Fostering Conceptual Change About Child Development in Prospective Teachers and Other College Students

ABSTRACT— Research findings about children and their developmental pathways have innumerable implications for teachers, other practitioners, and parents, who often learn about child development as part of college instruction. It appears, however, that courses in child development do not always have...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Child development perspectives 2008-08, Vol.2 (2), p.85-91
Main Authors: McDevitt, Teresa M., Ormrod, Jeanne E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Child development
Children
college
Conceptual change
conceptual development
Parents
policy issues
schools
Teachers
Undergraduate students
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Summary:ABSTRACT— Research findings about children and their developmental pathways have innumerable implications for teachers, other practitioners, and parents, who often learn about child development as part of college instruction. It appears, however, that courses in child development do not always have optimal effects on college students’ understandings of children. This article identifies several factors that may impede effective learning in child development courses. Then, drawing from research in numerous content domains and with diverse student populations, it offers several hypotheses for facilitating conceptual change in college students’ understandings of child development and for promoting positive transfer of those understandings to actual practices with children.
ISSN:1750-8592
1750-8606
DOI:10.1111/j.1750-8606.2008.00045.x