PSYC 221 Psychology of Childhood

Students will explore child growth and development from conception to puberty. Course content will emphasize developmental models, research, and best practices related to child development.

In this study of human development, course materials and student interactions will introduce the methodologies and topics of the childhood years of human life. The stages of life from birth through middle childhood will be examined with respect to the physical, cognitive, and psychosocial areas of development. An understanding of the behavior and thinking of the self and others will be an effective tool for intrapersonal and interpersonal Christian growth.

Assigned readings and presentations

No details available.

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (3)

Discussion are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student will post a new thread in the Discussion responding to prompts provided by the instructor. Each thread must be at least 250 words. In addition to the thread, the student will read and reply to at least 2 of his/her classmates’ threads. Each reply must be at least 150 words. For each thread and each reply, the student must support his/her assertions with at least one citation from the text as well as at least one verse/passage from Scripture. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E)

Read & Interact Textbook Reading Assignments (13)

There will be 13 Read & Interact Assignments in this course. These assignments allow the student to pinpoint what he/she does and does not know and also create a learning experience that is both productive and motivating.

Essay: Article Review – Care and Play Assignment

The student will review the required scholarly (peer-reviewed) journal article for this assignment. The student will create an essay responding to the required prompts. Each essay must contain in-text citations, be at least 500 words of content (not including the Reference page), and must be in current APA format. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E, F) 

Parenting Styles PowerPoint Assignment

The PowerPoint Presentation will discuss parenting styles along with personal application and Biblical integration. The 7-slide presentation must contain the required 4 references, in-text citations, and must be in current APA format. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E)

Observation Paper Assignment

For this assignment, the student will observe a child under the age of ten in a natural setting for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour and submit a paper of at least 1500 words reporting his/her observations. The paper must demonstrate the theories and concepts learned throughout the course and include at least 4 scholarly journal article references. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E)

Quizzes (8)

Quizzes will consist of 30 multiple-choice questions. Each of these open-book/open-note quizzes will have a time limit of 1 hour and 30 minutes. The student will be responsible for reading and studying his/her textbooks in preparation, as not everything on the quizzes can be covered or discussed in the modules. (CLO: A, B, C, F)