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Theories and models of child development to support children’s development
Theories on child development
Theories and models of child development to support children’s development
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There have been many visionaries that have developed theoretical frameworks which give a basic, general approach to understanding the ways in which children develop. Doherty and Hughes (2009) recall that early childhood progression is most commonly presented in terms of specific periods of time. Therefore, this tends to relate to the idea of fixed and limited stages that are strongly linked with chronological age, moreover, providing a very specific ordering of change. The most frequently identified periods of development are prenatal, infancy and toddlerhood, early childhood, later childhood and adolescence. Generalised theories on child development came about in the 17th century, with John Locke’s ‘Some Thoughts Concerning Education’ (1693) forming a foundation where a child was born as a “blank slate.” Contrastingly, Jean- Jacques Rousseau’s ‘Emile’ (1762) explored the idea that children were born with a sense of morality. These two theorists provide the origins of generalised development, meaning that within these theories, children develop in the same way. However, using Gewirtz and Pelaez-Nogueras’ (1992) criteria for evaluating theories, generalised theories do not take account for individual differences that exist as children grow and develop. Thus, it could be suggested that these broad patterns are not likely to be very helpful.
Behaviourism, on the other hand, asserts that development of the individual can be achieved through observation of, and experiences in, the environment. It stipulates that development has to be based on observations rather than speculations about cognitive processes, which are by their nature unobservable.
One early proponent of this theory was John Watson, who, in 1913, published a paper ...
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...t reflects slow and steady change over time, or it goes through distinctly defined stages. Arguably, development should be considered as being largely continuous but having certain stages characterised by ‘milestone’ stages such as beginning to walk, where this new skill is clearly different from the child’s previous abilities. The development within early childhood can be seen to be due to many factors that have some clear effects upon some aspect of their progression, such as diverse environments and social settings. Every child experiences a unique combination of genetic and environmental influences that show how children have their own distinctive abilities, suggesting that generalised patterns are not very helpful indicators in considering the development of an individual child except as a loose framework within which to child’s development can be monitored.
Behaviorism, or learning theory is one of three “grand theories” of human development. The focus of behaviorism is observable behavior, with no reference to mental processes. As a learning theory behaviorism, assumes that learning occurs via interactions with the environment, through the process of conditioning.
Compare and contrast a child from younger age group with a child from an older age group.
The child has not been perceived like an individual until the work of eighteen century philosophers Locke and Rousseau, who expressed their thoughts on paper about the child's ability to interact with the surrounding world (Cunningham, 1993). The research on child development has commenced followed by the observational work of changing behaviours in organisms by Charles Darwin.
Theories abound around how people develop emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually. This essay will examine the theories of five leaders on the subject of development.
In the model I developed for child development there are three main groups: physical, mental, and social. Within these three groups are subcategories, many including ideas from various theorists, that I will use to support my system of child development. Throughout this paper, I will use ideas, definitions, and examples from the theorists I have chosen and from my own experience.
Smith, P., Cowie, H. and Blades, M. (2003). Understanding children’s development (4th ed.). UK: Blackwell Publishing.
Child psychology, also known as child development, is the study of psychological growth of children; how these mechanisms develop from infancy to adolescence and why they deviate from one child to the next. Child development is associated with biological, psychological, and emotional diversity that occur in humans. Although there is a different advancement for each child, these developmental changes may be greatly determined by genetic factors and experience during prenatal life. The early years of a child’s life are very important for his or her health and development. Parents, health professionals, educators, and others can work together as partners to help children grow up to reach their full potential.
Behaviourism is where a person learns through responding to stimuli so as to optimise their own situation. This means that humans have a need to learn so by adapting to a changing environment around to be able to survive. For instance a learner who has some sensory impairment will adapt their own learning styles to accommodate for this barrier by adapting method and using experience they are able to achieve the same learning outcomes as other learners.
Development is defined as the process of change, a pattern that occurs from birth throughout the lifespan of the individual (Keenan and Evans, 2009). In the UK it is usual to cover child development between birth and nineteen years. Development is often categorised into different areas of development; physical, intellectual, language, emotional and social. Smidt (2006) suggested that all areas of development are interrelated. Therefore development has to be approached with a holistic view; whilst looking at one area of development all areas of development need to be considered. "The holistic ideology values the whole child understanding the young child as an individual within the context of his or her family, community and culture” Wood (1998). With this in mind practitioners need to be aware of a child’s background. Children usually progress through a set pattern of stages, unless a child has additi...
Child development and growth observation can be quite fascinating considering the uniqueness of each child. As children grow, they normally develop and acquire new skills whether complex or not. The abilities experienced by each child progresses differently that is it depends on the nurturing given by the parent or guardian and on the characteristics that they inherit. Proper development and growth of the child occurs when basic needs are provided by the reliable adult guardians, including such things as love, food, encouragement, shelter and warmth. The essay evaluates child development and growth through observation conducted by myself on my nephew. The essay will include physical development, general health, emotional development,
Behaviorism is a learning theory or a developmental theory that measures observable behaviors that are produced by the learner’s response to stimuli. On one end of the spectrum behaviorism is known as an attitude. At the other end, it is known as a doctrine. According to the behavioral views of human development, behaviorists argued that to focus attention on unobservable constructs, such as emotions, thoughts, or the unconscious, was an unscientific approach.(Craig & Dunn, Ex.: 2010)
... conclusion maturational theorist Arnold Gesell believes that a child will develop biologically and their environment has little involvement in a child’s development. Through a numerous of conducted experiments, he was able to put together and create a schedule of when milestones will occur which is known as the ‘Gesell Developmental Schedule’ where he was able to compare a child’s development to the standard norm. He also created the “Gesell Maturational Theory’, where heredity is of much more importance in their growth and development than the child’s nurturing environment. Gesell’s maturational theory is seen yet till today in a child’s everyday lives, from the time they are in the foetus till our adult life. His theory displays both strengths and weaknesses and other theorists challenging his theory but the debate between nature versus nurture will always arise.
Childhood is defined as the period in human development between infancy and adulthood(book). In a historical perspective, this is relatively new social construction. Early childhood most often refers to the months and years between infancy and school age children. Child development is influenced by a lot of factors. These factors influence a child both in positive ways that can enhance their development and in negative ways that can change developmental outcomes. To understand why childhood is such a crucial time in human life it is important to study the development before and after birth along with any factors that may alter life in between.
The various aspects of child development encompass physical growth, emotional and psychological changes, and social adjustments. A great many determinants influence patterns of development and change.
As I personally take the time to have a reflection over the course of “Child and Adolescent Development” I find myself intrigued with the amount of knowledge I gained during this course this semester. I wanted to take the time to concentrate on three specific areas in which I felt I had the most growth, but also came as a challenge to me as well. It is important when reflecting over a course that I look at what I found to be challenging, as this was an opportunity of growth for me individually. In this paper I will review some of the main topics that I found to be interesting but also resourceful for my future aspiration not only as a family life educator but also a mother one day.