Child development
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| 6 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) | |
| Examination | No residential school |
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Summary
This course shows how psychological enquiry can help us to improve our understanding of the development of children and young people. It’s organised in four parts: Psychological development and early childhood introduces children’s early development from a psychological perspective; Children’s personal and social development follows development in a social context; and Cognitive and language development in children explores the development of cognitive and linguistic understanding and the developing child as an active agent. Finally, Developmental psychology in action presents areas in which developmental psychology plays a part in education, remediation, health psychology and the legal system with children of all ages.
Course content
This course will be attractive to anyone with an interest in (and concern for) children’s development, including those who work with children and who want to learn more about contemporary theories and research in this area. If your aim is to complete the BSc (Hons) Psychology degree that meets the requirements for the British Psychological Society’s Graduate Basis for Registration, this course is compulsory.
By the end of the course you will be:
- able to describe the main theoretical approaches in current developmental psychology
- able to apply the theories, concepts and methods presented in the course to developmental questions or problems of your own choosing
- capable of understanding and evaluating the research literature of developmental psychology
- familiar with some aspects of the professional application of developmental psychology and its place in our society, so that you can appraise its various roles and functions
- aware of the research methods used to study child development and able to understand them.
The course is based around four books that are outlined below. Each book and its associated materials occupies about a quarter of the study year. The first three parts of the course explore theory and research in different areas of children’s development. The final part of the course considers some of the practical applications of this knowledge to children’s lives, with particular attention to the work of clinical and educational psychologists.
Psychological Development and Early Childhood looks at the development of very young children, dealing with topics such as the development of perception, knowledge and relationships. The way in which biological, social and cultural influences interact in a child’s development is a central theme, examined from different points of view in modern psychological research and theory. This book introduces the main theoretical approaches to child development that are explored further throughout the course.
Children’s Personal and Social Development considers some of the formative elements in children’s lives in their families and communities, and the influence that these have on the course of development. The topics include children’s early attachments, the development of the self, and the origins of disturbing behaviour. The book explores the interlinking themes of identity and relationships and describes how psychologists have investigated them.
Cognitive and Language Development in Children examines the two interlinked themes: how children learn language, and how knowledge and thinking develop. The development of thinking, talking and scientific reasoning are among the topics in the treatment of these themes. The book covers a variety of contemporary ideas and research in these areas, examining as well the part played by the child’s social and cultural world. The book extends the course’s coverage of developmental theory by examining in more detail theories of cognition.
Developmental Psychology in Action takes the course’s approach to developmental psychology beyond a conventional presentation of research and theory by looking at the many ways in which psychologists and their work actually affect the development of children. The book covers several areas where the psychologist’s role is to intervene, directly or indirectly, in children’s development; for example, with children who have challenging behaviours, or when a psychotherapeutic approach is taken. The use of psychological theory and techniques in teaching, the legal system, institutional settings and clinical topics are also critically examined. You are required to study just one of these topics in detail, supplementing your knowledge through guided independent literature search.
Entry
ED209 is a Level 2 course and certain levels of study skills are required, such as the ability to follow an argument; to relate information from tables and graphs to text discussions; and to formulate a reasoned case in discussion and written work. Although statistics are used in the course, they are fully explained in a handbook; complex computational skills are not required. If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
You do not need to be professionally engaged in work with children in order to follow this course, and access to children is not required. Although knowledge of psychological theory is not necessary, if you intend to follow the undergraduate psychology pathway, we recommend that you study Exploring psychology (DSE212) before taking this course.
Preparatory work
If this is your first psychology course and you would like to know more about what the study of child development involves before registering, you can find out more about what the course involves on the Faculty of Education and Language Studies website. You may also find it useful to look at examples of activities relating to the course on the OU's Child or our Time website in the section about ED209.
You may also like to do some reading before it begins. You could start with one of these introductory books on child development:
P. K. Smith, H. Cowie and M.Blades (Eds) (2003) Understanding Children’s Development, 4th edition, Blackwell
M. Donaldson (1986)Children’s Minds, Fontana
H. R. Schaffer (2004) Introducing Child Psychology, Blackwell.
Qualifications
ED209 is a compulsory course in our
- BSc (Honours) Psychology (B07)
- Advanced Diploma in Child Development (D18)
- Diploma in Psychology (Conversion for Postgraduates) (D15)
ED209 is an optional course in our
- BA/BSc (Honours) Social Sciences (B06)
- BA/BSc (Honours) Health Studies (B17)
- BA (Honours) Childhood and Youth Studies (B23)
- BA/BSc (Honours) Nursing Studies (B47)
- BA Early Years (B51)
- BSc (Honours) Nursing Practice (B53)
- BA (Honours) Social Work Studies (B59)
- Foundation Degree in Early Years (G01)
- Foundation Degree in Primary Teaching and Learning (G02)
- Foundation Degree in Counselling (G14)
- Diploma of Higher Education in Early Years (E37)
- Diploma of Higher Education in Primary Teaching and Learning (E59)
- Diploma of Higher Education in Social Sciences (E50)
- Diploma in Health and Social Care (D10)
- Advanced Diploma in Equality and Diversity (D06)
It can also count towards most of our other degrees at bachelors level, where it is equally appropriate to a BA or BSc, and it is part of our Advanced Diploma in Education programme. We advise you to refer to the relevant qualification descriptions for information on the circumstances in which this course can count towards these qualifications because from time to time the structure and requirements may change.
Excluded combinations
Sometimes you will not be able to count a course towards a qualification if you have already taken another course with similar content. To check any excluded combinations relating to this course, visit our excluded combination finder or check with our Student Registration & Enquiry Service before registering.
If you have a disability or additional requirement
We will make sure that suitable support for practical work is offered. The written course material is available in comb-bound format. Written transcripts are available for the audio-visual material. Some diagrams are available in tactile format. Our Services for disabled students website has the latest information about availability.
If you are a new student, or new to courses using a computer or the internet, you will need to inform us of your particular needs as soon as possible, as some of our support services may take several weeks to arrange. Details of how to do this and our range of support services are described in our booklet Meeting Your Needs which you can download or request from our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
You can also find information about accessible course materials, financial support and the Disabled Students' Allowance, equipment and other services, on our Services for disabled students website. It also includes our contact details for advice and support both before you register and while you are studying.
Course materials
What's included
Course books, other printed materials, computing software, DVD-ROMs, course website.
Computing requirements
This course includes online computer activities – you can access these using a web browser that can play Flash and Shockwave. Some of your course software will be provided on disk.
You will need internet access and a computer. If you have purchased a new Windows computer since 2002 it should meet your course computing requirements. Check our Technical Requirements section if your computer is older than this or is otherwise unusual. Please note that you cannot use an Apple Mac or Linux computer unless it is running windows Boot Camp or similar.
Teaching and assessment
Support from your tutor
You will have a tutor who will help you with the course material and mark and comment on your written work, and whom you can ask for advice and guidance. We may also be able to offer group tutorials or day schools that you are encouraged, but not obliged, to attend. Where your tutorials are held will depend on the distribution of students taking the course. Contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.
Assessment
The assessment details for this course can be found in the facts box above.
You will be expected to submit your tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) online through the eTMA system unless there are some difficulties which prevent you from doing so. In these circumstances, you must negotiate with your tutor to get their agreement to submit your assignment on paper.
Three of the TMAs are essays, two are practical, and one is methodology focused. Assessment is an essential part of the teaching, so you are expected to complete it all. Course specific information will be given when you begin the course.
Professional recognition
This course may help you to gain recognition from a professional body. You can download our Recognition leaflet 3.1 British Psychological Society or ask our Student Registration & Enquiry Service for a copy.
Students also studied
Students who studied this course also studied at some time:
Future availability
The details given here are for the course that starts in February 2011. We expect it to be available a the same time once a year.
How to register
To register a place on this course return to the top of the page and use the Click to register button. For more information and advice about registration see OU Study Explained.
About this page
An undergraduate course in Childhood and Youth, Education, Health and Social Care, Psychology and Social Sciences.
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