UNIT 1

INTRODUCTION IN CHILD DEVELOPMENT

 LESSON 1
CHILD DEVELOPMENT AS A
FIELD OF STUDY

At the end of the session, students should be able to:

1. Explain the importance of child development; and
2. Discuss the scope of child development as a field.
Child development draws the interest and
imagination of anyone who cares for kids. Kids
grow, develop, misbehave, play, learn and love in
rapidly changing yet fascinating ways.

Why study Child Development?

understanding children aids teachers to turn out to
be better teachers, parents to turn out to be better
parents. The bottom line is understanding children
facilitates the building of a better world.

 Knowledge about child development helps you

have expectations- whether they realize it or not-
on children’s behavior, learning, emotions, and
physical capacities.
Good outcomes for children require mastering four
crucial objectives of childhood, to wit:
1. forming good attachment and relationship;
2. controlling emotions and impulses;
3. develop healthy self- concept; and
4. achieving one’s potential
 FACTORS AFFECTING CHILD DEVELOPMENT

• A child is not simply a product of the joining of a sperm and an egg.

From conception forward, many factors from all directions (e.g.,
media, culture, genetics) affecting the developing child.

• Most of the factors affecting a child are found from within and
without; not only that, these factors affect each other.

• Poverty may have a highly destructive effect on one child.

• The extent of influence these factors have in determining how a child

becomes is utterly unknown ( Keena, Evans, & Crowley, 2016;
Santrock, 2019). However. Whenever any of these factors are at
marginal levels or persist for a long time, the degree of influence
increases.
Being aware of the sign of abnormal child
development enables teachers, parents,
grandparents, counselors, and health
care providers to provide quick and
appropriate solutions when problem begin
to manifest. Addressing problems early usually
results in improved outcomes.
1. Physical. Children’s bodies do not always function the way they
should like babies may be born prematurely, have birth defects,
or grapple with bodily functions. E.g., excretion, sleep, or
eating. At times, children become sick with serious or chronic illnesses.

2. Learning. Learning disabilities, attention problems, and

intellectual challenges all can serve as obstacle in reaching this goal.

3. Autism. The likelihood of autism is terrifying for many potential

parents. This is partly because the most serious forms of autism are really
unbearable as these children experience great difficulties relating
to others and the world.
 Emotional disorder. Another important
goal of child development is discovering how
children control their emotions and impulses.
Since young children lack self- control skills, a
lot of parents experience difficulty in
distinguishing between a child with normal
emotions from abnormal. Changes in sleep
and appetite, heightened moodiness,
spikes irritability, withdrawal,
listlessness, age- inappropriate
fearfulness, and bouts of crying are
some signs to watch out for.
4. Behavior disorder. Every child
misbehaves. Nevertheless, when
tantrums and meltdowns go on and
disobedience turns out to be the
norm, parent or child care should
understand that potential behavior
problem is emerging. If left unchecked,
these minor problems can certainly
develop into more major issues, such as
shoplifting, serious school problems,
animal cruelty, and aggression including
violence.
5. Trauma and abuse. Children
encounter tragedies and traumatic
events. They get abused and suffer
from neglect by parents,
caregivers, family members,
and strangers. They also suffer
from the effects of car accidents,
natural disaster, and crime. At times,
they witness traumatic incidents
occurring to reminiscent of those who
directly received the abuse.
 LESSON 2
THE NATURE OF CHILD
DEVELOPMENT

At the end of the session, students should be able to:

1. Explore the historical views of childhood; and
2. Discuss the modern study of child development
 

What is meant by development?

Development is understood as the pattern of change that

begins at conception and continue through the life span.
It is often referred to as human development or life span
development.

 It involves growth but also includes decay.

 
VIEWS ABOUT CHILDREN IN HISTORY

Three influential philosophical views portrayed

children in terms of original sin, tabula rasa, and
innate goodness:
 
The original sin view was especially advocated during middle ages. Children
here were regarded as being born evil. Hence, the goal of child- rearing was
to save children, i.e., to remove sin from the life of the child.

 The tabula rasa view was espoused by English philosopher John Locke. He
claimed that children are innately bad, instead, start out like a “ blank slate”
childhood experiences, according to Locke, are essential in shaping adult
characteristics. He counseled parents to spend time with their children and to
help them become contributing members of society.

The innate goodness view was posed by Swiss- born French philosopher Jean-
Jacques Rousseau. He emphasized that children are inherently good. Since
children are basically good, according to Rousseau, they should be allowed to
grow naturally, with little parental monitoring or constraint.
 
CHILD DEVELOPMENT IN THE MODERN TIMES

The study of child development has evolved into

sophisticated science with major theories, as well as
elegant techniques and method of study that help organize
our thinking about children’s development.
 
French psychologist Alfred Binet invented many tasks to assess attention and
memory. He used to study his own daughters, other normal children, children
with mental retardation, children who are gifted, and adults. Eventually he
collaborated in the development of the first modern test of intelligence ( the
Binet test). At about the same time, G Stanley Hall pioneered the use of
questionnaires with large groups of children.

Arnold Gesell endeavored for precision in recording what a child is like at

specific ages. He claimed that certain characteristic of children basically “
bloom” with age due to biological, maturational blueprint.

G Stanley Hall argued that child development adheres to natural

evolutionary course that can be exposed by child study.
There are many factors that can influence the
development of motor skills of children.

One of this is the improvement on children's visual

systems. As the brain continues to develop, the eyes
gain the capacity to focus more, causing children to
advance in their eye-hand coordination skills.
Visual perception, which serves as a stimulus, is
needed for a child to move and give a feedback.
 Visual perception continues to modify the movement
such as limb coordination-dexterity and visual motor
control (Franchak & Yu, 2015).
Balance is another factor that affects motor
development (Rajendran & Roy, 2011). A number
of motor skills depend greatly in the child's ability
to balance.

 If the child's ability to balance is not develop

properly, this may cause children to have difficulty
in performing tasks such as kicking and standing
on one leg among others (Hatzitaki, Zlsi, Kollias &
Kioumourtzoglou, 2002).
 LESSON 3
PRINCIPLES OF CHILD
DEVELOPMENT
At the end of the session, students should be able to:
1. Identify the different principles of development; and
2. Explain the process of development in the child.
The process of growth and development of
the child follows an orderly pattern
swinging back between a period of slow
and rapid maturation as said by Arnold
Gesell (Salkind, 2002).
a. Cephalocaudal Principle

According to this principle, children develop form

head to toe. This also states that muscular control
occurs form head downward, starting with the
neck and upper body toward the arms, trunk, and
legs. ( Gormly & Brodzinsky, 1996). The head is
larger than the other parts of the baby’s body, but
as the baby develops, the body becomes more
proportionate and the baby develops skills in
crawling, sitting, standing, walking, and then,
running.
b. Proximal- Distal Principle

The second principle that occurs is when children

develop motor skills from the center of the body
outward ( Shaffer & Kipp, 2016). This is shown
by how babies learn to control their heads and
trunks before being able to manipulate their arms
and legs. A good exercise on this is placing toys
above children for them to learn to use their
muscle to reach for objects.
c. General to Specific Principle

The principle of general to specific illustrates the pattern

of development form being able to use the whole body to
being able to use specific body parts for specific tasks.
The child learn to grasp objects for using tow hands to
one after practicing for a sufficient amount of time.
 According to the National Association for the education of Young Children (2006),
the principles of development include the following:
1. All areas of development and learning are important. The different domains
of child development are closely related to each other wherein one domain
influences the other whether it is physical, linguistic, aesthetic, cognitive,
emotional, or social.
2. Learning and development follow sequences. Development in the child occurs
in a sequence with the acquired knowledge, skills, and abilities added and
incorporated into the old ones.
3. Development and learning proceed at varying rates. Development varies
from child to child and the rate in which they grow and function.
4. Development and learning result form interaction of maturation and
experience. When the child is able to gain experiences continually and
consistently, the child is able to develop, adapt, and learn form the
experiences.
 5. Early experiences have profound effects on development and learning. The
individual child’s development has both a cumulative and delayed effect from the
experiences earlier in life, resulting in a certain existing development and learning
in an optimal period.
6. Development proceeds toward greater complexity, self- regulation, and
symbolic or representational capacities. Development in a child proceeds in a
predictable manner directing to a greater complexity, internalization, and
organization.
7. Children develop best when they have secure relationship. In the context of the
community, children can function when they re able to learn more and feel that
they are safe, valued, and attended to.
8. Development and learning occur in and are influenced by multiple social and
cultural context. Children’s development and learning result form the different
interactions they have with both the social and physical environment they live in.
 6.Play is an important vehicle for developing self- regulation and promoting
language, cognition, and social competence. For children, play is their form of
learning. Through it, they are able to practice their social, emotional, physical and
cognitive development.

7. Development and learning advance when children are challenged. When the
children are presented the opportunity to practice, improve, and increase their
mastery, they are able to acquire new skills.

8. Children’s experiences shape their motivation and approaches to learning.

Children’s method of learning is not singular. They can learn and comprehend
through different modes of learning. And present them in different ways.
 LESSON 4
HISTORICAL OVERVIEW:
CONCEPT OF THE CHILD
At the end of the session, students should be able to:
1. Identify different time periods on the concept of the child;
2. Identify different people who shaped the views on children; and
3. Discuss the impacts in the advancement of child development
Children have been treated very differently throughout the
years and we have come so far in the way we treat and look at
them. Children have once been maltreated and used almost as
if as possessions. Children have also been treated well as these
stages are critical for the individual’s growth. The concepts of
children are divided in history.
ANCIENT GREECE
AND ROME
They were subjected to military
training termed as Agoge where they
were underfed or beaten as forms of
discipline and preparation for
becoming able warriors ( Despert, 1956)
MEDIEVAL PERIOD
They were often depicted in various artworks as
miniature adults, working alongside adults in the
same social and sexual activities. The medieval law
did not create a distinction between adult and child
offenses, so the children received the same
punishment as adults ( Shaffar & Kipp, 2010).
 RENAISSANCE PERIOD RENAISSANCE PERIOD

John Calvin was the most Children were seen as more distinctly childlike- to
influential leader in Child be protected, given proper moral and religious
Development. He believed that education, and taught skills to become good
children are born with original sin workers. Because of the spread of
and are naturally inclined toward industrialization, many immigrants that poured in
evil. the western countries replaced children and
teenagers who have become liabilities and were
Calvinist Approach believed that formerly doing jobs ( Hirschman & Mogford,
children have a great capacity to 2009).
learn which is why children were The need for more educated individuals in
encouraged to be independent, self- industrial operations and machineries caused laws
reliant, resist temptation, and in the nineteenth century to make schooling
develop self- control compulsory for children and the humane
treatment of children, restricting child labor
( Ensign, 1921 )
In this time, many social
philosophers has different
ideas and outlooks on
children. Some notable
philosophers were the
following:
1. THOMAS HOBBES ( 1651-1904)
Thomas Hobbes’s doctrine of original sin held that children
were inherently selfish egoists who must be restrained by
society ( Shaffer& Kipp, 2010). He believed that parents must
actively control their egoistic children and vent their
selfishness in ways that would be sociably acceptable.

2. Jean- Jacques Rousseua (1712-1778)

The doctrine of Innate Purity illustrated that children were born with a
sense of right and wrong that unfolded with age ( Shaffer & Kipp,
2010). He believed that society often corrupted these ideas of
children. With this, purists encouraged the parents to allow their
children to explore their inherently positive inclinations freely.
3. John Locke ( 1632-1704)
John Locke stated that the child’s mind is a piece of white
paper, a tabula rasa or a blank slate, and that the child has
no inborn tendencies. The child is neither inherently good or
bad ( Shaffer& Kipp, 2010). Instead, the child learns from
his/her experiences in his/her environment. Locke children. In
disciplining, the child is bound for praise, for the appropriate
behavior; and scolding, for inappropriate behavior.
4. Charles Darwin (1809-1882)

Charles Darwin produced many studies

involving children which are the so- called
baby biographies.
He was convinced that infants share
many characteristic with the nonhuman
ancestor which is now discredited ( Keenan,
Evans, & Crowley, 2016). He used these
findings to gin understanding if the growth
and development of children are linked to
our ancestor and into evolving humans that
we are today.
Furthermore, his research propelled a
new scientific focusing on children. His
theory also led scientists to propose various
principles, including genetics, heredity, and
conception.
5. Granville Stanley Hall ( 1846-1924)

He was the founder of Developmental Psychology

and the Father of Child Psychology. He was given
these titles because he conducted the first large-scale
scientific investigation on children ( White, 1992). His
method of studying children through a systematic
format produced a research tool known today as
questionnaires. It also helped gain a clearer
understanding and idea of children and how different
development context affect and shape them.
 LESSON 5
THE CONTEXT OF CHILD
DEVELOPMENT

At the end of the session, students should be able to:

1. Identify the different context in child development; and
2. Understand how the different context affect the child.
 It is emphasized that there are multiple
context, areas wherein development occurs, that
come hand in hand with the child development.
These also include their families, peers, schools,
and neighbors ( Bronferbrenner, 1979). This
shows that each context provides a certain
influence on the child.
Knowing the child context provides a more
vivid picture in assessing the circumstances the
child is growing under
A. FAMILY CONTEXT
The family becomes the primary context of the child
at birth. The family encompasses the structure of the
family, the resources available in the home, health and
well-being, and the relationship between the members
( Keenan, Eva, & Crowley, 2016). Likewise, parents have a
huge impact in the growing years of their children, from activities
during pregnancy ( bad habits such as drinking alcohol or having
poor diet) to tending to the health and well- being of the child
during formative years. Another is the home environment which
includes ensuring that the home is a safe place and that there is
ample space for engaging in physical activities. Next is ensuring
that the functioning guardian is physically and mentally capable
of taking care of the child. Lastly, the child’s health care coverage
is ensured as precautionary method in the case of the child being
in need of medical consultation or hospitalization.
B. NEIGHBORHOOD CONTEXT
THE NEIGHBORHOOD CONTEXT IS WHERE CHILDREN CAN BE
FOUND IN THEIR NEXT IMMEDIATE SOCIAL SETTING WHERE THEY
INTERACT WITH OTHER PEOPLE OUTSIDE THE FAMILY ( Moore et
al., 2011). THIS CAN INLCUDE THE SCHOOL OR ANY EDUCATIONAL
SYSTEMS, COMMUNITY, AND CULTURE. THE NEIGHBORHOOD
CAN OFFER SUPPORT TO FAMILIES IN TERMS OF CHILD- REARING
PRACTICES. A CHILD’S DEVELOPMENT CAN ALSO BE INFLUENCED
BY THE DEGREE OF INTERACTION HAPPENING WITHIN A
PARTICULAR COMMUNITY. THIS ALSO TALKS ABOUT SAFETY AND
SECURITY OF CHILDREN. CAN FAMILIES BE AT PEACE KNOWING
THAT YOUNG MEMBERS CAN WALK AROUND THE
NEIGHBORHOOD FEELING SAFE AND NOT IN ANY DANGER OF
ENCOUNTERING HARM?
C. Socio- demographic Context
Children can also be found within the socio-
demographic context of a family or household. This
refers to the income a family makes to meet the needs of
all members. This also pertains to parents’ educational
attainment, degree of knowledge on child- rearing,
family planning, discipline, health practices, and
others. The size of a household is also a factor because
it determines the allocation of material ( food, clothing,
etc.) and nonmaterial ( time, attention, etc.) resources
that each family member receives. Lastly, families exist
in various forms ( composition): nuclear, extended,
stepfamilies, foster families, and others. The financial
capability of household which consists of such members
affects the development of children as well.