Child Development under Observation - Essay Example

CHILD DEVELOPMENT By Location Child Development Introduction of the Child under Observation This case study will focus on child A, who is between 4-5 years old and is a pre-scholar. She is a girl and a second born in her family which consist of the father, mother, her elder sister and a new born baby hence the child under observation comes from a nuclear family although often associates with cousins (Ahola & Kovacik 2006, p. 78). The child has been attending pre-school for some time and has registered multiple developmental changes, which can be categorized as personal and social development as well as the advances in language (Barnes 2004, p. 65). This case study will focus on analysing the growth in different areas as exhibited by the child, and relating to the existing theory on child development (Beaver 2001, p.54). Development Details and Evaluation a) Development of Self-control One of the aspects that make it evident that Child A has registered positive growth in both personal and social development is her development of self-control (Broadhead 2010, p. 56). From the observations, it emerges that child A has a level of self-control because she is able to express her feelings, opinions, and needs even when situations prove difficult while avoiding causing any harm to others (Brooks-Gunn, Fuligni, & Berlin 2003, p. 34). For example, on day one of the observation, child A was able to express her concerns because child B had taken her kitty (Bukatko & Daehler 2012, p. 123). Instead of grabbing it from child B, she opted to see the help from an adult so that she could get her kitty back (‘Child development’ 2007, p.23). However, despite the positive process exhibited by the child A in gaining self-control, there is evidence that she still needs to develop in other areas concerning self-control (Hoff & Shatz 2009, p. 88). For example, she needs to become more self-aware of her emotions and be able to control them effectively (Hyson 2003, p. 65). Instances when she demonstrates a need for further growth in this sector are several as indicated in the observations (Davies 2010, p. 54). A clear illustration is the fact that she was reluctant to eat after her teacher denied her the permission of having me seat close to her table (Mary & Armstrong 2003, p. 165). This shows that she is unable to handle disappointments effectively. However, her use of play materials purposely also exhibits a measure of self-control (Guhn & Goelman 2011, p. 195). In addition, on the fifth day of observation, the child exhibited self-control after intervention when she was arguing with child X. She was able to accept the proposition of sharing the doll with child X. This indicated that she had developed the capacity to recognize the feelings of fellow children (Jordens, Lalleman, & Algemene Vereniging voor Taalwetenschap (Netherlands) 2003, p. 44). Notably, her intention to seek comfort after her father and sister left her in school after day two indicated that she identified her need for emotional support (Meggitt 2007, p. 54). Throughout the six days of observation, child A also exhibited her potential to abide by the rules within the pre-school and adhere to routines (Marshall & Stuart 2001, p. 98). This is evident from her behaviour within the class setting and during snack time. All these are the aspects of self-control development (Robinson 2007, p. 176). The child’s development of self-control is one of the critical aspects in personal and social developments as described by Erikson’s psychosocial theory. Child A falls into the third stage described by Erikson, which he named “initiative versus guilt” (Vialle, Lysaght, & Verenikina 2000, p. 34). Further description of this stage by Erikson revealed that children learnt how to deal with both things and people (Slater 2004, p. 67). The interactions exhibited by child A with other children indicate growth in this sector. There is evidence of child A making efforts of expressing her own initiative but not intending to hurt other children (Maccoby 2004, p. 65). In accordance with what Erikson describes, child A demonstrates her awareness that her actions have effects on other people (Warnock 2005, p. 90). Since she indulges in play and other tasks as observed, it is evident that she has developed a level of mastery of different task performance (Martin, Fabes, & Fabes 2009, p. 143). Moreover, her failure in some instances to exhibit self-control is in accordance with Piaget’s theory of cognitive development. According to this theory, child A is in the pre-operational stage whereby she proves to be egocentric (Santrock 2007, p. 65). This is the case because she exhibits a different perspective and does not understand the perspectives of others. In addition, Vygotsky’s theory is also applicable because child A develops self-concept through her interaction with bother peers in the school setting and adults in her life (Anghel 2012, p. 230). Through this interaction, she has learned the difference values described above that defines her ability to exhibit self-control (Thompson 2012, p. 425). b) Development of Self-concept Child A has also developed self-concept, which is an additional aspect of personal and social development. This is evident because throughout the six days of observation, she exhibited an evident awareness of her potential preferences and rights (Howe, Goodman, & Cicchetti 2008, p. 99). For example, on day four, she described her incapacity to jump because her leg hurt. However, she was aware of her capacity to sing (Pavarini, Hollanda Souza, & Hawk 2013, p. 850). Moreover, on day three, she indicated her preference to continue playing with the dough making shapes instead of joining the other children on the trampoline (Young & World Bank 2002, p. 168). She also made clear her preferences on day two during snack time when she insisted that she preferred me not the teacher sitting on her table (Myers & Myers 2007, p. 89). Notably, on day three, she exhibited an additional aspect of self-concept when she highlighted that she was not a babe to play on the trampoline. This shows that she was aware of her evident development and growth (Yifang, WHongyun, & Yanjie 2014, p. 90). The fact that she was able to stay away from family while attending school, is also an aspect of self –concept (Marschark 2001, p. 76). On day six, she exhibited an eagerness to indulge in a new form of experience when she dressed up like a princess and assumed the role of the mother (McAlister & Cornwell 2009, p. 180). On day one, she exhibited pride in her success to draw a flower and indicated that she was going to give it to her mum. According Erikson’s psychosocial theory, children in the pre-school age usually develop self-concept if they receive appraisal for the activities they indulge in (Salkind 2002, p. 186). Moreover, the stage is marked by hyperactivity and exploration of different tasks. With time, children in this stage develop preferences are able to express their interests (Hughes, Noppe, & Noppe 2003, p. 45). Moreover, as they solve the conflict of initiative versus guilt, they realize that their actions have consequences and effects on other people and the rest of the world (Schlinger 2004, p. 76). The development of self-concept is also in accordance with Piaget’s theory, which highlighted that children get to understand themselves and the things surrounding them on a gradual basis (Harris 2007, p. 32). The society and the existing culture are also critical aspects in the development of the self-concept (Yagmurlu 2014, p. 600). This is according to Vygotsky’s theory, which highlights the role of social experiences in the development of self-concept. Through the interactions with other children, child A has developed a measure of self-concept and has been able to define her interests (Ranganathan 2000, p. 43). Child A’s development of self-concept is also supported by Gardner’s theory of the multiple intelligences (Revelle 2013, p. 35). The development of self-concept is in line with the intra personal intelligence when a child becomes able to understand her capacities, interests, and motivations (Wells 2003, p. 88). d) Development of Social Competence Evidently, child A has become socially competent a fact that is evident from the six days of observation. She exhibits successful interaction with both children and adults within the school setting (Erikson 2001, p. 68). She has a measure of respect for adults, especially her teacher and father. This is evident in her obedience to the teacher and to her father who forbade her from bringing her teddy bear to school. Child A also exhibits social competence by accepting to share her doll with child X (Ferguson & Slobin 2004, p. 76). When given instruction within the class settings, she was able to listen and understand the guidelines provided. She also depicts a level of understanding that she is a unique individual with some rights and interests (Lindon 2003, p. 90). Notably, she exhibits awareness of the proper dressing in accordance with the society (Meadow 2004, p. 145). She depicted this awareness on day six when she dressed up like a princess (Foster-Cohen 2007, p. 97). Moreover, when she indicated that pink was the colour for girls, it showed her awareness of gender differences and preferences in our society (Watson & McMahon 2008, p. 77). The development of social competence exhibited by child A conforms to Erikson’s psychosocial theory whereby preschoolers are described as children indulging in activities with peers (Ding & Littleton 2005, p. 21). The fact that such children are mindful of the feelings of others as Erikson describes, illustrates the advances they make towards social competence (Devine & Hughes 2013, p. 1000). Moreover, Erikson highlighted that children at this stage began to realize their impact in the rest of the world specifically the society (Damon, Lerner, & Eisenberg 2006, p. 32). The development of social competence also conforms to Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences (Glynn & Barnard 2003, p. 33). Through the development of interpersonal intelligence that involves the ability to understand the feelings of others and cooperate with them effectively leads to social competence (DeHart et al 2000, p. 56). Without doubt then, child A has undergone a measure of interpersonal intelligence development (Begeer et al 2014, p. 25). e) Language Development Child A exhibits the ability to communicate in complete sentences using the English language. She demonstrates both comprehension and understanding of the language as she can answer questions effectively (Riddall-Leech 2005, p. 56). She has mastered the phonology and syntax of the English language to an impressive measure considering her age (Humphries et al, 2013, p. 880). Language development exhibited by child A conforms to Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory, which highlighted the importance of language in cognitive development (Berndt 2003, p. 87). Child A’s ability to make direct requests such as, requesting for additional juice during snack time and also her ability to describe emotions and feelings registered a measure of language development (Damon 2006, p. 21). She also has understood basic sentence structure, and has the capacity to use simple tenses (Bloom 2006, p. 34). The child under observation (Damon 2006, p. 54) has exhibited all these aspects. The development of language also conforms to Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences (Bergin & Bergin 2012, p. 56). The specific intelligence in this case is the verbal-linguistic intelligence that denotes the ability to rely on language skills in self-expression and understanding statements by others (Damon, Lerner, & Eisenberg 2006, p. 67). All these aspects show that child A has undergone the successful development of verbal-linguistic intelligence (Berger 2004, p. 32). Conclusion As highlighted above, different theorists have focused on describing the stages of development exhibited by individuals. In the case of children, such as child A, there are different levels of development that children in pre-school exhibit (Bochner & Jones 2008, p. 23). One of the critical aspects is the personal and social development, which entails the development of self-control, self-concept, self-esteem, gender awareness, and ability to handle emotions. As observed, child A has successfully undergone development in these areas (Berdan 2003, p. 90). This is in accordance with the theories developed by Erikson, Piaget, Vygotsky and Gardner. Bibliography Ahola, D., & Kovacik, A 2006, Observing and understanding child development: A child study manual. Clifton Park, NY: Thomson Delmar Learning. Anghel, D 2012, The Development of Theory of Mind in Children with Congenital Visual Impairments, Scientific Journal Of Humanistic Studies, 4, 7, pp. 229-235, Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 27 May 2014. Barnes, P 2004, Personal, social and emotional development of children. Milton Keynes: The Open Univ. Beaver, M 2001, Babies and young children: Diploma in child care and education. Cheltenham: N. Thornes. Begeer, S, Dik, M, voor de Wind, M, Asbrock, D, Brambring, M, & Kef, S 2014, A New Look at Theory of Mind in Children With Ocular and Ocular-Plus Congenital Blindness, Journal Of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 108, 1, pp. 17-27, Education Source, EBSCOhost, viewed 27 May 2014. Berdan, R 2003, Discourse-sensitive measurement of language development in bilingual children, Los Alamitos, Calif: National Center for Bilingual Research. Berger, E 2004, Raising kids with character: Developing trust and personal integrity in children, Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield. Bergin, C. A. C., & Bergin, DA 2012, Child and adolescent development in your classroom. Australia: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning. Berndt, TJ 2003, Child development; Madison, WI: Brown & Benchmark Publishers. Bloom, L 2006, Language development from two to three, Cambridge [u.a.: Univ. Press. Bochner, S., & Jones, J 2008, Child Language Development: Learning to Talk, Chichester: John Wiley & Sons. Broadhead, P 2010, Personal, social and emotional development, London: Continuum International Pub. Group. Brooks-Gunn, J., Fuligni, A. S., & Berlin, LJ 2003, Early child development in the 21st century: Profiles of current research initiatives. New York: Teachers College Press. Bukatko, D., & Daehler, MW 2012, Child development: A thematic approach. Child development 2007, New Delhi: Bywords Books. Damon, W 2006, Handbook of Child Psychology Volume 1. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons. Damon, W., Lerner, R. M., & Eisenberg, N 2006, Handbook of Child Psychology Volume 3, Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons. Davies, D 2010, Child development: A practitioners guide. New York: Guilford. DeHart, G., Sroufe, L.A, Cooper, R. G., & Sroufe, LA 2000, Child development: Its nature and course. Boston: McGraw-Hill. Devine, R, & Hughes, C 2013, Silent Films and Strange Stories: Theory of Mind, Gender, and Social Experiences in Middle Childhood, Child Development, 84, 3, pp. 989-1003, SocINDEX with Full Text, EBSCOhost, viewed 27 May 2014. Ding, S., & Littleton, K 2005, Childrens personal and social development. Oxford [u.a.: Blackwell. Erikson, EH 2001, Childhood and society. New York: Norton. Ferguson, C. A., & Slobin, DI 2004, Studies of child language development, New York [usw.: Holt, Rinehart & Winston. Foster-Cohen, SH 2007, An introduction to child language development, London ;New York: Longman. Glynn, T., & Barnard, R 2003, Bilingual childrens language and literacy development. Buffalo, N.Y: Multilingual Matters. Guhn, M, & Goelman, H 2011, Bioecological Theory, Early Child Development and the Validation of the Population-Level Early Development Instrument, Social Indicators Research, 103, 2, pp. 193-217, SocINDEX with Full Text, EBSCOhost, viewed 27 May 2014. Harris, AC 2007, Child development. St. Paul: West Pub. Co. Hoff, E., & Shatz, M 2009, Blackwell handbook of language development, Chichester, West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell. Howe, M. L., Goodman, G. S., & Cicchetti, D 2008, Stress, trauma, and childrens memory development: Neurobiological, cognitive, clinical, and legal perspectives. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Hughes, F. P., Noppe, L. D., & Noppe, IC 2003, Child development. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Prentice Hall. Humphries, T, Kushalnagar, R, Mathur, G, Napoli, D, Padden, C, Rathmann, C, & Smith, S 2013, The Right to Language, Journal Of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 41, 4, pp. 872-884, Education Source, EBSCOhost, viewed 28 May 2014. Hyson, M 2003, The emotional development of young children: Building an emotion-centered curriculum, New York: Teachers College Press. Jordens, P., Lalleman, J. A., & Algemene Vereniging voor Taalwetenschap (Netherlands) 2003, Language development, Dordrecht, Holland: Foris. Lindon, J 2003, Child Development from Birth to Eight: A practical focus. London: National Childrens Bureau. Maccoby, EE 2004, Social development: Psychological growth and the parent-child relationship, New York ; Toronto: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. Marschark, M 2001, Psychological development of deaf children, New York: Oxford University Press. Marshall, J., & Stuart, S 2001, Child development. Oxford: Heinemann. Martin, C. L., Fabes, R. A., & Fabes, RA 2009, Discovering child development, Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. Mary, & Armstrong, ME 2003, Child development. New York: McGraw-Hill Book. McAlister, A, & Cornwell, T 2009, Preschool Childrens Persuasion Knowledge: The Contribution of Theory of Mind, Journal Of Public Policy & Marketing, 28, 2, pp. 175-185, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 28 May 2014. Meadow, KP 2004, Deafness and child development, Berkeley: UCALP. Meggitt, C 2007, Child development: An illustrated guide ; [birth to 16 years], Oxford: Heinemann Educational Publishers. Myers, G., & Myers, G 2007, The significance of children and animals: Social development and our connections to other species, West Lafayette, Ind: Purdue University Press. Pavarini, G, Hollanda Souza, D, & Hawk, C 2013, Parental Practices and Theory of Mind Development, Journal Of Child & Family Studies, 22, 6, pp. 844-853, Sociological Collection, EBSCOhost, viewed 27 May 2014. Ranganathan, N 2000, The primary school child: Development and education, New Delhi: Orient Longman. Revelle, G 2013, Applying Developmental Theory and Research to the Creation of Educational Games, New Directions For Child & Adolescent Development, 2013, 139, pp. 31-40, Education Source, EBSCOhost, viewed 27 May 2014. Riddall-Leech, S 2005, How to observe children. Oxford: Heinemann. Robinson, M 2007, Child development from birth to eight: A journey through the early years. Maidenhead: Open University Press. Salkind, NJ 2002, Child development. New York: Macmillan Reference USA. Santrock, JW 2007, Child development. Boston: McGraw-Hill. Schlinger, HD 2004, A behavior analytic view of child development. New York [u.a.: Plenum Press. Slater, SV 2004, Language development of an emotionally disturbed child. Thompson, RA 2012, Whither the Preconventional Child? Toward a Life-Span Moral Development Theory, Child Development Perspectives, 6, 4, pp. 423-429, Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 27 May 2014. Vialle, W., Lysaght, P., & Verenikina, I 2000, Handbook on child development. Katoomba, N.S.W: Social Science Press. Warnock, HAH 2005, A language development program for the preschool mentally retarded child. Watson, M, & McMahon, M 2008, Childrens Career Development: Metaphorical Images of Theory, Research, and Practice, Career Development Quarterly, 57, 1, pp. 75-83, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 27 May 2014. Wells, G 2003, Learning through interaction: The study of language development, Cambridge [u.a.: Cambridge Univ. Press. Yagmurlu, B 2014, Relations Among Sociocognitive Abilities and Prosocial Behavior, Journal Of Child & Family Studies, 23, 3, pp. 591-603, Education Source, EBSCOhost, viewed 27 May 2014. Yifang, W, Hongyun, L, & Yanjie, S 2014, Development of preschoolers emotion and false belief understanding: a longitudinal study, Social Behavior & Personality: An International Journal, 42, 4, pp. 645-654, SPORTDiscus with Full Text, EBSCOhost, viewed 27 May 2014. Young, M. E., & World Bank 2002, From early child development to human development: Investing in our childrens future. Washington, D.C: World Bank. Appendix Pre-school Observation DAY 1 observation Outdoor: during physical activity Child A was participating during physical activity, then she realised child B has her soft kitty toy. She begins to cry I went up to child A to see why she was crying , "what is the matter child A" I said. "Child B has got my soft kitty, I want my kitty back" she said. I managed to take the toy of child B and gave back to child A. she was happy when I gave her, her kitty back. Child A is attached to her soft toy she carries it everywhere she goes. Child A painted a picture of a flower "do you like my flower"? "wow, did you paint that yourself" "yes I did, do you like it? "yes its lovely, who are you going to give it to?. "Im going to give to my mum, my mum likes flower we have lot flowers in garden" she said. Day 2 Observation Moring Child A was dropped to the nursery by her father and older sister. she was quite emotional as she did not wanted to come to the nursery instead she wanted to go with her father and sister who was going to visit her mother in hospital who recently gave birth to a baby boy. as her sister and farther left the nursery she was in tears I comforted her and asked her if she would like to help me make a doll tea party in the role play area and whether her kitty toy wanted to come and help us make the tea party. child A said: "my kitty is tired because she didnt sleep yesterday because she was playing with my teddy bear". Me: "WOW you have a teddy bear, why dont you bring your teddy to the nursery" Child A: because he is very huge my daddy said Im not allowed to bring him here because teddy is really huge" Me: what is your teddy called? Child A: "his called teddy" Me: ok then. Do you want to help me make the tea party for the dolls? Child A: yes please. Child A was dressing the doll up with pink clothes and pink shoes. I asked her why she had chosen pink instead of the other colours, she said that pink was a girl colour and the rest of the colours like yellow, green, orange and brown was boys colours, and that if she had dressed the doll in a boy colour then the doll would be upset and she would look like a boy. Snack time Child A asked me if I can sit on her table, I said to her you need to ask your teacher as it is her day to sit on your table. she got up and went to ask the teacher. Child A: Can she sit on my table today Teacher: No, she will be sitting on the yellow table and I will be sitting on your table today. Child A: please can she sit for now Teacher: she can sit on your table on Friday Child A: why not today? Teacher: Because it is my day today. Child A: you can sit on yellow table today. And she sit with me Teacher: child a go and sit on your table now! Child A went to sit down on her table she was upset therefore refused to eat her food. The teacher told me to go and sit with her. Child A then started to eat her food. I asked her why she wanted me to sit on her table she said because she likes me talking to her and helping her. Day 3 observation Child A was sitting on her own making shapes and animals out of play dough, I asked her if she would like to join the rest of the kids play on the trampoline. She said "no thats for babies I like to play with play dough", "can you help me roll it because I want to make a big star and big circle". I pointed at the diamond shape and asked her if she knew what shape it was she replied back saying "yes" I asked her what shape is it? she said "its triangle" I said No she said " I know but I forgot" I told her it start with the letter "d" she was thinking then she said "erm oh, is a diamond" I said well done. after she finished playing with the play dough she asked me if I can read her a story I said "of course, would you like to chose a book? She said "yes". She picked Day 4 observation during circle time the teacher was picking children who sat nicely to chose a song. Child A was picked to chose a song she picked "five little monkeys jumping on the bed" the teacher told the children they would need to stand up in order to sing the song. When the children was joining in, Child A was not joining, the teacher asked her to join in she said "I dont want to". I went up to child A and asked her why she is not joining in she said "my leg hurts and I dont like jumping" I said to her "you dont have to jump but I want you to sing" she said will I get a sticker if I sing?." "maybe" I said. Snack Child A wanted more juice she asked me “can I have more juice", "what is the magic word" "please " of course you can have more. After I poured her more juice "thank you" she said. observation day 5 Morning Child A excitedly talked about where she had gone in her Easter break Child A: "I went to the beach in the holiday " Me: "oh, really. Child A: "Yes, I and my sister and mum and dad went and my little cousin. Me: what did you do when you went to the beach? Child A: We had ice cream, played with the, the ball, and made sand castle and my daddy fell on the floor. Child A had an argument with child x. I went up to child A and child X and asked them what had happened. Child X said that child A had snatched a doll of him. I asked child A if it was true child A said "no, I had it first and he taken it of me" I said "both of you share it by playing together" child A said " he cant play with it because doll is for girls and his boy" " I said but he can play with it if he wants to" she said " ok" and gave the doll to child X. Observation day 6 Child A was dressing up as princess and fairies with a few of the girls. Child A was pretending to be the mother whilst the other girls pretended to be the kids. Child A was telling them what to do she seemed confident and eager to try different dresses on. Child A asked me if I would like to dress up "No I said". Read More