Why study child development?
Child development theories help "gain insight into human nature, origins of adult behaviour, origins of differences, and origins, prevention and treatment of developmental problems" (Rhodes, Theories of child development, 2013)
Piaget's Stages of development
Psychologist Jean Piaget's cognitive development theory explains that children adjust to their environment by a process of adaptation to existing mental structures, also known as schema (Rhodes, Theories of child development, 2013). In order words, children familiarize and learn from their environment by building upon previous knowledge. He also states that children actively build on their understanding of the world and go through four universal stages of cognitive development (Rhodes, Theories of child development, 2013).
These four stages are as follows:
These four stages are as follows:
bronFenbrenner's ecological system
Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory describes children's development as occurring within linking systems (Rhodes, Theories of child development, 2013). According to him, there are five embedded systems that jointly influence each other. These systems are as follows:
immediate environment
- i.e. school, family members, peers, health services, religious organization,
daycare, and neighbourhood playground (Rhodes, Bronfenbrenner's Ecological
Theory, 2013)
- i.e. connection between child's parents and teacher, between religious
organization and neighbourhood, etc. (Rhodes, Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Theory,
2013)
- i.e. extended family members, workplaces, neighbours, family friends, mass
media, community health systems, social welfare services, etc.
- the child doesn't have direct contact with this system but because the people in
the other systems are affected by the exosystem it affects the child as well
(Rhodes, Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Theory, 2013)
subculture (Rhodes, Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Theory, 2013)
lifetime"; includes environmental events/major transitions (Santrock, 2011)
- i.e. marriage, divorce, birth of a baby, etc.
Any conflicts or changes in any one system will affect all other systems. Therefore, it is important to not only consider the child and his/her immediate environment but also look at the interaction of the larger environment (Rhodes, Theories of child Development, 2013).
- Microsystem
immediate environment
- i.e. school, family members, peers, health services, religious organization,
daycare, and neighbourhood playground (Rhodes, Bronfenbrenner's Ecological
Theory, 2013)
- Mesosystem
- i.e. connection between child's parents and teacher, between religious
organization and neighbourhood, etc. (Rhodes, Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Theory,
2013)
- Exosystem
- i.e. extended family members, workplaces, neighbours, family friends, mass
media, community health systems, social welfare services, etc.
- the child doesn't have direct contact with this system but because the people in
the other systems are affected by the exosystem it affects the child as well
(Rhodes, Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Theory, 2013)
- Macrosystem
subculture (Rhodes, Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Theory, 2013)
- Chronosystem
lifetime"; includes environmental events/major transitions (Santrock, 2011)
- i.e. marriage, divorce, birth of a baby, etc.
Any conflicts or changes in any one system will affect all other systems. Therefore, it is important to not only consider the child and his/her immediate environment but also look at the interaction of the larger environment (Rhodes, Theories of child Development, 2013).
Bronfenbrenner's ecological system theory is summarized in the video below.
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The video below demonstrates, using short clips, Piaget's stages of development.
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