1 r. nesmith studying children’s development part ii

11R. NeSmithR. NeSmith

Studying Studying Children’sChildren’s

DevelopmentDevelopmentPart IIPart II

R. NeSmithR. NeSmith 22

What might cause educators to have What might cause educators to have improper expectations for student?improper expectations for student?

• Lack of child developmental knowledge• Over-reaction to state and district

“standards”• Not being “in touch” with your

“constitutes”• Going through the motions• “I’m trying to think, but nothin’s

happening!” –Curly (Three Stooges)


The History of ChildhoodThe History of Childhood

1. Our ideas about childhood are shaped by social, economic, and historical circumstances.

2. In colonial America, children were viewed as “miniature adults” (adultification) with a brief transition from childhood to adulthood.


Concept of Children Being Concept of Children Being Miniature Adults Originated Miniature Adults Originated

During Medieval TimesDuring Medieval Times


3. During early years of industrialization children were viewed as a “cheap” source of unskilled labor.

4. “Adolescence” came about as a distinct stage as a result of economic & social changes in the late 1800s.--need for skilled workers--high school attendance “mushroomed”


19101910


• High school attendance reached new heights.

• Laws were passed making attendance compulsory.

• Adolescence became a type of moratorium in which teenagers had more free time.

• Prolonged by education & socialization.


Is Adolescence a Creation of the Is Adolescence a Creation of the Western World?Western World?

• G. Stanley Hall had proposed in the early 1900s that adolescence was a universal time of storm and stress.

• Margaret Mead spent 9 months in 1928 in Samoa, and concluded that adolescence is not universal.– Not all societies have adolescent periods in

life.– Many societies move children straight into

adulthood via rituals (rites).


Schools:Schools:A Context for DevelopmentA Context for Development

• Students spend more than 10,000 hours in school by the time they graduate!

• In the last 50 years, graduation rates increased from 59% to 71%. There is no clear consensus concerning what the purpose and function of schools in children’s lives should be.


Percentage of Time Adolescents Percentage of Time Adolescents Spend in Different SettingsSpend in Different Settings


Purpose & Function of Schooling?Purpose & Function of Schooling?

• The school environment changes as one set of goals is emphasized over another.

• During the 60s the emphasis was on “hands-on” learning and “real world” experiences.

• During the 80s the emphasis was on “back to basics” (The 3 R’s!) calling for tougher standards, more homework, and more testing.


Schools differ greatly from Schools differ greatly from one another in:one another in:

1. Philosophy (emphases)

2. Resources

3. Learning opportunities

4. Social climateA. Classroom environment

B. School environment


Schools obviously have an impact on the achievement, socialization, and psychological well-being of children and adolescents.


US Students vs. Foreign StudentsUS Students vs. Foreign Students

• US students consistently score lower on academic tests than children in many Western industrialized countries.

• Differences are mostly related to cultural differences in schooling and teaching practices.


QualityQuality of a Child’s of a Child’s School ExperienceSchool Experience

Is influenced by:

1. Vocational aspirations

2. Feelings of competency & self-worth

3. Academic motivation

4. Identity formation

5. Peer relations

6. Racial attitudes

7. Gender-role beliefs

8. Teaching practices


Current Status of ChildrenCurrent Status of Children

• Enrollment in public schools peaked in the early 70s, declined through mid-80s, and is now peaking again.


The demand for new teachers has begun to exceed the supply. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for Elementary school teachers is expected to increase between 10-20% between the years 1996 and 2006. Demand for Secondary teachers and middle school teachers is expected to grow even more, with a 21-35% gain during those years. Demand for urban teachers at all levels is even higher. It is estimated that 2 million teachers will be needed in the next decade.



• There are 70 million students under the age of 18 in the US in 1999.

• Main contribution to this increase: immigration.

• Approx. 5% of America’ schoolchildren speak a language other than English at home.


Number of Children in the Number of Children in the United States: 1950-2020United States: 1950-2020


Changing Demographics of U.S. Changing Demographics of U.S. School Population School Population (Figure 1.8)(Figure 1.8)



• Children represent ~37% of the poor population in the US (highest of any industrialized nation!!!)

• The percentage of children living with two parents declined from 85% in 1970 to 68% in 1999.


Percent of Poverty by Age GroupPercent of Poverty by Age Group


I hope you see the irony in this headline


Perspectives on Children’s Perspectives on Children’s DevelopmentDevelopment

• Development – systematic, successive changes in the child that occur over time and enhance the child’s overall adaptation to the environment.



• Theory – set of general statements (rules, assumptions, propositions, principles) used to explain facts.


Dichotomies in Various TheoriesDichotomies in Various Theories

1. Nature vs. Nurture• Biological processes (nature)

• Environmental conditions (nurture)

2. Stability vs. Plasticity• Critical periods during normal

development

• Open to change at any point in development.



3. Continuity vs. discontinuity• development is a continuous

process

• series of discrete states that represents major and abrupt transformations



4. Passive vs. Active child• Passively shaped by the genetic or

environmental influences

• Actively shaping, controlling, and directing their own development

5. Endpoint vs. No endpoint• Endpoint versus development continuing

throughout life.

1 r. nesmith studying children’s development part ii

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nesmithconcept of children

school environmentr

nesmithhigh school attendance

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childs school experienceis

free time

universal time of storm