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 (or similar experience) to enable students to contextualise and reflect on their learning, as well as to carry out research tasks. |
| Course description |
Academic description/outline content:
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 to conduct 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.
Student learning experience:
Weekly lectures and workshops, as well as four half-days in schools (or similar experience). During the course students will be asked to engage with a variety of learning experiences, including: lecture content, discussion of video clips, small and whole group workshop discussions, small group tasks, and computer-based learning (e.g. literature searching, quantitative data analysis).
Outwith classes, students will be asked to undertake and reflect on reading prior to each lecture or workshop. Additional preparation (e.g. work on small group tasks) will also be required before workshops. Work on formative and summative assessment tasks will be required outwith class.
Students will be encouraged to use resources provided in class, as well as external resources (e.g. Institute for Academic Development) to develop the academic literacy and numeracy skills required for the workshops and assessments.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | Prior to beginning this course, students may require to apply to join (and cover the cost of joining) the 'Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme'. Advice on how to do this can be obtained by contacting the Moray House School of Education Student Support Office. This process can take several weeks and should be completed prior to the start of the course. |
| Additional Costs | Membership of Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | In addition to membership of the PVG scheme, visiting students may also require to provide a 'Certificate of Good Conduct' and/ or a character reference from the relevant authorities in their own country. Please contact Moray House School of Education Student Support Office for further details. |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2017/18, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 220 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 20,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 20,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Placement Study Abroad Hours 12,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
144 )
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| Additional Information (Learning and Teaching) |
For teacher education students only, placement will consist of 4 half days in a school setting
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
There are two equally weighted assessed activities:
- An essay (2000 words) in which students are asked to critically explore a particular aspect of child/adolescent development in depth, and reflect on the educational implications of the theories and research discussed.
- A research report (2000 words) of a small-scale observational research task. This includes a short background, information on methods and ethics, presentation of the findings (including descriptive statistics), and reflection on the research process and implications of the findings.
Each assessed activity has an equal weighting, contributing 50% of the final mark. Students are required to obtain a pass grade (40%) in each of the assessed activities as well as an aggregate mark of at least 40% in order to pass the course.
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| Feedback |
There will be many opportunities for informal, formative feedback during the course, both from course tutors and from peers. Students are encourage to discuss with peers and their course tutor how to make best use of this feedback, and to use available resources to help them do so (e.g. University's Enhancing Feedback website and the Institute for Academic Development).
Formative assessment:
There will be a formative assessment during the course. Students will be asked to present their plans for the observational research study, and feedback on these plans will be provided.
Feedback on summative assessments:
Written feedback will be provided on the two summative assessments. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student 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, and recognise the ecological contexts of 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.
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Reading List
A list of specific chapters and journal articles ('core reading') to be read for each class will be provided to students at the beginning of the course.
The books listed here are generally relevant for the course. There is no expectation that students buy or read all of these. However, they may be useful if you wish to follow up particular topics.
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.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Some aspects of graduate attributes which students will have the opportunity to develop through this course include:
A. Research and Enquiry
- recognise the need to challenge knowledge
- search for, evaluate and use information to develop their knowledge and understanding
- recognise the importance of reflecting on their learning experiences
B. Personal and Intellectual Autonomy
- be independent learners who take responsibility for their own learning, and are committed to continuous reflection, self-evaluation and self-improvement
- be intellectually curious and able to sustain intellectual interest
C. Communication
- make effective use of oral, written and visual means to critique, negotiate, create and communicate understanding
- use communication as a tool for collaborating and relating to others
- further their own learning through effective use of a range of communication approaches
- seek and value open feedback to inform genuine self-awareness
D. Personal Effectiveness
- be able to work effectively with others, capitalising on their different thinking, experience and skills
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| Special Arrangements |
Prior to beginning this course, students may require to apply to join (and cover the cost of joining) the 'Protecting Vulnerable Groups' (PVG) Scheme. Advice on how to do this can be obtained by contacting the Moray House School of Education Student Support Office. This process can take several weeks and should be completed prior to the start of the course. |
| Study Abroad |
None |
| Additional Class Delivery Information |
This course is delivered through a blend of lectures, workshops, practical activities, and an online reflective journal. Students attend two x 1-hour lectures per week and one 2-hour workshop. There are also four sets of activities spread throughout the course. Students on teacher education programmes will be allocated to a school in which to complete these activities. These will be carried out on 4 half-day school visits spread across the course.
Students who are not studying on teacher education programmes will require to organise these activities independently. This should be discussed with the course organiser before enrolling on the course.
All students will be expected to maintain a professional reflective log relating to their experience of the activities. |
| Keywords | child development,Education,developmental psychology |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Josie Booth
Tel: (0131 6)51 6310
Email: |
Course secretary | Mrs Lyndsey Black
Tel: (0131 6)51 4191
Email: |
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