Undergraduate Course: Educational Studies 2a: Child & Adolescent Development in Education (EDUA08099)
Course Outline
| School | Moray House School of Education |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 8 (Year 2 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course is designed to introduce students to key aspects of cognitive, social, emotional and psycho-motor development in childhood and adolescence, and to the range of contextual factors that influence these developmental processes. In addition, this course introduces the students to the ways in which development in childhood and adolescence can be researched, the relationship between developmental research and educational practice, and the ethical issues relating to the participation of children and adolescents in developmental research. There is also an emphasis on gaining understanding and experience of quantitative approaches. The course draws predominantly on the disciplines of developmental psychology and psychomotor development, along with introductory material on neuroscience in education, placing these in an educational context.
The course includes four half-days spent in schools. |
| Course description |
The course consists of two strands which run concurrently, to support students in understanding the links between developmental research/theory and research methods.
1. Understanding Development in Childhood and Adolescence
This begins with an overview of how childhood and adolescence are conceptualised within a wide range of disciplines, including developmental psychology and the sociology of childhood. It then goes on to focus on developmental psychology and psychomotor development. Students are encouraged to critically consider the ecological context of development in childhood and adolescence, from micro to macro level influences, a theme that is revisited through the course. The bulk of this strand consists of a critical examination of theories and research on typical and atypical cognitive, social, emotional and psycho-motor development in childhood and adolescence. Students are encouraged to view development holistically, and to consider the connections between different aspects of development. The research covered includes ¿classic studies¿ as well as more recent research that builds on this earlier work. There is also an introduction to the discipline of neuroscience in education, with discussion of the development of the brain, and the relationship between brain development and learning. This includes some coverage of ¿neuromyths¿ in Education (linking to the idea of the teacher as a reflective/critical practitioner). Throughout the course students are asked to consider the bidirectional links between development and education. They are encouraged to critically reflect on the extent to which knowledge of development can enhance educators¿ practice in engaging children/adolescents in learning and supporting social development. In particular, links between child/adolescent development and ¿Health and Well-being¿ within the Curriculum for Excellence will be highlighted, as will the relationship between development and behaviour.
2. Researching Development in Childhood and Adolescence
In this strand, students are initially introduced to the broad range of qualitative and quantitative research methods used within developmental psychology. There is then an introduction to experimental and quasi-experimental research design, with students encouraged to consider and critique the experimental methods discussed within the first strand of the course. From within the broad range of research methods, students then be introduced to quantitative observational approaches in more detail. They will be supported to use this method in small groups, conducting a piece of small-scale research into one aspect of development (for most students this research will take place within an educational context during serial placement days). Students are then supported to develop their understanding of and ability to work with quantitative data, using descriptive statistics to describe elementary data, including their own observational data. A key component throughout this strand is the ethics around research involving children and adolescents, including issues of informed consent and power dynamics in research. Throughout this strand students are also encouraged to reflect on the relationship between developmental research and educational practice.
|
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, and at a level appropriate to a 2nd year undergraduate, students will be able to:
* Demonstrate an understanding of a range of theories and research on cognitive, social, emotional, physical and psycho-motor development in childhood and adolescence.
* Discuss the ecological contexts of child and adolescent development.
* Reflect on some of the connections between child/adolescent development and educational practice.
* Demonstrate a broad understanding of the range of research methods used to explore development in childhood and adolescence.
* Conduct a piece of small-scale quantitative observational research in an educational or child-based context, present elementary descriptive statistics on the data, and reflect on this work.
* Show an awareness of ethical issues relating to the participation of children and adolescents in developmental research.
|
Reading List
Cohen, L., Manion L., & Morrison, K. (2011) Research Methods in Education (7th ed). London, Routledge.
Coleman, J. C. (2010) The Nature of Adolescence (4th ed). London: Routledge.
Coolican, H. (2009) Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology (5th ed.). London, Hodder.
Della Sala, S. & Anderson, M. (Eds.) (2012) Neuroscience in Education: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Oxford, OUP.
Gallahue, D.L & Ozmun J (2006), Understanding Motor Development, (5th Edition), Boston, McGraw-Hill.
Haywood & Getchell (2009). Lifespan Motor Development (3rd Edition). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Pellegrini, A.D., Symons, F., & Hoch, J. (2012) Observing Children in Their Natural Worlds: A Methodological Primer (3rd ed). Hove, Psychology Press.
Slater, A. & Bremner, G. (2011) An Introduction to Developmental Psychology (2nd ed.). Oxford, Wiley.
Smith, P. K., Cowie, H., & Blades, M. (2011) Understanding Children's Development (5th ed.). Oxford, Wiley.
|
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | |
Course secretary | |
|
|
University Homepage