Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Rosario Hernandez
Abstract
The PEPSI screening project by J’anne Ellsworth was a great experience to take a look at
an entire child. One chosen subject was observed in all aspects of a developing child. It was
interesting to pay attention to detail and notice how certain things made a difference within one
child, in a classroom setting it would be more beneficial to notice these things to improve
student-teacher relationships, also it would benefit student learning in a positive way. The PEPSI
screening was a great journey to explore an entire child from their head to their toes, inside and
out. James seems to be at age level regarding all the five developmental areas. However, there is
never a cut off for growth and learning- James has a bright future ahead of him and with the
PEPSI Biography
The subject I chose to be evaluated for the PEPSI screening was James Smith (name has
been altered from privacy). James, nine years old, is the oldest of three boys (ages five and one).
James lives at his grandparent’s home with his mother. In total, the household size is a total of
eight individuals. His family is hispanic and of low income. All four direct family members sleep
in the same room. James’s parents split up when he was just a toddler, he does not remember
much, but that event made an impact in his life. His father has a separate family with two
additional half brothers. His father has not been there for most of James's childhood, because of
issues with his mother. Yet that does not stop James from loving his father. James has an older
uncle living in the same household who is six years older than him (age fifteen). The age gap
affects James in a negative way, sometimes he gets bullied for not being up to doing age related
tasks with his uncle. However, that does not stop James from being himself. He loves video
games and pizza. Unfortunately, James has several health conditions. For example, he has
asthma, allergies, and is not currently considered overweight. Often times James puts himself
down and calls himself mean names. It only takes a few nice comments to change his mind and
get him back on track. James is an overall sweetheart and bright young man. He is caring, loving
and helping to all his family members. He loves his mother and little brothers. James also likes
when he's around people, it brings out great joy to him. Despite his living conditions, James
aspires to become a Police Officer and help his mother buy their own house.
PEPSI 4
Physical Development
University of Texas in Dallas and author of CHILD Development), a child in middle and late
childhood development has already reached his or her stable point in development (1994). Most
children during the ages 6-11 have full control over the actions they are able to do. For example,
they are able to perform most physical tasks with more accuracy. James is able to run, swim,
jump, skip and has very good eye hand coordination which are the skills most elementary school
students should have mastered by this age. During middle and late development is when obesity
becomes more widely seen throughout growth. “Obesity is when a child is 20 percent or more
above the ideal weight for a particular age taking both age and sex into account” (Santrock, 1994
p. 168). When James was asked if he felt like he stood out because of his appearance and he said,
“Sometimes I feel embarrassed because I can’t keep up with my classmates in P.E or when we
play games I’m always the first one out, that makes me feel sad and mad.” James is also smaller
than most of his classmates. His genetics play a large role in his height and body type. James’s
mother comes from a relatively short family, and his father’s family is not very tall either. His
father’s side of the family is more prone to obesity. James is still young and has poor appetite
because he is not into healthy foods and turns to junk food more than an average adult, which is
common for children his age (Santrock, 1994 p. 169). Despite his height and weight James has a
fair level of activity in his life, and even though some circumstances are far from his control, he
Emotional Development
James is a happy child, most of the time. Most children at the age of nine have become
confident and aware of who they are becoming. James is able to say his self-description,
self-concepts, self-image, and self-esteem level (Snowman, 2015 p. 90). James is aware of the
activities he likes and the ones he does not like. Emotional development is impacted by the
environment he is exposed to. James's first brother was born when he was four years old, it was
all of a sudden and the spotlight shifted from James to the new baby at home. Although his
family still loved James the same amount, it was evident that he felt unwanted and disregarded.
Sometimes, James is sensitive and has difficulty adjusting to failure and discipline as described
by Snowman, these are characteristics of a child that is in a primary age group (86). It appears
that James did not quite outgrow the sentimental stage of his primary years. However, he is more
understanding of cause and effect when it comes to tasks- like unwanted chores. James can spend
many hours laughing but as soon as one comment is made that upsets him, his mood changes and
it becomes fairly difficult to change it back. James has as an anger temperament when things
don’t go his way- “He will always be my baby and when things can be done they will be done
for him.” His mother spoils him and tends to do what James asks- if it is well deserved his
mother feels it is her duty to reward him accordingly. James can be illustrated as a “difficult
child- he tends to react negatively and cry frequently, engages in irregular daily routines, and is
slow to accept new experiences” (Santrock, 1994 p. 334). James has much more growing to do in
order to reach the average nine year old emotional development expectation. His self esteem is at
Philosophical Development
At age nine children are suppose to have “a fair understanding of right and wrong”
(Ellsworth, 2017). James was able to accept when he was proved to be in the wrong. When asked
to complete chores majority of the time he would complete them without hesitation. Although
there were times when some pouting or ranting about how he always does everything came
along. That was just the beauty of being a nine year old. According to a study conducted by
Mahoney and Bronfenbrenner, a child is able to take accountability for his own actions whether
they are positive or negative. Generally speaking, the child is able to recognize when he is wrong
and will easily understand when and why punishments are put into place (1975). James is a child
who definitely seeks much appreciation and acceptance from his family members and peers-
along with all the other twenty individuals who are nine years old in his class. J’anne Ellsworth
states that praising a child during this age will improve their performance on their everyday
routines (2017). James is a sweetheart and will show his unconditional love and loyalty to his
family although they are hard on him when he does not complete what he has to. James is at an
Social Development
Socially, James is a little chatter box (as described by his mother). While James was
being observed he would be rather shy with people he did not know. That is not too strange as
this happens to the best of all of us when we first meet someone new. James would often times
be outgoing and playful. Social development has a lot to do with the relationships that come
from home, for example mother-father-son relationships have the biggest impact on a child
(Santrock, 1994 p. 435). James stated his relationship with his mother could be described as a
friendship and he could talk to his mother when something was wrong. This is vitally important
to the development of James because this allows him to gain the confidence he needs to have for
his age. James spends most of his time at home with his little brothers and older uncle. He does
not spend much time with children his age outside of school. Developing relationships is an
important part of his growth, the more people James is able to talk to and relate things that are
happening in his life, the easier it will be for him to strengthen his people skills (p. 436). Most
nine year olds will have mastered thinking logically- although their thinking is still considered
inconsistent (Snowman, 2015 p. 92). James has great ideas when it comes to abstract thinking,
but he still needs more growth to go in order to provide more concrete reasoning to his theories.
PEPSI 8
Intellectual Development
Intellectually, James is at an average level. Like other children his age, he is able to use
near and far transfer in most academic subjects (Snowman, 2015 p. 373). James is clever even
though he can be lazy. When it comes down to doing homework, James likes to push it aside
and wait until last minute or simply wait for his mother to start nagging about it. James is able to
complete all his homework assignments accurately. James is adaptive to new subjects and
processes information rather quickly. Based off of Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligences,
James seems to be more bodily-kinesthetic (Forrest, 2012 p.305). He learns when there are
manipulatives he can use to apply new concepts. When James was asked if he liked learning new
subjects his response was, “I love learning new things, sometimes things I am learning about has
nothing to do with anything but it is still cool to know cool things.” James has an open mind to
new concepts he has not yet learned which is normal for his age (Santrock, 1994). Children at
this age are in their prime years of understanding. It’s like they are on the border line of
understanding what they are suppose to do with what they want to do. Children in this age group
tend to break rules as well as create their own to avoid punishments or to gain control over their
own decisions (Snowman, 2015 p. 59). James seems to have it figured out when he can use
previous knowledge to solve new tasks. However, he needs to be more applied when it comes to
language arts, a part of making new rules applies to reading and writing. These are his lower
evaluated subjects. James pushes them off to the side because he knows he cannot perform well
in them.
PEPSI 9
Graph
James is a bright, talented, and loving child. He is doing a great job at being a nine year
old. He has much room for growth and he is not far behind from the nine year old average
expectancy in all of his developmental areas. Some areas are lower than others but that does not
reduce the importance he has within his family and to himself. James will grow to become an
educated young man and once he understands more about certain things in everyday life he will
grow much more in all areas. According to research by Snowman, Santrock, and Ellsworth,
James falls under the correct category for his age. Although, some expectations are out of his
control, James applies effort to daily tasks and does what he is suppose to.
PEPSI 10
Recommendations
P - Recommendations for James’s physical development would be to: teach him more about
healthy diets and the importance of exercise. I would recommend his mother to take him to the
park as a reward instead of buying him material objects like toys or electronic devices. For
example, at the end of the school year he could be rewarded for his educational hardwork by
being taken to a water theme park to enjoy being a nine year old by running and playing in water.
E - Recommendations for James’s emotional development would be to: encourage him as much
as possible. Considering he is still extra sensitive to criticism, parents and family members
should be supportive and open to ideas he provides. Parents and family members should listen to
what he has to say when he is upset, as well as explain with valid reasons why he is getting
disciplined. James needs much attention to be directed his way in order to feel fully accepted. As
he continues to grow, his view will change and he can become full of more positive images of
himself.
P - Recommendations for James’s philosophical development would be to: keep motivating him
in everything he does while reasoning is fortified as he is being guided in the right direction.
Allow him to get upset and learn from his mistakes because not everything will be handed to him
in life, and he has to learn before reality hits as he grows older. James overall is very well aware
of what to do when no one is around- except that being a kid can often take more control than it
S - Recommendations for James’s social development would be to: allow James to go out and
play more with children his age. This would be beneficial to his growth because it will allow him
to be with people his age, and he will make changes in his own thinking by observing other
PEPSI 11
children. James should also be encouraged to make new friends that can be a part of his regular
I - Recommendations for James’s intellectual development would be to: help guide James
through homework and provide additional help on subjects he does not quite understand yet.
James needs motivation and supervision when it comes to academics. During this age, James
needs to be reminded that he is capable of more than he believes. James should also be exposed
to different intellectual learning styles in order to fortify all areas of his intelligences.
PEPSI 12
References
http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jde7/ese504/class/pepsi/lesson2-1-1.html
Mahoney, M. A., & Bronfenbrenner, U. (1975). Influences on human development, (Second ed.).
Santrock, J. W. (1994). CHILD DEVELOPMENT (6th ed.). Dubuque, IA: Wim. C. Brown
Communications, Inc.
Santrock, J. W., (June 22, 2013). Retrieved April 20, 2017, from
https://explorer.utdallas.edu/editprofile.php?pid=13602
Snowman, J., & McCown, R. (2015). Psychology Applied to Teaching 14th Edition. Stamford,
Parkay, F. W. (2012). Becoming a teacher (9th ed.). Toronto: Pearson Allyn & Bacon