Human Development :

Meaning, Concepts and

Approaches
Meaning of human development
Human development is the pattern of movement or change that
begins at conception and continues through the life span. Development
includes growth and decline. This means that development can be
positive or negative (Santrock, 2002).
Some major principles of human
development
• 1. Development is relatively orderly.
Human will learn to sit, crawl
then walk before they can run. The muscular control of the of
the trunk and the arms comes earlier as compared to the hands
and fingers. This is the proximodistal pattern. During
infancy, the greatest growth always occurs at the top - the head-
with physical growth in size, weight and future differentiation
gradually working its way down from top to bottom (for example,
neck, shoulders, middle trunk and so on). This is the cephalocaudal
pattern.
2. While the pattern of development is likely to be similar, the
outcomes of developmental processes and the rate of development
are likely to vary among individuals.

Humans may become were premised on many "ifs". Meaning if they

come from a good home with loving and caring parents they may
develop into warm and responsible children, adolescents and adults. If
they come from a deprived environment, they may develop into
carefree and irresponsible adolescents and adults.
3. Development takes place gradually.
Human won't develop into pimply
teenagers overnight. It takes years before they become one. In
fact, that's the way of nature. The bud does not blossom suddenly.
The seed does not germinate overnight. While some changes occur
in a flash of insight, more often it takes weeks, months, or years
for a person to undergo changes that result in the display of
developmental characteristics.
4. Development as a process is complex because it is the
product of biological, cognitive and socioemotional
processes .(Santrock, 2002).

Biological processes involve changes in the individual's physical nature.

The brains of a person develop. They will gain height and weight. They
will experience hormonal changes when they reach the period of
puberty, and cardiovascular decline as they approach late adulthood.
All these show the biological processes in development.
4. Development as a process is complex because it is the
product of biological, cognitive and socioemotional
processes .(Santrock, 2002).

Cognitive processes involve changes in the individual's

thought, intelligence, and language. Person develop
from mere sounds to a word becoming two words, the two
words becoming a sentence. They would move on to memorizing
their first prayer, singing Bayang Magiliw in every flag ceremony
to imagining what it would be like to be a teacher or a pilot,
playing chess and solving a complex math problem. All these reflect of
the role of cognitive process in development.
4. Development as a process is complex because it is the
product of biological, cognitive and socioemotional
processes .(Santrock, 2002).

Socioemotional processes include changes in the individual's

relationships with other people, changes in emotions, and changes in
personality. As babies, responded with a sweet
smile when affectionately touched and frowned when displeased
and even showed temper tantrum when they could not get or do
what they wanted. From aggressive children, they may develop into
a fine lady and a gentleman or otherwise, depending on a myriad
of factors. They may fall in love and get inspired for life or may
end up betrayed, deserted and desperate afterwards. All these
reflect the role of socioemotional processes in development.
• Two approaches to human development
If you believe that a person show extensive change
from birth to adolescence, little or no change in adulthood and decline
in late old age, your approach to development is traditional. In
contrast, if you believe that even in adulthood developmental change
takes place as it does during childhood, your approach is termed
lifespan approach.

What are the characteristics of the life-span perspective? Paul

Baltes (Santrock, 2002), an expert in life-span development, gives the
following characteristics:
1.Development is lifelong. It does not end in adulthood. No
developmental stage dominates development.

2. Development is multidimensional. Development consists of

biological, cognitive, and socio-emotional dimensions.

3. Development is plastic. Development is possible throughout

the life-span.

4. Development is contextual. Individuals are changing

beings in a changing world.
5. Development involves growth, maintenance and regulation.
Growth, maintenance and regulation are three (3) goals
of human development. The goals of individuals vary among
developmental stages. For instance, as individuals reach middle
and late adulthood, concern with growth gets into the back
stage while maintenance and regulation take the center stage.
Principles of child development and learning that inform practice

Below are the principles of child development and learning which

are the bases of developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) in-early
childhood program for children from birth through age 8, which were
stated in the position paper of the National Association for the
Education of Young Children (2009). They affirm the principles of
human development and characteristics of life-span development
approach we just discussed. Find out which one is a re-statement of the
principles of human development.
1. All the domains of development and learning-physical, social
and emotional, and cognitive-are important, and they are closely
interrelated. Children's development and learning in one domain
influence and are influenced by what takes place in other
domains.

2. Many aspects of children's learning and development follow

well documented sequences, with later abilities, skills, and
knowledge building on those already acquired.

3. Development and learning proceed at varying rates from child

to child, as well as at uneven rates across different areas of
a child's individual functioning.
4. Development and learning result from a dynamic and continuous
interaction of biological maturation and experience.

5. Early experiences have profound effects, both cumulative and

delayed, on a child's development and learning; and optimal
periods exist for certain types of development and learning to
Occur.

6. Development proceeds toward greater complexity, self-regulation,

and symbolic or representational capacities.
7. Children develop best when they have secure, consistent
relationships with responsive adults and opportunities for positive
relationships with peers.

8. Development and learning occur in and are influenced by

multiple social and cultural contexts.

9. Always mentally active in seeking to understand the world

around them, children learn in a variety of ways; a wide
range of teaching strategies and interactions are effective in
supporting all these kinds of learning.
10. Play is an important vehicle for developing self-regulation as
well as for promoting language, cognition, and social competence.

11. Development and learning advance when children are

challenged to achieve at a level just beyond their current
mastery, and also when they have many opportunities to
practice newly acquired skills.

12. Children's experiences shape their motivation and approaches to

learning, such as persistence, initiative, and flexibility; in turn,
these dispositions and behaviors affect their learning and
development.
The Stages of Development
and Developmental Tasks
Introduction
For every developmental stage, there is an expected developmental
task. What happens when the expected developmental tasks are not
achieved at the corresponding developmental stage? How can you help
children achieve these developmental tasks?
 6 Developmental Tasks
by: Havighurst
• Infancy and Early Childhood (from birth to 5 years)
• Middle Childhood (6 to 12 years)
• Adolescence (13 to 18 years)
• Early Adulthood (19 to 29 years)
• Middle Adulthood (30 to 60 years)
• Late Maturity/Adulthood (61 and over)
INFANCY and Early Childhood (0- 5years)
INFANCY and Early Childhood
(from birth to 5 years)
• Learning to walk
• Learning to take solid foods
• Learning to talk
• Learning to control the elimination of body wastes
• Learning sex differences and sexual modesty
• Acquiring concepts and language to describe social and physical reality
• Readiness for reading
• Learning to distinguish right from wrong and developing
a conscience
MIDDLE CHILDHOOD (6 to 12 years)
MIDDLE CHILDHOOD (6 to 12 years)
1. Learning physical skills necessary for ordinary games
2. Building a wholesome attitude toward oneself
3. Learning to get along with agemates
4. Learning an appropriate sex role
5. Developing fundamental skills in reading, writing, and
calculating
6. Developing concepts necessary for everyday living
MIDDLE CHILDHOOD (6 to 12 years)

7. Developing conscience, morality, and a scale of

values
8. Achieving personal independence
9. Developing acceptable attitudes toward society
ADOLESCENCE (13 to 18 years)
ADOLESCENCE (13 to 18 years)
1. Achieving mature relations with both sexes

2. Achieving a masculine or feminine social role

3. Accepting one’s physique

4. Achieving emotional independence of adults

 ADOLESCENCE (13 to 18 years)
5. Preparing for marriage and family life
6. Preparing for an economic career
7. Acquiring values and an ethical system to guide
behavior
8. Desiring and achieving socially responsible behavior
EARLY ADULTHOOD (19 to 29 years)
EARLY ADULTHOOD (19 to 29 years)

1. Selecting a mate
2. Learning to live with a partner
3. Starting a family
4. Rearing children
EARLY ADULTHOOD (19 to 29 years)

5. Managing a home
6. Starting an occupation
7. Assuming civic responsibility
MIDDLE ADULTHOOD (30 to 60 years)
MIDDLE ADULTHOOD (30 to 60 years)

1. Helping teenage children to become happy and

responsible adults

2. Achieving adult social and civic responsibility

3. Satisfactory career achievement

MIDDLE ADULTHOOD (30 to 60 years)
4. Developing adult leisure time activities

5.Relating to one’s spouse as a person

6. Accepting the physiological changes of middle age

7. Adjusting to aging parent

LATER MATURITY (61 and over)
 LATER MATURITY (61 and over)
1. Adjusting to decreasing strength and health
2. Adjusting to retirement and reduced income
3. Adjusting to death of spouse
4. Establishing relations with one's own age group
5. Meeting social and civic obligations
6. Establishing satisfactory living quarters
 8 Developmental Task
by: Santrock
• Pre- natal Period (from conception to birth)
• Infancy (from birth to 24 months)
• Early Childhood (end of infancy to 5-6 years)
• Middle and Late Childhood (6 to 11 years of age, elementary school
years)
• Adolescence (10-12 to 18-22 years)
• Early Adulthood (late teens to 30s)
• Middle Adulthood (40 to 60 years)
• Late Maturity/Adulthood (60 and above)
Pre- natal Period (from
conception to birth)
INFANCY (birth to 24 months)
• A time of extreme
dependence on adults. Many psychological activities are just be-
ginning - language, symbolic thought, sensorimotor coordination
and social learning.
EARLY CHILDHOOD (end of infancy to 5-6
years (Grade 1)
• These are the preschool years. Young children learn to become more
self-sufficient and to care for themselves, develop school readiness
skills and spend many hours in play with peers.
Middle and Late Childhood (6 to 11 years
of age, elementary school years)
• The fundamental skills of reading, writing and
arithmetic are mastered. The child is formally exposed to the
larger world and its culture. Achievement becomes a more central
theme of the child's world and self-control increases.
Adolescence (10-12 to 18-22 years)
• Begins with rapid physical changes - dramatic gains in
height and weight, changes in body contour, and the development of
sexual characteristics such as enlargement of the
breasts, development-of pubic and facial hair, and deepening of
the voice. Pursuit of independence and identity are prominent.
Early Adulthood (late teens to
30s)
• It is a time of establishing personal and economic
independence, career development, selecting a mate, learning to
live with someone in an intimate way, starting a family and
rearing children.
Middle Adulthood (40 to 60 years)
• It is a time of expanding personal and social involvement and
responsibility; of assisting the next generation in becoming competent
and mature individuals; and of reaching and maintaining satisfaction
in a career.
Late Maturity/Adulthood (60 and
above)

• It is a time for adjustment to decreasing strength and health, life

review, retirement, and adjustment to new social roles.