Seminar on Theories in Child
Development:
Overview
Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
Importance of Educational Psychology
• Understand and support the developmental
needs of the students
• Develop an educational environment that
supports the students’ motivation
• Provide solutions to practical educational
problems
• Improve teaching practice
Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
Solutions to Educational Problems
• Students do not study well.
– Research in educational psychology has identified
study strategies that effective learners use
– Self-Regulated Strategy Development Model
• Help students develop the necessary skills to be selfregulated learners
• Provides specific steps on how to teach self-regulation
skills
Improving Teaching Practice
(Siegler & Ramani, 2009)
• Teaching mathematical skills to young children
– Traditional: Recite the number string, Count
objects, and Name numerals
– Based on theories of how children learn number:
Play a board game
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2
Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
Improving Teaching Practice
(Siegler & Ramani, 2009)
Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
*Significant effects at p<.05
Course Overview
 Introduction
 Cognitive Development
◦
◦
◦
◦
Piaget
Cognitive Information Processing
Sociocultural Theory
Neo-Piagetians
 Social and Emotional Development

◦ Social Learning Theory
◦ Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory
◦ Attachment Theory
Ecological Systems Theory
 Conclusion
Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
Course Overview
• Each class will consist of the following:
– Brief overview of the theory
– Student presentation of a research study based on the theory
• The purpose of the study
• The research methods used
• The conclusions that were drawn
– Class discussion of the article
• Questions about the research methods
• Soundness of the study’s methods and conclusions
• Implications for education and parenting
• Continuous Assessment
– Two Research Study Presentations
• 10 points apiece
• Due on the appropriate date
– Piaget’s Conservation Experiment Replication
• 10 points
Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
Developmental Theories
 Theory: Organized set of
principles that describes,
predicts, and explains
phenomenon
◦ Describe: What happens
◦ Predicts: What will happen
◦ Explain: Why it happens
 New facts change existing
theories or develop new
theories
Theory
Research
Findings
◦ Changes to theories lead to
new experiments and facts
Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
Develop or
Revise Theory
Reach
Conclusion
Ask Question
from Theory
Scientific
Method
Analyze
Results
Design Study
Collect Data
Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
Characteristics of Good Theories
• Logically sound: No contradictory statements
• Empirically sound: Explain research findings
– Not contradicted by scientific observations
• Clear: Understandable
• Testable: Can be tested by empirical studies
• Parsimonious: Simple explanation of the data
Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
Developmental Theories
• Developmental Theories focus on change over time
• Domains
– Physical growth and health
– Cognitive development
•
•
•
•
Thought
Perception
Memory
Language
– Social: Interactions with others
– Emotional: Understanding and regulating feelings
Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
Developmental Theories
• Aims of Developmental Theories
– Describe changes within one or more domains
• How does thinking change over time? (Piaget’s stages)
– Describe the relationship between changes
among several domains
• How do changes in working memory capacity relate to
mathematical understanding? (Robbie Case)
– Explain the course of development so predictions
can be made
• What happens if a child does not have a strong
attachment to their mother? (Attachment Theory)Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
Developmental Theories
 Describe
◦ Older children can study for longer than younger
children
 Explain
◦ Older children have better attention management
strategies than young children
 Predict
◦ Young children with good attention management
strategies can study as long as older children with poor
attention management strategies
 Influence development
◦ Teach attention management strategies to children
Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
Importance of Developmental
Theories
• Organizes and gives meaning to facts
• Guides future research
• Guides educational practice
Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
Developmental Research
• Case Study: Intensive study of a single or small
number of individuals
– Advantage: Rich descriptions of changes over time
– Disadvantage: Lack of generalization
• Longitudinal Design: Observe the same
participants over time
– Advantage: Observe change over time
– Disadvantages: Much time and resources
• Cohort Effect: Effects may be limited to the selected
cohort
Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
Developmental Research
 Cross-Sectional Design: Observe individuals of
different ages at the same time
◦ Advantage: Requires less time and resources
◦ Disadvantages: May not reflect changes in an
individual over time
 Cohort effect
 Sequential Designs: Different groups of
participants are followed over time
◦ Combines advantages of Longitudinal Designs with
Cross-Sectional Designs
◦ Strongest research design in child developmental
research
Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
Developmental Research
 Microgenetic Design: Same children are repeatedly studied
in a short time as they are undergoing the process of
change
◦ Advantage: Provides detailed accounts of the process of change
at crucial moments in development
◦ Disadvantage: Only provides information about development
over a short period of time
 Experimental Method: Participants are randomly assigned
to treatment and control groups to test whether a
hypothesized variable influences development
◦ Advantage: Test causal hypotheses
◦ Disadvantage: Difficulty in manipulating many variables of
interest to developmental psychologists
Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
Developmental Research
• Cross-Cultural Research: Compare multiple
cultures on developmental outcomes.
– Advantage: Identify universality of developmental
outcomes
– Disadvantage: Difficult to construct equivalent
methods for different cultures
Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
Using Developmental Research
 Step 1: Evaluate your understanding
◦ Do you understand the study’s goals, methods, and
conclusions?
 Step 2: Analyze the study
◦ Evaluate the methods and conclusions of the research study
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Relationship between the methods and study’s goals
Population
Instruments
Procedure
Relationship between the statistical results and conclusions
 Step 3: Apply the findings to different contexts
◦ Do the findings apply to a different population or
environmental setting?
Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
Using Developmental Research
• Step 4: Apply the findings to different stages
of development
• Step 5: Apply the findings to your own
situation
– How do these findings relate to your family or
classroom?
Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
Development Overview
• Individuals develop at different rates
• Development is relatively orderly
– New skills and abilities build on already known skills and
abilities
• Development occurs gradually
Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
Comparing Developmental Theories
• Theories differ on the basic assumptions of
development
• Nature of humans: Active or passive
– Active in shaping development
– Passive recipient of environmental influences
• Nature or Nurture: How do nature
(environment) and nurture (genetics) interact
in development?
• Nature of Development: Does development
occur continuously or in stages?
Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
Revision
• Give an overview of developmental theories,
including their relationship to research
findings, the purpose of developmental
theories, and the qualities of a good theory.
• Describe the major research designs in
developmental research.
• Describe the three fundamental assumptions
that differ between developmental theories.
Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos