COMMISSION ON HIGHER EDUCATION

Region V
CALABANGA COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Calabanga, Camarines Sur

PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION I (PROF ED I)

THE CHILD AND ADOLESCENT LEARNERS AND LEARNING PRINCIPLES

UNIT 2 - BASIC CONCEPTS AND ISSUES ON HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

MODULE 2
The Stages of Development and Developmental Tasks

Prepared by:

HILDA GRACE F. HILARIO

Instructor

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 THE CHILD AND ADOLESCENT LEARNERS AND LEARNING PRINCIPLES
UNIT 2 - BASIC CONCEPTS AND ISSUES ON HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
MODULE 2 - The Stages of Development and Developmental Tasks

INTRODUCTION:
WELCOME to “The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles”!
Let us take up each module with clarity and competence. This course entails utmost dedication
from the learners, for each module bridges our ideas toward the succeeding modules.
As you read the module and do the activity , you are undergoing the process of development.
How does development take place? What do experts say about development? These are the concerns of
this module.
Remain consistent in your passion to learn and grow. Always take a sunny disposition and positive
attitudes in your studies. Let’s start off with our learning journey now!

IN THIS MODULE:
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 their developmental tasks?

LEARNING OBJECTIVE:
At the end of this Module, you should be able to:
 Define developmental tasks in our own words.
 Describe the developmental tasks in each developmental stage.

PRE-TEST
Arrange the following developmental stages in their proper sequence:

Adolescence
Middle & Late Childhood
Infancy
Late Adulthood
Pre-natal
Middle Adulthood
Early Childhood
Early Adulthood

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ACTIVITY A: THE DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES
Read what John Santrock narrated in each of his developmental stages, presented here as
snapshots from our textbook.

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 ACTIVITY B: EXPLORE

From the reporters’ presentation and shared

topic files, or from your own research, read a
comprehensive description of the developmental
stages and the development tasks expected for
each stage.

EXPLAINING THE KEY CONCEPTS

John Santrock is a professor of psychology in the School of Behavioral and Brain
Sciences. His research focuses on family processes and children's socioemotional

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 development. According to Santrock, there are eight (8) developmental stages (2002). These are the
following:

1. PRE-NATAL 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) - These are the pre-school years. Young
children learn to become more self-sufficient and to care for themselves, develop 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. Achievement becomes a more central theme of the child’s world
and self-control increases.
5. ADOLESCENCE (11-12 years of age, ending up to 18-22 years of age) - Begins with rapid
physical changes – dramatic gains in height and weight, changes in contour, and the development
of sexual characteristics. Pursuit of independence and identity are prominent. More time to spend
outside of the family.
6. EARLY ADULTHOOD (from late teens or early 20s, leading through the 30s) - It is a time of
establishing personal and economic independence, career development, selecting a mate,
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 responsibly; 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, life review, retirement and adjustment to new social roles..

These are the same with the six (6) stages of Havighurst in which pre-natal was not included and
infancy and early childhood were combined. Robert James Havighurst was a chemist and  physicist,
educator, and expert on human development and aging. According to Havighurst, a developmental
task is a task that arises at or about a certain period in life, unsuccessful achievement of which leads to
inability to perform tasks associated with the next period or stage in life. Havighurst presented the
following developmental tasks in each of his developmental stage:

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 Infancy and Early Middle Childhood Adolescence Early Adulthood Middle Adulthood Late Adulthood
Childhood (6-12 years) (13-16 years) (19-29 years) (30-60 years) (61 and over)
(0-5 years)
1. Learning to walk. 1. Learning physical skills 1. Achieving mature 1. Selecting a mate. 1. Helping teenage 1. Adjusting to
2. Learning to take solid necessary for ordinary relations with sexes. 2. Learning to live with a children to become happy decreasing strength and
foods. games. 2. Achieving a masculine partner. and responsible adults. health.
3. Learning to talk. 2. Building a wholesome or feminine social role. 3. Starting a family. 2. Achieving adult social 2. Adjusting to
4. Learning to control the attitude towards oneself. 3. Accepting one’s 4. Rearing children. and civic responsibility. retirement and reduced
elimination of body waste. 3. Learning to get along physique. 5. Managing a home. 3. Satisfactory career income.
5. Learning sex with age-mates. 4. Achieving emotional 6. Starting an achievement. 3. Adjusting to death of
differences and sexual 4. Learning an appropriate independence of adults. occupation. 4. Developing adult leisure spouse.
modesty. sex role. 5. Preparing for marriage 7. Assuming civic time activities. 4. Establishing relations
6. Acquiring concepts and 5. Developing and family life. responsibility. 5. Relating to one’s with one’s own age
language to describe social fundamentals skills in 6. Preparing for an spouse as a person. group.
and physical reality. reading, writing and economic career. 6. Accepting the 5. Meeting social and
7. Readiness for reading. calculating. 7. Acquiring values and an physiological changes of civic obligations.
8. Learning to distinguish 6. Developing concepts ethical system to guide middle age. 6. Establishing
right from wrong and necessary for everyday behavior. 7. Adjusting to aging satisfactory living
developing a conscience. living. 8. Desiring and achieving parent. quarters.
7. Developing conscience, socially responsible
morality, and a scale of behavior.
values.
8. Achieving personal
independence.
9. Developing acceptable
attitudes toward society.

Source: Robert Havighurst, Developmental Task and Education, 3 rd ed. New York: David McKay Co.

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 Although many theorists are responsible for contributing to the Developmental Tasks
Theory, it was Robert Havighurst who elaborated on this theory in the most systematic and
extensive manner.

The main assertion of Robert Havighurst’s theory is that development is continuous

throughout an individual’s entire lifespan, occurring in stages. An individual moves from
one stage to the next by means of successful resolution of problems or performance of certain
developmental tasks.

When people successfully accomplish the developmental tasks at a stage, they feel pride
and satisfaction. They also earn the approval of their community or society. When people
fail to accomplish a developmental task, they’re often unhappy and are not accorded the
desired approval by society. This results in the subsequent experience of difficulty when
faced with succeeding developmental tasks at later stages.

THE BIO-PSYCHOSOCIAL MODEL OF DEVELOPMENT

According to Havighurst’s Developmental Tasks Theory, the developmental tasks at each

stage are influenced by an individual’s biology (physiological maturation and genetic makeup), his
psychology (personal values and goals), as well as his sociology (specific culture to which the
individual belongs).

Biological Influences
Some Havighurst developmental tasks are evolved out of the biological characteristics of
humans and are faced similarly by individuals of any culture.

Psychological Influences
Factors that emerge from an individual’s maturing personality - embodied in personal
values and goals. These values and goals are another source of some developmental tasks.

Social Influences
There are other developmental tasks that arise from the unique cultural standards of a
given society. These developmental tasks may be observed in different forms in varying societies
or, alternatively, may be observed is some cultures but not in others.

Importance of sensitive periods - considered to be the ideal teachable

moments.
During these periods, individuals demonstrate maturation at a level that is most
conducive to learning and successfully performing the developmental tasks.

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 ACTIVITY C: ELABORATING THE CONCEPTS LEARNED
LEARNING PARTNERS ASSIGNMENT

Select a classmate as a learning partner, then choose 2 developmental stages.

Together combine your ideas to answer the questions for your selected stage. Limit your
answers to 2-3 paragraphs only.

QUESTIONS:
PRENATAL: What are pregnant mothers supposed to do to ensure the birth of a normal/healthy
baby?

INFANCY: What should mothers and baby sitters do and not do to help infants develop normally
and healthily?

EARLY CHILDHOOD: What are preschool teachers supposed to do with preschoolers to help
them develop readiness for school?

MIDDLE AND LATE CHILDHOOD: As a future teacher / parent (select one), how will you help
a learner at this stage?

ADOLESCENCE: As a future teacher / parent (select one), how will you help a learner learn
positive things from his/her experiences as a teenager?

EARLY ADULTHOOD/COLLEGE: How can teachers/parents help the learner now as a young
adult?

MIDDLE ADULTHOOD: What should adults do to gain satisfaction from their career? What
should schools teach students to prepare for this stage?

LATE ADULTHOOD: In their retirement, what should adults do? How should children relate to
their parents/grandparents in their late adulthood age?

TEST YOUR UNDERSTANDING

Put a check () beside the statements that are correct and mark X the wrong one. If you mark
a statement X, explain why.

_____ 1. Developmental tasks are only for the first 3 stages of human development.
_____ 2. Failure of achieving developmental tasks in an earlier stage means failure for the
learner to master the developmental tasks in the next stage.
_____ 3. Preschool age corresponds to early childhood stage.
_____ 4. Adolescence is middle and late childhood stage.
_____ 5. Teenage is middle childhood.
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 _____ 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.

REFLECTION

Having mastered the developmental tasks of early childhood, middle and late childhood and
adolescence, reflect on what you should you do as a teacher to facilitate your students’
acquisition of these development tasks.
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REFERENCE

The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles by Corpuz et.al. 2018
Internet sites

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