Active Outline

General Information

Course ID (CB01A and CB01B)
C DD010H
Course Title (CB02)
Child Growth and Development (Middle Childhood and Adolescence)
Course Credit Status
Credit - Degree Applicable
Effective Term
Fall 2023
Course Description
An introductory course that examines the major physical, psychosocial and cognitive/language developmental milestones for children, both typical and atypical, from school age through adolescence. There will be an emphasis on interactions between maturational processes and environmental factors. While studying developmental theory and investigative research methodologies, students will observe children, evaluate individual differences and analyze characteristics of development at various stages. (This course meets NAEYC Standards 1 and 3; NBPTS Standards 1 and 4; and CEC Standards 1, 2 and 3.)
Faculty Requirements
Course Family
Not Applicable

Course Justification

This course provides students with an opportunity to develop a broad understanding of the field of child development within the context of the behavioral sciences through a critical examination of the issues which surround middle childhood and adolescence. It is required for all Child Development degrees and certificates offered at °®¶¹´«Ã½ College, and is CSU and UC transferable. This course meets a general education requirement for °®¶¹´«Ã½, CSUGE and IGETC. This course is required to obtain a California Teacher's Permit and is one of eight courses required for the Early Childhood Education Transfer Degree. This course is cross-listed. Students may enroll in either department to fulfill their degree needs.

Foothill Equivalency

Does the course have a Foothill equivalent?
No
Foothill Course ID

Course Philosophy

Formerly Statement

Course Development Options

Basic Skill Status (CB08)
Course is not a basic skills course.
Grade Options
  • Letter Grade
  • Pass/No Pass
Repeat Limit
0

Transferability & Gen. Ed. Options

Transferability
Transferable to both UC and CSU
°®¶¹´«Ã½ GEArea(s)StatusDetails
2GDX°®¶¹´«Ã½ GE Area D - Social and Behavioral SciencesApproved
CSU GEArea(s)StatusDetails
CGDYCSU GE Area D - Social SciencesApproved
IGETCArea(s)StatusDetails
IG4XIGETC Area 4 - Social and Behavioral SciencesApproved
C-IDArea(s)StatusDetails
CDEVChild DevelopmentApprovedC D D010G & C D D010H required for C-ID CDEV 100

Units and Hours

Summary

Minimum Credit Units
4.0
Maximum Credit Units
4.0

Weekly Student Hours

TypeIn ClassOut of Class
Lecture Hours4.08.0
Laboratory Hours0.00.0

Course Student Hours

Course Duration (Weeks)
12.0
Hours per unit divisor
36.0
Course In-Class (Contact) Hours
Lecture
48.0
Laboratory
0.0
Total
48.0
Course Out-of-Class Hours
Lecture
96.0
Laboratory
0.0
NA
0.0
Total
96.0

Prerequisite(s)

Corequisite(s)

Advisory(ies)

ESL D272. and ESL D273., or ESL D472. and ESL D473., or eligibility for EWRT D001A or EWRT D01AH or ESL D005.

Limitation(s) on Enrollment

(Not open to students with credit in the cross-listed course(s).)

(Also listed as PSYC D010H.)

Entrance Skill(s)

General Course Statement(s)

(See general education pages for the requirements this course meets.)

Methods of Instruction

Lecture and visual aids

Discussion of assigned reading

Discussion and problem solving performed in class

Homework and extended projects

Collaborative learning and small group exercises

Guest speakers

Assignments

  1. Required reading assignments from text.
  2. Written and oral report on the understanding of basic child normative data in social situations.
  3. Field study examination of current topic and demonstrates understanding of the scientific method with a written report.
  4. Reflective worksheets to examine students' experiences related to current social/development issues.

Methods of Evaluation

  1. Two or three midterm exams including multiple-choice and/or essay components that requires students to summarize, integrate and critically analyze and apply concepts examined throughout the course.
  2. Reports on the particular understanding of basic child normative data in social situations demonstrating the ability to summarize library materials in written and oral forms.
  3. Written report on field study, showing the ability to collect, analyze and present scientific data.
  4. Written assignment(s)to evaluate ability to analyze critically and synthesize course materials and personal experience related to current social/development issues.
  5. Final exam including multiple-choice and/or essay components that requires students to summarize, integrate and critically analyze and apply concepts examined throughout the course.

Essential Student Materials/Essential College Facilities

Essential Student Materials: 
  • None.
Essential College Facilities:
  • None.

Examples of Primary Texts and References

AuthorTitlePublisherDate/EditionISBN
Berger, Kathleen Stassen. "The Developing Person through Childhood and Adolescence." 9th ed. New York, NY: Worth, 2014. Print.

Examples of Supporting Texts and References

AuthorTitlePublisher
Crain, William. "Theories of Development, Concepts and Applications". Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson/Prentice Hall. 2005.
"From Neurons to Neighborhoods". National Research Council Institute of Medicine. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press, 2000
Gardner, H. "Intelligence Reframed: Multiple Intelligences for the 21st Century". New York: Basic Books, 1998.
Goleman, D. "Working with Emotional Intelligence". New York: Bantam: 1998.
Santrock, John. "Child Development: An Introduction Through Adolescence". 10th Edition, New York: McGraw Hill, 2007.
Steinberg, Laurence. "Adolescence". Boston: McGraw Hill Publishers, 2005.

Learning Outcomes and Objectives

Course Objectives

  • Develop a broad understanding of the field of child development within the context of the behavioral sciences through a critical examination of the issues which surround middle childhood and adolescence. Historical and current perspectives will be examined
  • Develop critical thinking skills by examining and comparing different research methodologies and how these methods are used in a systematic investigation of human behavior from school age through adolescence
  • Examine and evaluate important aspects of the physical domain as they relate to current and later development of the growing child and adolescent including ethnic and gender differences
  • Compare important aspects of the cognitive domain as they relate to current and later development of the child and adolescent
  • Examine psychosocial development in middle childhood and adolescence and the implications for later development
  • Examine and evaluate atypical behavior and abnormal disturbances during the middle years and adolescence (nutritional issues during the middle years, obesity and exercise, child abuse, learning disabilities, depression and suicide in children, delinquency, drug and alcohol use, sexually transmitted diseases, adolescent eating patterns, bulimia and anorexia, adolescent pregnancy)
  • Apply developmental theory to the analysis of child observations, and/or interviews using investigative research methodologies
  • Examine and evaluate the roles of various socializing agents such as teachers, and other professionals, family and parents in supporting and facilitating development

CSLOs

  • Develop a broad understanding of the behaviors and characteristics of children in middle childhood through adolescence.

Outline

  1. Develop a broad understanding of the field of child development within the context of the behavioral sciences through a critical examination of the issues which surround middle childhood and adolescence. Historical and current perspectives will be examined
    1. A history of western and non-western perspectives on middle childhood and adolescence
    2. Creation of adolescence as a developmental stage
    3. Current behavioral science perspectives of middle childhood and adolescence
  2. Develop critical thinking skills by examining and comparing different research methodologies and how these methods are used in a systematic investigation of human behavior from school age through adolescence
    1. Collecting information about development (observation, laboratory settings, interviews and questionnaires, case studies, standardized tests, physiological research)
    2. Strategies for setting up research studies, standardized tests, physiological research
    3. Time span for setting up cross-sectional, longitudinal, sequential
    4. Ethics in Research on Child Development (informal consent, rights of children, obligations)
    5. Research and self knowledge (everyday application; critical evaluation of newspaper, magazine and journal articles)
  3. Examine and evaluate important aspects of the physical domain as they relate to current and later development of the growing child and adolescent including ethnic and gender differences
    1. Physical growth in middle and late childhood (physical changes in growth, muscular strength in both boys and girls, motor coordination, sensory mechanisms, brain lateralization and brain pattern electrical activity)
    2. Physical changes in adolescence
      1. The secular trend and the downward trend in the age of puberty
      2. Puberty (boundaries and determinants of puberty, hormonal changes, physical changes - primary and secondary sexual characteristics, growth spurt changes and their implications for development)
      3. Psychological dimensions of puberty (changes in body image, gender issues due to physical changes, concerns about looks, effects of the timing of puberty)
      4. Sexuality (sexual identity as a major task of adolescence, cultural changes in sexual attitudes and behavior, male and female sexual identity issues and pressures, sex education for adolescents)
  4. Compare important aspects of the cognitive domain as they relate to current and later development of the child and adolescent
    1. Learning and motivation (achievement motivation theory, difference in intrinsic and extrinsic motives, competition, performance expectations)
    2. Cognitive interactionists
      1. Middle childhood (Piaget's theory of concrete operational thought, conservation and classification, changes in spatial relations and sense of time)
      2. Adolescence (new cognitive competencies of adolescent in hypothesizing, imaging, speculating, making interferences, formal operational characteristics, adolescent egocentrism, imaginary audience, personal fable)
      3. Examination and criticisms of Piaget's theory
    3. Information processing theory (information processing as a framework, developmental changes in processing information, attention, short and long term memory, learning strategies)
    4. Moral development (differentiating moral development from morality (rules and conventions of behavior), stages of moral development (Piaget, Kohlberg), social conventional reasoning, moral behavior through reinforcement, punishment and imitation, cognitive social learning theory, moral education, gender bias in moral theories (Gilligan)
    5. Intelligence (concepts of intelligence, standardized test constructs and evaluation, biases in standardized testing, ethical issues in testing social class, culture, environment, gender, use in schools)
    6. Language acquisition (major theories of language acquisition; biological, cultural and environmental factors; sequence of language development; the role of cognition in language; gender issues; bilingualism)
  5. Examine psychosocial development in middle childhood and adolescence and the implications for later development
    1. Theories of psychosocial development (Freud's stage of latency and genital resurgence in adolescence, Erikson's crisis of industry and identification formation)
    2. Family relationships (changes in control and supervision during school years, parenting styles as they relate to independence and responsibility; current trends in families (divorce, blended and reconstituted families) impact of parental employment, importance of adult role models, communication strategies, generational differences, cultural influences)
    3. Development of self and identity
      1. Middle childhood (development of self concept and self esteem, changes in complexity and organization of self, self-constancy, private and ideal self, impact of sociocultural environment on self-concept and self-esteem)
      2. Adolescence (development of identity (Erikson), process of individualization, four statuses of identity (Marcia), identity diffusion, family influences on identity development)
    4. Peer relationships (theories of peer development (Piaget, Sullivan), social cognition, perspective taking and friendship levels (Selman), functions of peers, influence on peer group membership (age, gender, race, ethnic background), popularity as it relates to social acceptance and rejections
    5. Gender roles (gender role components, gender role development, biological and cognitive influences, gender constancy, social influences - parents, peers, media, schools, stereotyping, gender differences (Maccoby/Jacklin; Gilligan) research on brain functioning differences
    6. Effects of schools (role changes for children, impact on self esteem, differing academic self images for boys and girls, schools as institutions of the dominant culture, issues of secondary education as they relate to cognitive, psychosocial needs of adolescents (Kagan)
  6. Examine and evaluate atypical behavior and abnormal disturbances during the middle years and adolescence (nutritional issues during the middle years, obesity and exercise, child abuse, learning disabilities, depression and suicide in children, delinquency, drug and alcohol use, sexually transmitted diseases, adolescent eating patterns, bulimia and anorexia, adolescent pregnancy)
    1. Nutritional Issues and physical health (obesity and exercise, adolescent eating patterns, bulimia and anorexia)
    2. Child abuse (definitions, signs and symptoms, mandating reporting, social and psychological support)
    3. Atypical behavior and abnormal disturbances during the middle years and adolescence (learning disabilities, depression and suicide in children, delinquency, drug and alcohol use, sexually transmitted diseases, adolescent pregnancy)
  7. Apply developmental theory to the analysis of child observations, and/or interviews using investigative research methodologies
    1. Application of theories such as Psychosocial, Epigenetic, Sociocultural to develop different paradigms for understanding child and adolescent language and behavior.
    2. Practice and then examination of research strategies to see how technique yields different information and different views of behavior (running records and naturalistic observation, surveys, interviews)
  8. Examine and evaluate the roles of various socializing agents such as teachers, and other professionals, family and parents in supporting and facilitating development
    1. Socialization as the process of bring new members into the society to maintain the society with primary social agents being family, parents and other professionals such as teachers
    2. The influence of culture as a complex of factors and dynamics represented in how life is lived on a day to day basis in both deep and surface level elements and having an impact on all aspects of child and adolescent development
    3. Social-cultural elements of family, peer and social values influence individual adolescent values, attitudes and behavior and all aspects of the psychosocial domain
Back to Top