                            not have to wait     their
                                            for the              characteristics
                                            individuals to       (Santrock, 2002).
                                            grow up or
                                            become older.
   7. Sequential          This is the       Allow them to        It is complex,
                          combined cross- record and             expensive, and
                          sectional and     monitor              time –
                          individual        developmental        consuming.
                          approaches to     trends. It
                          learn about life- provides
                          span              information that
                          development       is impossible to
                          (Schaie, 1993     obtain from
                          cited by Satrock, cross-sectional
The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles                   Page 40
                          2002). This starts    or longitudinal
                          with a cross-         approaches
                          sectional study       alone (Santrock,
                          that includes         2002).
                          individuals of
                          different ages. A
                          number of
                          months or years
                          after the initial
                          assessment the
                          same individuals
                          are tested
                          again-this is the
                          longitudinal
                          aspect of the
                          design. At this
                          later time, a new
                          group of
                          subjects is
                          assessed at
                          each grade
                          level.
Action Research           Action Research       Appropriate in a     Typically takes
                          is a reflective       particular setting   place in one
                          process of            when the             organization only
                          progressive           purpose of study     at a particular
                          problem solving       is “to create        time and could
                          led by                changes & gain       not be
                          individuals           information on       interpreted
                          working with          processes and        within different
                          others in teams       outcome of the       organizations in
                          or as part of a       strategies used”     the same way.
                          “community of         (Hunt 1987).         Therefore,
                          practice” to                               research findings
                          improve the way       Uses different       are hard
                          they address          methods, can         (impossible) to
                          issues and solve      get the best out     generalize.
                          problems              of the different
                          (Wikipedia, the       methods              If research
                          free                  employed, if         participants do
                          encyclopedia).        done well.           not feel they
                                                                     understand and
                          In the context of     Stakeholders are     ‘own’ the
                          teaching, action      included             research project,
                          researches of         throughout and       this could lead to
                          teachers stem         so researchers       a potential
                          from their own        are more likely      conflict of
The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles                       Page 41
                          questions about       to make a          interest between
                          and reflections       ‘difference’.      the researcher
                          on their                                 and those
                          everyday                                 participating in
                          classroom                                the organization,
                          practice.                                but also
                                                                   between the
                                                                   researchers with
                                                                   some
                                                                   participants, on
                                                                   the one hand
                                                                   and other
                                                                   members of the
                                                                   organization, on
                                                                   the other.
 Data-Gathering Technique
      Data-Gathering
                                                 Definition/Description
        Technique
   1. Observation                Observations can be made in either laboratories
                                 or     materialistic  settings.  In   naturalistic
                                 observation, behavior is observed in the real
                                 world like classrooms, home in neighborhood.
   2. Physiological              Certain indicators of children’s development
      Measures                   such as, among others, heart rate, hormonal
                                 levels, bone growth, body weight, and brain
                                 activity are measured.
   3. Standardized Test          These are prepared test that assess individuals’
                                 performance in different domains. These tests are
                                 administered in a consistent manner.
   4. Interviews and             Involve asking the participants to provide
      Questionnaire              information about themselves based on the
                                 interview or questionnaire given by the
                                 researcher.
                                 Gathering of data may be conducted through a
                                 printed questionnaire, over the telephone, by
                                 mail, in person, or on-line.
                                 Information is obtained by utilizing standardized
                                 procedures so that every participant is asked the
                                 same questions in the same manner. It entails
The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles                    Page 42
                                 asking participants for information in some
                                 structured format.
   5. Life-History Records       These are records of information about a lifetime
                                 chronology of events and activities. They often
                                 involve a combination of data records on
                                 education, work, family, and residence. These
                                 include public records or historical documents or
                                 interviews with respondents.
The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles                  Page 43
Ethic Principles
       To serve the genuine purpose of research, teacher researchers are
subject to ethical principles. Just as we have the Code of Ethics that governs
the behavior of teachers, there also exist ethical standards that guide the
conduct of research. These ethical standards serve as reminders that as
researchers, we should strive to product the subjects of our study and to
maintain the integrity of our research. Details of these ethical principles are
found in documents such as the following:
       1. Ethical standards of the American Educational Research
          Association
          http://www.aera.net/uploadedFiles/About_AERA/Ethical_Standards
          /EthicalStandards.pdf
       2. Ethical Standards for Research with Children – Society for Research
          in Child Development (USA)
          http://www.srcd.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&i
          d=68&Itemid=110
       3. Standards of the American Psychological Association Concerning
          Research http://www.lcsc.edu/policy/Policy/1.112a.PDF
       We invite you to read and reflect on them.
      Common among the three standards given above are the following
considerations for researches conducted with young children and other
vulnerable population which are enumerated by the National Association for
the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).
    Some key points are:
   1. Research procedures must never harm children, physically or
      psychologically.
   2. Children and their families have the right to full information about the
      research in which they may participate, including possible risks and
      benefit. Their decisions to participate must be based on what is called
      “informed consent”. There must be informed consent procedures with
      research participants.
   3. Children’s questions about the research should be answered in a
      truthful manner and in ways that children can understand. Researchers
      must be honest and clear in their communication.
   4. There should be respect of privacy. Information obtained through
      research with children should remain confidential. Researchers should
      not disclose personal information or the identity of participants in
      written or oral reports and discussions.
Impact of Teachers’ Research Involvement on Teachers
The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles               Page 44
   Research itself has proven that teachers have everything to gain and
nothing to lose when they get involved in the research process. Evidence
suggests that:
      1. 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 (Oja & Pine
         1989; Henson 1996; Keyes 2000; Rust 2007).
      2. Participating in teacher research also helps teachers become more
         deliberate in their decision-making and actions in the classroom.
      3. Teacher research develops the professional dispositions of lifelong
         learning, reflective and mindful teaching, and self-transformation
         (Mills 2000; Stringer 2007).
      4. 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.
      5. Teacher research has the potential to demonstrate to teachers and
         prospective teachers that learning to teach is inherently connected
         to learning to inquire (Borko, Liston, & Whitcomb 2007).
      Teacher involvement in the conduct of teacher research shows a shift
from thinking about teacher research as something done to teachers to
something done by teachers (Zeichner 1999; Lampert 2000).
The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles             Page 45
               Activity 1
             Direction: Surf the internet for samples of research
 abstracts/researches on child and adolescent development. Select one
 research abstract then using the matrix given below, write the problem, the
 research methodology, the findings and conclusions.
Problem                                                              Research Methodology
                            Source: (bibliographical entry format)
                            ______________________________
                                           Source
                            ______________________________
Findings                    ______________________________                     Conclusions
                            _
 The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles                           Page 46
              Activity 2
                                        Reflection
     It is said that because teachers are overloaded with work, they usually
frown on the conduct of research. Reflect on the consequences of this
attitude. What can be done to prevent this? Write your reflections here.
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The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles            Page 47
                  Answers Key
   Pre-Assessment
1. d
2. k
3. a
4. g
5. j
6. f
7. b
8. e
9. c
10. h
The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles   Page 48
SUMMARY
          Growth refers to the quantitative changes in an individual as the
    processes in        chronological age.
          Development refers to qualitative changes in an individual leading
    to the         individual’s maturation
          Factors influencing Growth and Development
              Maturation/Nature
              Environmental Influences/Nurture
          Eight stages of Human Development
              Pre-natal Stage
              Infancy (from birth to 2 years old)
              Early Childhood (3 to 5 years old)
              Middle and Late Childhood (6 to 12 years old)
              Adolescence (13 to 18vyears old)
              Early Adulthood (19 to 29 years old)
              Middle Adulthood (30 to 60 years old)
              Late Adulthood( 61 years and above)
          Issues on Human Development
              Nature vs. Nurture
              Continuity vs. Discontinuity
              Stability vs. Change
          Lifespan development explores how we change and grow from
    conception to     d e at h . T h is f iel d o f p s yc h ol o g y is s t u d ie d b y
    developmental psychologists. They           view development as a lifelong
    process that can be studied scientifically across three           developmental
    domains: physical, cognitive development, and psychosocial. There
       are several theories of development that focus on the following issues:
    whether development is continuous or discontinuous, whether
    development follows one        course or many, and the relative influence of
    n a t u r e v e r s u s n u r t u r e o n d e v e l o p m e n t .
The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles                        Page 49
References:
   Acero, Victorina D., et.al, 2010, Child and Adolescent Development, REx
Book Store : Manila, Philippines.
   Corpuz, Brenda B, et. al, 2010, Child and Adolescent Development;
Looking at Learners at Different Life Stages, Lorimar Publishing, Inc..
    Other references (Website):
http://statpac.org/walonick/human-development.htm
https://sites.google.com/site/stagesofhumandevelopment/home/early-
childhood
https://www.slideshare.net/KimberlynMendoza/educ-201-issues-on-human-
development
https://www.slideshare.net/silvestrearenas2/module-4-research-in-child-and-
adolescent-development-bhel-and-
kevin#:~:text=Researches%20that%20are%20done%20with,about%20child%20
and%20adolescent%20development.&text=EXPERIMENTAL%20A%20research
%20design%20that,cause%20changes%20in%20another%20variable.
The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles           Page 50