Child Development Course Research Articles

Using Debates on Family Issues with Undergraduate Students: The 5 R's Strategy for Promoting Skill Development and Attitude Change

Debates often are used as a teaching strategy in the fields of family science, psychology, sociology, political science, and social work. As a teaching strategy they hold promise as a tool to assist students in developing critical analysis skills. For example, debates can make students aware of differences in the perspective of family scientists and practioners when considering the same issue, serving to broaden their understanding of complex issues (Steiner, Brzuzy, Gerdes, & Hurdle, 2003; Omelicheva & Avdeyeva, 2008). Debates also can create challenges for instructors. Students may hold strong opinions on issues, producing situations where instructors need to manage potentially high levels of conflict and emotion among students (Kennedy, 2007). For students who come to class with established attitudes on issues debates may also merely reinforce stereotypical views that they already hold (Budesheim & Lundequist, 2000) that may not be conducive to working with diverse individuals and families.The purpose of this article is to review the research on using debates as a teaching strategy. To do so, the 5 R's (Reading, Rapping, (w)Riting, Reporting, and Repeating) Strategy for using debates in a child development course is presented along with data on the effectiveness of this technique in promoting student skill development and broadened attitudes about child, parent, and family issues. While the 5 R's strategy has been used in writing courses (Gutkind, 1996; Williams, 2008), the technique has been adapted here for use in analyzing debates in family science. Finally, strategies for the effective use of debates in a classroom setting with students are outlined.Why Use Debates?The National Council on Family Relations (2009) has identified topics that family life educators need as part of their academic preparation, including a set of practice skills necessary to be effective in the field. They require students receive instruction and tools to analyze how family systems, society, and laws impact the well-being of children, parents, and families. They also require educators to develop students' skills in applying theory and research, evaluating solutions to solve social problems, and broadening their views so they can develop new solutions to the challenges families face. Consistently, many family science disciplines recognize information literacy, communication skills, sociocultural awareness, and the development of critical thinking skills as key undergraduate learning goals (Dunn, McCarthy, Baker, Halonen, & Gill, 2007; Ganong, Colemen, & Demo, 1995; Halonen et al., 2002; Steiner et al., 2003). Research on employers' perspectives show they are looking for communication skills, problem-solving abilities, and global knowledge in graduates (Benson et al., 2006; P.D. Hart Research Associates, 2008).Debates which are used to examine and present opposing arguments and evidence on timely, real-world issues seem an ideal strategy to reach these curricular goals. Debate is a means of examining and discussing differing points of view, with the goal of determining the most plausible and effective solution for an issue (Kennedy, 2007). The debate process allows students to explore family research, tying it to applied issues and topics that bridge disciplines such as psychology, education, law, and medicine. Participating in debates can build students' communication and critical thinking skills. Further, by observing debates they are being exposed to critical issues families experience, which may enhance students' awareness of myriad viewpoints and perspectives (Allen & Crosbie-Burnett, 1992). As an active learning strategy, it also encourages participation in class.What Do We Know about Debates as a Teaching Strategy?The use of debates as a teaching strategy is associated with a variety of positive outcomes for students. For example, studies have found that debate exercises increase student interest, engagement, and participation (Elliot, 1993; Lewin & Wakefield, 1983). …

Active Learning Through Role Playing: Virtual Babies in a Child Development Course

The authors designed an active learning project for a child development course in which students apply core concepts to a hypothetical baby they “raise” during the term. Students applied developmental topics to their unique, developing child. The project fostered student learning and enthusiasm for the material. The project's versatility makes it easily adaptable to a wide variety of courses and formats depending on instructor objectives or student population. Furthermore, the project avoids obstacles that commonly underlie instructor reluctance when considering the implementation of role-play assignments.

Epilogue: On the Organization of Diversity

Abstract Wallace first reviews the issues in cultural anthropology that originally prompted him to direct attention to the importance of individual diversity and the limitations of cognitive sharing. Anthropologists have continued to work with the methodological problems of measuring the extent of sharing and diversity. Meanwhile the word diversity itself has become a buzzword, as concerns over globalization and climate change have mounted. The symposium's papers focus on the compromises between diverse individualities and normative expectations in the course of child development. Wallace welcomes the recognition that broad cultural categories like race, age, gender, and ethnicity fail to mold life choices as forcefully as do the particularities of intimate developmental experiences in family and neighborhood, complementing and extending his original formulations. [culture theory, cognition, diversity, sharing, organization of diversity]

Extent of Middle Ear Aeration in Congenital Aural Atresia

Objectives: To determine the extent of middle ear aeration in patients with aural atresia and to assess how aeration increases with age. To examine the role of middle ear aeration as an adjunct measure in the assessment of aural atresia and the determination of surgical candidacy for aural atresia patients. Study Design: Retrospective review of children with aural atresia in a tertiary academic pediatric otolaryngology practice. Methods: High resolution multiplanar CT scans of the temporal bones were analyzed for middle ear volume and staged according to existing clinical grading scales. Atretic ears were compared to the nonatretic ears of the same patient as well as to ears of cochlear implant patients, which served as a control population. Results: The average age of patients at the time CT was performed was 4.7 yrs (range <0.1-13.8 yrs). The average middle ear volume of the atretic ears was 0.34 cubic centimeters compared to an average of 0.51 cubic centimeters for the nonatretic ears. The mean ratio of the atretic to nonatretic volume was 0.67. Higher ratio of aeration was correlated with surgical candidacy. In patients who underwent serial scans, no statistically significant difference in the rates of growth was found between atretic and nonatretic ears. Finally, middle ear volume measurement correlated well with clinical grading scales. Conclusions: The middle ear volumes expand over the course of child development equally in atretic and non-atretic ears. Middle ear aeration correlates with classification systems designed to assess operative candidacy. The practitioner may be better able to assess surgical candidacy by supplementing classic atresia classification systems with middle ear volume

Fostering Conceptual Change About Child Development in Prospective Teachers and Other College Students

ABSTRACT— Research findings about children and their developmental pathways have innumerable implications for teachers, other practitioners, and parents, who often learn about child development as part of college instruction. It appears, however, that courses in child development do not always have optimal effects on college students’ understandings of children. This article identifies several factors that may impede effective learning in child development courses. Then, drawing from research in numerous content domains and with diverse student populations, it offers several hypotheses for facilitating conceptual change in college students’ understandings of child development and for promoting positive transfer of those understandings to actual practices with children.

UPAYA PERCEPATAN PENINGKATAN KUALIFIKASI PENDIDIKAN DAN TENAGA KEPENDIDIKAN PENDIDIKAN NON FORMAL (PTK-PNF)

In essential there is no difference between the professional competences of the formal education educators and the professional competences of the non-formal education educators. The significant differences between this two groups of educators are not in the competences of the educators but rather on the learners that they are responsible to deal with as well as on the various types of nonformal educational programs. The problems faced related to the effort to rise the competences of the non-formal educators are more complex than the effort to raise the competences of the nonformal education educators (teachers). For this, it is important for conducting national assessment to get the information on the spectrum of non-formal education educators. That includes Package A, B, &amp; C, early child development and various non-formal educational courses. For Package A &amp; B, predicted after the success of 9 years basic compulsory education, there will no more demand to run package A &amp; B. For this, the educators for the program can be tackled in ad hoc way, but for others, serious effort need to be carried out, for this area of profession is really a new one.

Creating and using video for teaching child development and the care of young children: Learning from experience

The rationale for making a series of videos on child development (in the UK, Finland, India and Nepal) and day care (Anna Freud Nursery, a family centre, a teaching video) is discussed. Outlined are methods used, advantages and disadvantages of using video, difficulties experienced and reactions of some of the subjects and viewers. It is argued that as well as being used in teaching child development courses for students of various professions, it is valuable discussion material as a preliminary to Infant Observation Courses.

Effects of Chinese herbal medicine on modulating the course of puberty development in children with precocious puberty

To explore the therapeutic effects of Ziyin Xiehuo Recipe (ZYXHR) for nourishing yin and lowering fire and Yishen Tianjing Recipe (YSTJR) for nourishing kidney and replenishing essence on regulating the gonadotrophic and somatotrophic functions of hypothalamic-pituitary axis, and to reveal the mechanisms of ZYXHR and YSTJR in modulating the course of pubertal development of children with precocious puberty. The pubertal rats were fed with ZYXHR or YSTJR for 30 days, and the parameters of rats were monitored as the followings: The content of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), the frequency and amplitude of GnRH impulse releasing, the releasing amounts of aminoacid neurotransmitters, and neuropeptide Y (NPY) and beta-endorphin (beta-END) in the gonadotrophic area of the hypothalamus were detected with neurobiological methods (push-pull perfusion, homogenate, incubation of brain slices, and immunohistochemical staining). The levels of gene and protein expressions of GnRH, growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH) and somatostatin (SS) in hypothalamus, and follicular stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH) and growth hormone (GH) in adenohypophysis as well as insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) in metaphysis were determined with real time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The ZYXHR could reduce the activity of GnRH neurons in hypothalamus through inhibiting the release of central exciting aminoacid neurotransmitters, whereas promoting the release of central inhibiting aminoacid neurotransmitters, NPY and beta-END in gonadotrophic area of hypothalamus. The expression levels of GnRH, FSH and LH mRNAs were down-regulated while the expression level of SS mRNA in hypothalamus was up-regulated in the ZYXHR-treated group. The GH mRNA in hypophysis and the IGF-I mRNA in metaphysis were both down-regulated by ZYXHR. The YSTJR could promote the activity of GnRH neurons in hypothalamus through inhibiting the release of NPY in gonadotrophic area of hypothalamus, up-regulating the expression levels of GnRH, FSH, LH and GH mRNAs in hypophysis, and IGF-I mRNA in metaphysis, while down-regulating the expression level of SS mRNA in hypothalamus. The ZYXHR and YSTJR could both regulate the gonadotrophic and somatotrophic functions of hypothalamic-pituitary axis through modulating the neuroendocrine regulation and the gene expressions of GnRH and SS in hypothalamus, GH, FSH and LH in hypophysis, and IGF-I in metaphysis. These may be the chief mechanisms of ZYXHR and YSTJR in modulating the course of pubertal development and ameliorating the skeletal development in children with precocious puberty.

Authorized Crib Cards Do Not Improve Exam Performance

We experimentally investigated the effect of authorized crib cards on undergraduates' multiple-choice exam performance for lower order and higher order questions and on anxiety levels in an upper division child and adolescent development course. Students ( N = 54) in 2 sections could use crib cards during 2 of the 4 exams. Despite student expectations that crib cards would greatly improve performance and reduce anxiety, their use did not improve performance for either the higher order or lower order exam questions, nor did they reduce student anxiety. The failure of authorized crib cards to improve exam performance even for factual material suggests that instructors ought to weigh seriously the decision to allow such cards on exams.

Engaging a dynamic environment: A review of Novak and Peláez's (2004) “Child and adolescent development: A behavioral systems approach”.

Abstract Behavior analyst teaching child development courses would do well to look into this book as the main text for the course. It represents the most comprehensive attempt to date to try and integrate the developmental literature with the study of basic mechanisms of learning. The book is written in a clear and concise manner that can be understood by the average undergraduate. It is also comprehensive enough to be enjoyed by graduate students. This review looks at the book in greater detail. Key words: Book review, behavior analysis of child development, systems theory, principles and mechanisms of child development ********** Since the seminal work of Bijou and Baer (1961), attempts have been made to explain traditional developmental concepts in terms of basic learning principles. Novak and Pelaez offers the most sophisticate attempt at this process to date. The most important thing to be said about the book is that it is excellent. This book is well researched, concise, and demonstrates a strong command of traditional and the behavior analytic approach to child development. The scholarship is superior. As the authors of the text suggest, it is important to look beyond what develops to why it develops. This is a central argument for both behavior analysts and developmental psychologists (Rovee-Collier, 1996). We live in a dynamic and explosive environment. Novak and Pelaez integrate basic behavioral principles into dynamical systems theory to produce a unique view of how children become adults. Looking form birth through adolescence, the book looks at traditional behavioral areas such as language learning and more unique areas such as adolescences falling in love. In addition, the book attempts to look at deviations form normal development studying anorexia, bulimia, conduct disorder, autism, depression, anxiety disorders, substance abuse, and mental retardation. In the area of autism, the authors explore the conflicting forces of science, pseudoscience and antiscience in autism treatment. Overall, Novak and Pelaez's selection of chapter topics is very appropriate, providing up to date information theory and research. On specific chapters, the book is divided into 15. They are an introduction, modern development theory, behavioral genetics, prenatal, birth and post natal periods, habituation and respondent learning, operant learning, cognitive development, development of communication, personality and self, social and emotional development, development of antisocial behavior, the family system, schools, adolescence, and behavioral disorders of childhood. Some chapters are worth specific mention. Chapter 3 is on behavioral genetics. While any discussion of behavioral genetics seems to inspire controversy, Novak and Pelaez (2004) present the factual information in the chapter and how genes work in a fair and balanced way. On cognitive development the book presents a great overview of Piagetian. While many problems have been found in Piaget's stages (1), such as conservation, the approach is still a very informative one and an excellent approach to contrast with learning based approaches such as Fischer's skills model and the research on stimulus equivalence and relational frame theory. The work on stimulus equivalence is particularly well done. On communication development the chapter presents a solid argument for input and feedback's role in language development. I enjoyed this chapter. If I were to add anything to it, I would think that since behavior analysts have done so much work on language intervention then maybe a section on language intervention would be helpful. Behavioral studies have provided basic techniques for and range of speech and language phenomena. These phenomena include building articulation (e.g., Elbert & McRenyolds, 1987; Bierut, Elbert, & Dinnsen, 1987) and more complex language skills--some with limited generalization of grammatical construction taught such as syntax training for Broca's aphasia (Doyle, Goldstein, & Bourgeois, 1987) and some with profound long-term changes (Warren & Kasier, 1986 a,b; Goldstein & Hockenberger, 1991). …

DESCRIBING THE BURDEN OF MALARIA ON CHILD DEVELOPMENT: WHAT SHOULD WE BE MEASURING AND HOW SHOULD WE BE MEASURING IT?

There are a number of pathways, both direct and indirect, through which malaria infection could impact the course of child development, causing impairment and disability and adding to the burden of malaria. We present an overview of relevant studies that illustrate these pathways, updating the evidence previously presented. We conclude that before the mechanisms and numbers of affected children can be adequately defined, a wider range of potential pathways to impaired development need to be investigated. Only then can the calculation of the burden be evidence-based, rather than merely speculative. Priorities for future research are described. The calculation of the impact of malaria on child development also requires a degree of uniformity in the definition of outcome across studies. This is currently lacking, and suggestions are made for a common approach to the reporting of results.

Association of dopamine D4 receptor (DRD4) gene with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in a high-risk community sample: a longitudinal study from birth to 11 years of age.

In recent years, a growing number of studies has focused on the dopamine D4 receptor gene (DRD4) as mediating the susceptibility to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). While their results are contradictory, the reason for this inconsistency remains as yet unclear. The present study sought to examine the association between ADHD and the DRD4 exon III polymorphism during child development using longitudinal data from a high-risk community sample (n = 265, 129 females, 126 males) who have been followed from birth to 11 years of age. Higher rates of ADHD were observed in boys with the 7 repeat allele of exon III than in boys with other alleles at the ages of 4 1/2 (Fisher's exact test, p = .061), 8 (p = .026), and 11 years (p = .005). Boys with this allele also exhibited higher rates of persistent disorder (p = .024). In girls, a trend towards an association (p = .055) with the 7 repeat allele emerged only at preschool age. These findings provide additional evidence for the role of the dopamine D4 receptor in ADHD during the course of child development.

Doenças respiratórias e seguimento de crianças menores de cinco anos de idade: revisão da literatura

Estudo de natureza descritiva, tendo por objetivo identificar, em periódicos nacionais e internacionais e alguns livros-textos, do período de 1990 a 2002, as publicações relativas às doenças respiratórias em crianças menores de 5 anos e identificar as que retratam as doenças respiratórias na perspectiva do seguimento do crescimento e desenvolvimento infantil. Foram analisados 27 trabalhos, são apresentadas algumas características quanto ao número de autores, língua de publicação e aspectos metodológicos, assim como as temáticas: a doença respiratória em criança e seus determinantes e fatores de risco; utilização de serviços de saúde entre crianças com problemas respiratórios; o seguimento e a doença respiratória na infância.

Psicologia escolar: um duplo desafio

A educação representa a capacidade de um povo organizar-se e construir seu futuro, portanto, não se realiza ao acaso, mas como consequência de um esforço expressivo. A Psicologia Escolar pretende facilitar o desenvolvimento humano, mas ainda permanece pouco conhecida. O sucesso no desempenho do psicólogo escolar exige uma imagem clara de seus principais propósitos, enfrentando um duplo desafio: ser aceito na escola (sem ter seu papel limitado na busca da promoção do desenvolvimento infantil) e ser apoiado na organização de atividades preventivas que afetam o curso do desenvolvimento da criança (envolvendo o desenvolvimento cognitivo, afetivo, social e físico e o enriquecimento da interação social da criança). Brevemente, o propósito deste estudo é focalizar de forma prática um campo mais eficiente, amplo e satisfatório para a Psicologia Escolar.

Examining the Discourses That Shape Our Teacher Identities

In this article I advocate for explicitly teaching prospective and practicing teachers about the concept of discourse. Within discourses, teachers, children, and families are positioned in very particular ways in relation to one another. Learning to examine the discourses through which we enact our teaching lives provides us with opportunities to select those discourses that allow for the creation of positive social and academic identities for the children in our care. The ideas for this article evolved from conversations that I had with a student enrolled in a graduate-level child growth and development course. Her provocative ideas and insights caused me to question my teaching and explore how our class struggled to speak and act within two discourses, a child-centered discourse and a sociocultural discourse. I discuss the tensions that we experienced in our university classroom as we challenged ourselves to understand the shifts in our identities as they were constructed within a sociocultural discourse. It was through the activities surrounding an adolescent tradebook that we came to understand how power operates in and through our language to shape our identities and the identities of the students and families with whom we work.

Using touchpoints to promote parental self-competence in low-income, minority, pregnant, and parenting teen mothers

This pilot study was designed to test an intervention developed to increase parenting self-confidence in teen mothers. Group discussions of personal experience and parenting were substituted for a traditional child development course. Using a Touchpoints approach, teachers focused on strengths of the adolescents and their children. Information about child development was presented as it naturally occurred. A total of 20 students took part in the study. There was a significant increase in parenting self-confidence after the intervention. Although the sample size was small, the results were encouraging with this group of teens. A larger study is planned to continue development of the intervention. Copyright © 2001 by W.B. Saunders Company

Teaching Child Development via the Internet: Opportunities and Pitfalls

National trends suggest that the demand for distance education will continue to rise. In this article, I describe the development, implementation, and evaluation of a cross-listed undergraduate and graduate-level child development course on the Internet. In addition, I discuss the content and pedagogical goals for the class in the context of technological constraints. Finally, I address the future directions of distance education.

Developing Students' Adaptive Learning Skills

Introductory undergraduate courses a special challenge to teach because the course materials often introduce students simultaneously to new vocabu lary, new procedures, and many theoreti cal perspectives.1 Students who actually have the potential to become both inter ested and competent in a subject may barely scrape by simply because they lack the experience (e.g., interacting with chil dren before taking a child development course, or looking at paintings before tak ing an art history course) necessary to make meaning of the subject. The com mon advice we have all heard?to reach students where they are or to get stu dents interested by giving them hands on experience?typically is not put into effect, does not explain why such experi ence might be effective, and fails to in struct teachers how to connect experience to theory and research.

Temporal course of the development of obesity in Japanese school children: A cohort study based on the Keio Study

Objective: To demonstrate the temporal course of obesity development in Japanese school children by conducting a school-site cohort study over 12 years. Methods: From 1981 to 1984, height and weight of 479 subjects (343 boys and 136 girls) were measured every year from entrance into primary school until graduation from high school in Tokyo. Obese children were defined as those with a body mass index (BMI) at or above the age-sex-specific standard value, derived from Japanese nationwide data. Results: Approximately 50% of the children who were obese in the primary school period were obese at age 17. Likewise, 40% who were obese in the junior high school period and 70% who were obese in the high school period were obese at age 17. Among 44 children who were obese at age 17, 14 showed tracking of obesity from the preschool period, 14 showed tracking from ages 7 to 11 years, 10 showed tracking from the junior high school period, and 6 showed tracking from the high school period. Conclusions: Among children who were obese at age 17, most tracked from the primary school age or earlier. The earlier the tracking commenced, the greater the BMI at age 17. This indicates the importance of conducting health education for school children at an early age. (J Pediatr 1999;134:749-54)

High serum leptin concentrations during catch-up growth of children born with intrauterine growth retardation.

The aim of the study was to investigate how leptin could be involved in catch-up growth of children born with intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR). The study population was made up of 70 newborns with IUGR longitudinally studied during the first 2 yr of life and 35 newborns and 32, 66, and 61 children with normal birth weight aged 3 days, 12 months, and 24 months, respectively. Postnatal patterns of body mass index (BMI) were similar in the 2 groups, but BMI remained significantly lower in IUGR over the study period. In contrast, children born with IUGR aged 1 yr had significantly higher serum leptin levels than normal children (P < 0.0001) independently of BMI. The correlation observed between BMI and serum leptin at birth in both groups and in the control group thereafter disappeared in children born with IUGR. Similarly, sexual dimorphism observed in normal children over the study period was not observed in the IUGR group during the first 2 yr of life. In summary, serum leptin is effective and regulated during the first years of life as it is in older children. Children born with IUGR demonstrate high serum leptin values during the first year of life, with a loss of the regulatory effect of BMI and gender. We suggest that these children develop an adaptative leptin resistance beneficial for their catch-up growth. An alternative hypothesis is that these observations could reflect an adipocyte dysfunction, a consequence of the special time course of adipose tissue development in children born with IUGR.