Reference no: EM133859920

Psychosocial Perspectives Across the Life Course

Introduction

For this assessment, you are required to collect developmental data for a single child, adolescent, or adult closely, and report your findings. By definition, a case study is: "an intensive analysis of an individual unit (as a person or community) stressing developmental factors in relation to environment" (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). The purpose of this project is to consolidate your knowledge and understanding of human development through its specific application to an individual in the context of their family and community. Your challenge is to collect data through a combination of techniques that are currently used in research and produce a written report demonstrating your understanding of biological, psychological, and social processes of development as they apply to a person in the age group you select. You are also expected to demonstrate your ability to use the collected information to formulate reasonable and justifiable predictions about the participant's future development (n.b. it is best not to use the word "subject" because people find the term demeaning).

Keep in mind that the purpose of every piece of assessment is to test your knowledge and understanding of the material presented in the unit you are studying. To get the best possible result you should make yourself familiar with the unit outline, lecture notes, textbook chapters, and articles in the reading list. As this unit focuses on research evidence that comes from a variety of different academic disciplines, such as psychology, neuroscience, and epidemiology, it will be important to demonstrate that you have engaged with this evidence-based literature. Use the marking rubric as a checklist to ensure project expectations are met. It is best to read the instructions very carefully before you begin. However, if you need clarification about any part of this assessment, do not hesitate to speak with your tutor.

First, you will select a suitable participant and obtain informed consent from the person or a parent (or guardian) in the case of a child or adolescent. Second, you will collect data. Third, you will write a report in which you will discuss your findings in the context of recent, evidence-based literature. Each of these steps is explained in some detail in the sections below.

Participant selection, informed consent, and duty of care

The person you choose to study must be a child or adolescent 15 years of age or younger or an adult 60 years of age or older. The instructions contained in this document are specific to a child or adolescent 15 years or younger. If you wish to study an adult 60 years or over, see the separate instruction document.

It is important that you do not know the child/adolescent or their family well. You should not choose your own son or daughter or a relative, such as a niece, nephew, or grandchild or personal psychologist, counsellor, physiotherapist etc. The reason is that the familiarity of the participant may comprise your findings. You should ask if you can do the case study with the child of a colleague or an acquaintance.
Another possibility is to ask a family member who has children to ask one of their friends to take part.

1 Most parents are very interested and happy to participate.

When you have chosen a child/adolescent for your study, you must first secure the parents' informed consent (see Informed Consent - Assessment - Blackboard). The information sheet explains that you are doing this research for a course in life course development, that the child's/adolescent's name will not be used in the report, and that the main purpose of the report is to help you see the relationship between textbook knowledge of child/adolescent development and real children. The consent form must be signed by the participant, or the parent/guardian, and student in person. N.B. electronic signatures are not permitted.
As with all research, you have a duty of care to protect the health and wellbeing of your participant. If you believe on the basis of your assessment that your participant's level of development differs from that which is typical for children of the same age and the child's parent or guardian is not aware of the issue, you should refrain from mentioning it as this may cause unnecessary worry. You should, however, immediately inform the unit coordinator of your concerns. The unit coordinator will follow the matter up with the parent or guardian as necessary. An assessment with a qualified health professional will be organised if required.

Following submission you should allocate your participant and all family members false names (pseudonyms) that you can use in your report. For example, if the child's real name is Anika, call her Susan and state in your introduction that this is not her real name. This way, there is little chance that the tutor marking your assignment will be able to identify the participant and their family. The separation of identifying information (names and contact details) and personal information, such as survey responses and blood test results, is mandatory in research.

Data collection

Collect the information for your report by using all three of the following research methods. Naturalistic observation for 30 minutes (Appendix A).
For children under 5 years of age ask the parents when the child is likely to be awake and active. For children 6 years of age and over and adolescents you will need to organise a time when the child/ adolescent is free from school and other activities. If at all possible, observe the child/adolescent interacting with another child/adolescent or adult either inside or outside their home, or in some other social setting. It is okay if the person is alone, but engaging in some meaningful activity, such as playing "dress-up" or playing with Lego. There is little point observing the person when they are engaging in screen activities, such as watching TV or playing a computer game.
Observe the person for 30 minutes. Try to be as unobtrusive as possible; you are not there to play with, or care for them. If the child/adolescent wants to play or interact with you, explain that you must sit and write for now, and that you will play/interact later. Write down, minute by minute, everything the participant does and everything that others do with the participant. Try to be objective, focusing on behaviour rather than interpretation. Thus, instead of writing "5:33: Jennifer was delighted when her father came home, and he

dotes on her," you should write "5:33: Her father opened the door, Jennifer looked up, smiled, said "dada", and ran to him. He bent down, stretched out his arms, picked her up, and said "How's my little angel?".
5:34: He put her on his shoulders, and she said "Getty up horsey". (Note Sample Appendix A guidelines)
When you have finished your data collection, type your observation notes in a table with a separate row for each of the 30 minutes (i.e. your table should have at least 30 rows). Then, after the table, summarise the data by noting the percentage of time spent in various activities. For example, "Playing alone 30 per cent; playing chase with brother 20 per cent; making a sandwich and eating it 20 per cent; and talking with father about the day at school 20 per cent; other activities 10 per cent.". Also note the frequency of various behaviours, such as prosocial acts and acts of aggression. Making notations like these will help you evaluate and quantify your observations. (Note Sample Appendix A guidelines) Finally, note any circumstances that might have made your observation atypical. For example, "Jenny's mother said she has not been herself since she had the flu a week ago; or Jenny kept trying to take my pen, so it was hard to write".
Remember that a percentage can be found by dividing the total number of minutes spent on a specific activity by the total number of minutes you spent observing. For example, if, during your 30-minute observation, the child played by herself for periods of 4 minutes, 6 minutes, and 4 minutes, "playing alone" would total 14 minutes. Dividing 14 by 60 yields .23; thus the child spent 23 per cent of the time playing alone. (If the figure in the third decimal place is 5 or more, round the second decimal place up to the next digit-for example, if your quotient were .246, you would round to .25, which is 25 per cent). (Note Sample Appendix B guidelines)
Label this Appendix A and attach it to your assessment after the reference section beginning on a new page. It will not contribute to the word limit of the assessment.

Informal interaction and developmental assessment for 30 minutes (Appendix B).

Interact with the participant for 30 minutes. Your goal is to observe the participant's behaviour and capabilities in a relaxed setting. The particular activities you engage in will depend on the participant's age and how they respond to you. Most children/adolescents enjoy playing games, reading books, drawing, and talking. Asking a younger child to show you his or her room and favourite toys is a good way to break the ice. Asking an older child/adolescent to show you the neighbourhood can provide insights.

Two questionnaires have been placed in the Assessment section of Bb to help you with this aspect of your data collection:
The Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ) are very age specific (in months) and are suitable for assessing the development of children up to 5 years of age. Choose the questionnaire that comes closest to the child's age in months. Do not attempt all of the items, rather try a few items from the different domains of development, such as gross motor and communication skills. Test the child yourself during the period of interaction and/or ask the child's parent if the child is able to perform a number of tasks.
The Child/Adolescent Questionnaire is taken from the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study and is suitable for children over the age of 5 and adolescents. It asks about leisure activities, schooling, language development, behaviour, and general health. Again, it is not necessary to ask all of the questions. Use it as a guide for questions to ask an older child/adolescent when you are interacting with them.
When you have finished your data collection write a summary of your interaction in 2-3 paragraphs. First, describe the setting and the specific activities you were engaged in. Second, describe how the person responded to you. For example, was the person shy and reserved or outgoing and talkative. Third, summarise your findings from the ASQ or Child/Adolescent Questionnaire. Do not scan the completed ASQ form or the Child/Adolescent Questionnaire into your document. It is unnecessary and it will

make your document run slowly. Fourth, describe any additional features you have learned about this person and their development.
Label this Appendix B and attach it to your assessment after Appendix A beginning on a new page.
It will not contribute to the word limit of the assessment.

Interview (Appendix C).
The final aspect of data collection involves an interview with the person who is the primary care- giver for the child/adolescent. Your goal is to learn as much as possible about the participant and their family, school, and neighbourhood environments that influence development. It does not matter if some of these questions were answered in other aspects of data collection. Information from a variety of informants is useful to increase the reliability and validity of your findings.
Use the list below to select questions that are relevant and salient for the child's age and stage of development. The following factors are known through research to be important for human development. They are grouped according to developmental systems theory which is also known as bioecological theory and biopsychosocial theory. In this theory, psychological factors include social and emotional functioning, while social factors are those within the family and community that influence development. Proximal factors (those that happen most recently) are generally more salient than distal factors (those that happen a long time ago), however, a distal factor may be important if it was atypical or notable. For example, a pregnancy complication might be important for an older child, adolescent, or adult if it resulted in a significant impairment in cognitive function.

Salient biological factors
Planned pregnancy (children 3 years and under) Assisted reproduction (children 3 years and under)
Family history of genetic disorders e.g. Down syndrome (all children/adolescents) Folate supplementation (children 3 years and under)
Pregnancy complications (children 3 years and under) Multiple pregnancy i.e. twin or triplet (all children/adolescents)
Birth weight (children 5 years and under and older children if low)
Gestational age at birth (children 5 years and under and older children if pre-term) Disabilities (all children/adolescents)
Current height and weight (all children/adolescents - children 5 years and under compare with growth charts; older children compute BMI) Sleep pattern (all children/adolescents)
Toileting (children 5 years and under and older children if not yet established) Breast feeding (children 3 years and under)
Current diet (all children/adolescents) Physical activity (all children/adolescents)
Fine and gross motor development (all children/adolescents) Serious and chronic illnesses (all children/adolescents) Medications (all children/adolescents)
Toxic environmental exposures - home, school, community e.g. passive smoking, asbestos, lead (all children/adolescents)
Pubertal development (older children and adolescents)

Salient psychological factors
Emotional regulation (children 5 years and under) Attentional regulation (children 5 years and under)
Social regulation (children 5 years and under)
Cognitive functioning: language, memory, problem solving (all children/adolescents) Literacy and numeracy (children 6 years to 10 years)

School achievement (children 6 years and over and adolescents) Self-esteem (children 6 years and over and adolescents)
Body image (children 6 years and over and adolescents) Self-efficacy (children 6 years and over and adolescents)
Experience of stress (adolescents)
Mental health problems (children 6 years and over and adolescents)

Salient social factors
Family demographic characteristics - family composition (dual/single parent), parents' ages, race/ethnicity, language(s) spoken at home, religious affiliation (all children/adolescents)
Family socioeconomic characteristics - degree of financial security, parents' level of education, parents' occupations (all children/adolescents)
Family psychosocial functioning - parents' relationship, family relationships, financial strain, life stress, experience of discrimination, parental mental health, social support (all children/adolescents) Extended family (all children/adolescents)
Care arrangements outside family (all children/adolescents) School resources (children 6 years and over and adolescents)
Residential suburb/neighbourhood resources (all children/adolescents) State and national political and economic context (all children/adolescents)

Summarise the information you collect in 1 - 2 typed pages of dot-points. Formal sentence construction is not required. (Note Sample Appendix C guidelines)

Write your report in the style of an academic article using APA (7th ed.) headings, formal paragraphs,
1.5 line spacing throughout (including the reference list), and formal academic English writing in full sentences with correct spelling and grammar. It is not appropriate to write in note form or to use dot points. It is customary in formal academic writing to use an impersonal writing style (e.g. passive voice and third person). While I suggest you do this when possible, there are times when it is better to use a personal style (e.g. active voice and first person). It is better to say "I" rather than refer to yourself as "the researcher" or "the author". See the example on page 6. Your writing will need to be precise and concise. The report is limited to 1500 words (10% over the word limit is acceptable (+10%=1650 words/ -10-%=1350 words), excluding in-text references, the reference list, and appendices. A Word document is required. It is important that you do not attach pdf files or other scanned documents as these will make it run slowly in Blackboard. It is suggested that you use the following headings and word limits for each section:

Title page (including name and student ID) Contents page
Introduction (150 words) Background Information (150 words) Biological Factors (300 words) Psychological Factors (300 words) Social Factors (300 words)
Predictions for next five years (200 words) Conclusion (100 words)
References Appendix A Appendix B Appendix C
Use the introduction to tell the reader what your report is about using the language of life course and bioecological theory. Also, describe how you know the participant and why you selected them, and describe specific details of the observation, interaction, and interview process. You must include sufficient detail - see the marking rubric. Next, report relevant background information, including the: participant's age and sex; age and sex of siblings; age, ethnic background, specific education level, and specific occupation of parent(s); proximity of extended family members; and the sociodemographic characteristics of the participant's residential suburb and neighbourhood.
Describe all salient aspects of the participant's biological, psychological, and social development in the three major sections of the report drawing on the data you have collected and presented in the three appendices (You should include all aspects of development in the list on Page 4). Do not simply transcribe information from your appendices. While mentioning all salient aspects of development, you should only highlight and discuss in some detail 2 aspects of development that are atypical or notable in each section. For example, if a young child was born at term, within the usual weight range, and has no disabilities or chronic illnesses, you only need mention this in a sentence; if a child's height/weight ratio indicates that they are overweight, you should discuss this and refer to recent evidence-based literature; if a child's fine motor skills are beyond expectations, you should discuss this and refer to recent evidence-based literature.
You are required to use at least 8 journal articles that report recent, relevant research findings. You will find that many research articles have a very useful review of evidence-based literature at the beginning. I suggest you first look for articles in your reading list relevant to your case study.

Using your textbook (Belsky) as a reference or any other books or textbooks in Psychology, Sociology, Nursing, Human Development, etc is unacceptable. The use of information and downloads from Websites (e.g. Wikipedia, Beyond Blue, HealthInsite, WHO) will not be accepted,

with the exception of those reporting demographic or statistical information from the Australian Bureau of Statistics or growth charts from Australian state government sources. The information you find in the journal articles should be woven into your report and properly cited using APA (7th ed.) referencing guidelines. Use the following as examples of how to write up your findings in your Case study Assessment:

Sam's communication skills were very highly developed for a child who is 40 months of age. She was able to complete all five ASQ communication tasks appropriate for 40-month-old children correctly, as well as tasks that are appropriate for 48-month-old children (see Appendix B). According to the literature, this is quite common for the children of parents who are read to constantly at an early age (Smith & Jones, 2015). Sam's mother mentioned that she loves books and that both she and Sam's father read books with her in the evening (see Appendix C). It is likely that Sam's well-developed communication skills will enhance her cognitive development more generally (Smith & Jones, 2015).

John's mother reported that he developed severe asthma when he was a baby (see Appendix C); however, it was not evident at all when we were kicking a ball around in the backyard (see Appendix B). John's mother also said that he learned to swim through surf life-saving when he was very young and that he is now in a swim training team at school. While he takes preventive medication and swims regularly, he has never experienced shortness of breath (Appendix C). It is very likely that swimming has helped John breathe and reduced the chance of him having asthma attacks (Brown, 2008). A number of well-conducted trials have shown the benefits of swimming for people with asthma (Read & Review, 2014).

When we were listening to music in her bedroom, Brittany told me that the other girls at school teased her about her weight, making her feel bad about herself (see Appendices B & C). Her mother also told me that she was being teased at school, which was affecting her grades (Appendix C). As mentioned above, according to her BMI, which I calculated using the measurements her mother gave me, she was in the overweight, almost obese range for 11-year-old girls (Appendix C). Self-esteem and body image are especially salient issues for adolescents, with many overweight adolescents experiencing anxiety and depression (Scott, Parks, & Liner, 2010). For physiological and psychosocial reasons, the prevalence of depression in females increases dramatically during adolescence (Kent, 2010). It is very likely that Brittany's overweight is associated with her early pubertal development (Snow, 2005) and that this is compounding her poor body image (Charles, 2013). Brittany said that she had just started seeing a dietician with her mum and that the teachers at school were helping to manage the bullying behaviour of the other girls (see Appendix B). n.b. All above scenarios and references are fictitious.

In the next section, predict the participant's development in the next five years. Consider the circumstances/significant events the participant is likely to encounter over the next five years of development. Describe the strengths in the child/adolescent, the family, and the community that you think will foster optimal development. Also note whatever potential problems you see (either in the child's current level of development or in the family and community support system) that may lead to future difficulties for the child. It is not necessary to include references in this section. Your predictions should be based on information you have provided in the previous sections that is appropriately referenced.

Finally, write a few concluding sentences about life course human development and your experience of doing a case study, and very briefly outline the strengths and limitations of your case study research methodology, including naturalistic observation, informal interaction, developmental assessment, and interview.

QUESTIONNAIRE

Section 2
Please write the answer in the space provided or circle the answer where applicable.

ALL ANSWERS ARE STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL
Q1. On average, how much time do you spend with your child each day from Monday to Friday (Include the time you spend caring for your child as well as the time you spend helping with homework, talking and just ‘being together').

Q2. On average, how much time do you spend with your child each day in the weekend (Include the time you spend caring for your child as well as the time you spend helping with homework, talking and just ‘being together').
Q3. How much time does your child usually spend watching TV and/or playing computer games?

None
Less than 3 hours a week
Up to 1 hour a day (3 to 7 hrs a week)
Between 1 and 2 hours a day (7 to 14 hrs a week)
Between 2 and 3 hours a day (14 to 21 hrs a week)
More than 3 hours a day (more than 21 hrs a week)

Q4. How would you compare the physical activity level of your child with that of other children of the same age?

I am unable to make the comparison
My child is less active than other children
My child is as active as other children
My child is more active than other children
Q5. How does your child's level of activity now compare to 12 months ago?

Less active than 12 months ago
About the same as 12 months ago
More active than 12 months ago
Q6. Does your child participate in any regular physical activity before school, after school
or during the weekend?

Q7. How would you rate the ability level of your child for each of the following skills?

Q8. Compared to other children of the same age, how applicable are the following items for
your child now or within the past six months? (Please circle the appropriate answers)

Q9. Did your child ever attend Kindergarten or Preschool?

Q10. Did your child ever attend Pre-primary?

Q11. In what year did your child begin Year 1/Grade 1 at school? 199

Q12. How many primary schools has your child attended since beginning Year 1/ Grade 1)?
Q13. What year/grade is your child in at school now? Year/Grade
Q14. Has your child ever had:

job-shared teaching eg. Mrs Smith on Mon, Tues, Wed, and Mrs Jones on Thurs, Fri?

Q15. Has your child ever repeated a year/grade at school?

Q16. How satisfied are you with the standard of education offered at your child's current school?
Very dissatisfied
Dissatisfied
Neither satisfied or dissatisfied
Satisfied
Very satisfied
Q17. How would you describe your child's academic performance in school during the past six months?
Poor
Below average
Average
Very good
Excellent

Q18. How satisfied are you with your child's progress at school in the following areas:

Q19. Is your child limited in the kind or amount of school work he/she does because of physical problems?

Q21. Is your child limited in the kind or amount of school work he/she does because of emotional problems?

Q23. Is your child limited in the kind or amount of school work he/she does because of learning problems?

Q25. Is your child limited in the kind or amount of school work he/she does because of speech and/or language problems?

Q27. Has your child ever received any of the following types of special education or special teaching:

Q28. During the past six months has your child (or have you on your child's behalf) had contact with a school counsellor or guidance officer?

Q29. During the past six months has your child (or have you on your child's behalf) had contact with a teacher for a behavioural problem or a learning problem?

Q30. Does your child take part in any of the following activities outside of school hours:

Q31. On average, how many serves of fruit does your child have each week (One serve = one piece of fresh fruit, or a 30 gram pack of sultanas, or five dried apricots - do not count juice)?

Q32. On average, how many serves of vegetables does your child have each week (One serve = half a cup of vegetables, or salad, or beans/lentils)?

Q33. On average, how many times does your child have a high fibre breakfast cereal each week (such as Weetbix, Miniwheats, Just Right, Sustain, Weeties, muesli)?

Q34. On average, how many muesli or health bars does your child have each week?

Q35. On average, how many slices of high fibre bread (wholemeal, multi-grain, high fibre white) does your child have each week?

Q36. On average, how many serves of rice or pasta does your child have each week (One serve = one cup)?

Q37. Does your child have now, or has your child had in the past, any of the following health professional diagnosed medical conditions or health problems? (Please circle the appropriate numbers)

Q38. Compared with other children how easy or difficult is your child to manage? (Please circle the number which best represents your feelings)