Republic of the Philippines

CAPIZ STATE UNIVERSITY

Fuentes Drive, Roxas City, Capiz, Philippines
Tel. No. (036) 6214-578 Fax No. (036) 6214-578
website: www.capsu.edu.ph email address: [email protected]

Module 2: Basic Concepts and Issues on Human Development

Lesson 1 – Human Development: Meaning, Concepts and Approaches

Lesson 2 – The Stages of Development and Development Tasks
Lesson 3 – Issues on Human Development
Lesson 4 – Research in Child and Adolescent Development

Overview:
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).
For every developmental stage, there is an expected developmental task.
Each of us has his/her own informal 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 models of human development. Back up by solid
research, they take stand on issues on human development.

Learning Outcomes:
At the end of this module, you must have:
1. distinguished between the traditional and life-span approach of development
2. described the developmental tasks in each development stage
3. took a research-based position on the three (3) issues on development.

Content:
● Two approaches to human development
- Traditional Approach
- Life-span Approach
● Stages of Development
- Pre-natal period
- Infancy
- Early Childhood
- Middle and Late Childhood
- Adolescence
- Early Adulthood
- Middle Adulthood
- Late Adulthood
● Issues on Human Development
- Nature versus Nurture
- Continuity versus Discontinuity
- Stability versus Change
● Research in Child and Adolescent Development
- Teachers as Consumers/End Users of Research
- Teachers as Researchers
- The Scientific Method

Accredited: Accrediting Agency of Chartered Colleges and Universities of the Philippines (AACCUP)
Member: Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC)
Agricultural Colleges Association of the Philippines (ACAP)
 Republic of the Philippines
CAPIZ STATE UNIVERSITY
Fuentes Drive, Roxas City, Capiz, Philippines
Tel. No. (036) 6214-578 Fax No. (036) 6214-578
website: www.capsu.edu.ph email address: [email protected]

- Research Designs
- Data-Gathering Techniques
- Ethical Principles
- The Data Privacy Act of 2012 (RA 10173)
- Impact of Teachers’ Research Involvement on Teachers

Discussion:

Human development is the pattern of movement or change that begins at conception and
continues through the lifespan.

Two approaches to human development:

1. Traditional approach – If you believe that a child shows extensive change from birth
to adolescence, little or no change in adulthood and decline in late old age.
2. Life-span approach – If you believe that even in adulthood developmental change
takes place as it does during childhood.

Characteristics of human development from a life-span perspective according to Paul Baltes

(Santrock, 2002)
1. Development is lifelong. It does not end in adulthood. No developmental stage
dominates development.
2. Development is plastic. Development is possible throughout the lifespan.
3. Development is multidimensional.
- Development as a process is complex because it is the product of biological,
cognitive and socioemotional processes (Santrock, 2002).
- Development is relatively orderly. (http://www.cdipage.com/development.htm)
- Development takes place gradually. (http://www.cdipage.com/development.htm)
4. Development is contextual. Individuals are changing beings in a changing world.
5. Development involves growth, maintenance and regulation.

Concept of developmental tasks

Developmental task is defined 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 disapproval, and difficulty with later tasks (Havighurts, 1972).

Accredited: Accrediting Agency of Chartered Colleges and Universities of the Philippines (AACCUP)
Member: Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC)
Agricultural Colleges Association of the Philippines (ACAP)
 Republic of the Philippines
CAPIZ STATE UNIVERSITY
Fuentes Drive, Roxas City, Capiz, Philippines
Tel. No. (036) 6214-578 Fax No. (036) 6214-578
website: www.capsu.edu.ph email address: [email protected]

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 early childhood while Santrock mentioned them as two (2) separate
stages.

The developmental tasks (Santrock, 2002)

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 1) – These are the preschool
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.

Accredited: Accrediting Agency of Chartered Colleges and Universities of the Philippines (AACCUP)
Member: Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC)
Agricultural Colleges Association of the Philippines (ACAP)
 Republic of the Philippines
CAPIZ STATE UNIVERSITY
Fuentes Drive, Roxas City, Capiz, Philippines
Tel. No. (036) 6214-578 Fax No. (036) 6214-578
website: www.capsu.edu.ph email address: [email protected]

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 characteristics such as enlargement of the

breasts, development of pubic and facial hair, and deepening of the voice. Pursuit of
independence and identity are prominent. Thought is more logical, abstract and
idealistic. More is spent outside of the family.

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
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 responsibility; 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.

Development is not all nature or all nurture, not all continuity or discontinuity and not
all stability or all change (Lerner, 1998 as quoted by Santrock, 2002). Both nature and
nurture, continuity and discontinuity, stability and change characterize our life-span
development. The key to development is the interaction of nature and nurture rather than
either factor alone (Rutter, 2001 as quoted by Santrock, 2002). In other words, it is a matter
of “both-and” not “either-or”.
Both genes and environment are necessary for a person even to exist. Without genes,
there is no person; without environment, there is no person (Scarr and Weinberg, 1980,
quoted by Santrock, 2002). Heredity and environment operate together – or cooperate and

Accredited: Accrediting Agency of Chartered Colleges and Universities of the Philippines (AACCUP)
Member: Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC)
Agricultural Colleges Association of the Philippines (ACAP)
 Republic of the Philippines
CAPIZ STATE UNIVERSITY
Fuentes Drive, Roxas City, Capiz, Philippines
Tel. No. (036) 6214-578 Fax No. (036) 6214-578
website: www.capsu.edu.ph email address: [email protected]

interact – to produce a person’s intelligence, temperament, height, weight… ability to read

and so on.
If heredity and environment interact, which one has a greater influence or
contribution, heredity or environment? The relative contributions of heredity and

environment are not additive. So we can’t say 50% is a contribution of heredity and 50% of
environment. Neither is it correct to say that full genetic expression happens once, around
conception or birth, after which we take our genetic legacy into the world to see how far it
gets us. Genes produce proteins throughout the life span, in many different environments. Or
they don’t produce these proteins, depending on how harsh or nourishing those environments
are. (Santrock, 2002).

Issues on Human Development

There are a number of important issues that have been debated throughout the history
of developmental psychology. The major questions include the following:
● Is development due more to genetics or environment?
● Does development occur slowly and smoothly, or do changes happen in stages?
● Do early childhood experiences have the greatest impact on development or are later
events equally important?

First Issue: Nature vs. Nurture

This is the degree to which human behavior is determined by genetics/biology
(nature) or learned through interacting with the environment (nurture).
Nature refers to the process of biological maturation inheritance and maturation. One
of the reasons why the development of human beings is so similar is because our common
specifies heredity (DNA) guides all of us through many of the same developmental changes
at about the same points in our lives. Nurture refers to the impact of the environment, which
involves the process of learning through experiences.
Philosophers such as Plato and Descartes supported the idea that some ideas are
inborn. On the other hand, thinkers such as John Locke argued for the concept of tabula
rasa—a belief that the mind is a blank slate at birth, with experience determining our
knowledge.
Some aspects of development are distinctly biological, such as puberty. However, the
onset of puberty can be affected by environmental factors such as diet and nutrition.

Second Issue: Continuity vs. Discontinuity

These are two competing theories in developmental psychology that attempt to
explain how people change through the course of their lives, where the continuity theory says
that someone changes throughout their life along a smooth course while the discontinuity
theory instead contends that people change abruptly. These changes can be described as a
wide variety of someone's social and behavioral makeup, like their emotions, traditions,
beliefs.

Accredited: Accrediting Agency of Chartered Colleges and Universities of the Philippines (AACCUP)
Member: Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC)
Agricultural Colleges Association of the Philippines (ACAP)
 Republic of the Philippines
CAPIZ STATE UNIVERSITY
Fuentes Drive, Roxas City, Capiz, Philippines
Tel. No. (036) 6214-578 Fax No. (036) 6214-578
website: www.capsu.edu.ph email address: [email protected]

Furthermore, continuity and discontinuity disagree with one another in how they
assess the changes that someone undergoes throughout the course of their life. The continuity
theory examines the way someone changes in a quantitative and continuous respect.
Discontinuity theory, on the other hand, looks at these changes through the lens of a
qualitative analysis with an emphasis on the discontinuous nature of how someone changes.
Is Child Development continuous or discontinuous? Not all psychologists, however,
agree that development is a continuous process. Some view development as a discontinuous
process. They believe development involves distinct and separate stages with different kinds
of behavior occurring in each stage.
Does change occur smoothly over time, or through a series of predetermined steps?
Some theories of development argue that changes are simply a matter of quantity;
children display more of certain skills as they grow older.

Third Issue: Stability vs. Change

It deals with the issue of whether or not personality traits present during present
during infancy endure throughout the lifespan.
The stability-change debate describes the developmental psychology discussion about
whether personality traits that are present in an individual at birth remain constant or change
throughout the life span. For example, does a naturally extroverted and talkative baby remain
that way for their entire life?
Change Theorists argue that personalities are modified by interactions with family,
experiences at school, and acculturation. Studies of children have often revealed impressive
stability over time in aspects of development such as the attachment to their parents or in
personality. However, there is evidence which suggests a contrary view, that change is both
possible and indeed, is likely under appropriate conditions.
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.

Research in Child and Adolescent Development

Teachers as Consumers/End Users of Research

Accredited: Accrediting Agency of Chartered Colleges and Universities of the Philippines (AACCUP)
Member: Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC)
Agricultural Colleges Association of the Philippines (ACAP)
 Republic of the Philippines
CAPIZ STATE UNIVERSITY
Fuentes Drive, Roxas City, Capiz, Philippines
Tel. No. (036) 6214-578 Fax No. (036) 6214-578
website: www.capsu.edu.ph email address: [email protected]

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 process, and even those involving research, too.

Teachers as Researchers
The conduct of research does not only belong to thesis and dissertation writers. It is
for students and teachers, too.

The Scientific Method

5 steps of the scientific method

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

Research Designs
1. Case Study – an in-depth look at an individual
2. Correlational Study – a research design that determines associations
3. Experimental Study – a research design that determines cause-and-effect relationships
4. Naturalistic Observation – a research design that focuses on children’s experiences in
natural settings
5. Longitudinal – this research design studies and follows through a single group over a
period of time
6. Cross-sectional – a research strategy in which individuals of different ages are
compared at one time
7. Sequential – This is the combined cross-sectional and longitudinal approaches to learn
about life-span development (Schale, 1993 as cited by Satrock, 2002).
8. Action Research – is a reflective process of progressive problem-solving led by
individuals working with others in teams or as part of a “community of practice” to
improve the way they address issues and solve problems.

Data-Gathering Techniques
1. Observation – behavior is observed in either laboratories or natural settings like
classrooms, home in neighborhood.
2. Physiological Measures – certain indicators of children’s development such as, among
others, heart rate, hormonal levels, bone growth, body weight, and brain activity are
measured.
3. Standardized – these are prepared tests that assess individuals’ performance in
different domains.
4. Interviews and Questionnaires – involve asking the participants to provide
information about themselves based on the interview or questionnaire given by the
researcher.
5. Life-history Records – these are records of information about a lifetime chronology of
events and activities.

Accredited: Accrediting Agency of Chartered Colleges and Universities of the Philippines (AACCUP)
Member: Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC)
Agricultural Colleges Association of the Philippines (ACAP)
 Republic of the Philippines
CAPIZ STATE UNIVERSITY
Fuentes Drive, Roxas City, Capiz, Philippines
Tel. No. (036) 6214-578 Fax No. (036) 6214-578
website: www.capsu.edu.ph email address: [email protected]

Ethical Principles
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&id=68&Itemed=110

3. Standards of the American Psychological Association Concerning Research

http://www.lcsc.edu/policy/Policy/1.112a.PDF

Read and reflect on them. Some key points which are enumerated by the National
Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC):
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 benefits.
3. Children’s questions about the research should be answered in a truthful manner and
in ways that children can understand.
4. There should be respect for privacy.

The Data Privacy Act of 2012 (R.A. 10173)

For more details, read RA 10173

Impact of Teachers’ Research Involvement on Teachers

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 (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 (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)

Accredited: Accrediting Agency of Chartered Colleges and Universities of the Philippines (AACCUP)
Member: Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC)
Agricultural Colleges Association of the Philippines (ACAP)