Running Header: DEVELOPMENT

Development
Jonathan Dimaya
NURS 210
February 6, 2014
Professor Fergusan & Professor Taylor

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2
Development

Development is a growing process that has a rapid onset and the ability to last an
individuals life. Starting from the day a child is born, that little being has entered the world with
a body that adapts to its surroundings and a mind that learns from every stimulus. As that being
grows, he or she will learn how to walk, talk, eat, and eliminate wastes as an essential means for
survival. Theories have been created in the form of stages and levels in correlation to a childs
age norm (Potter, Perry, Stockert, & Hall, 2013). Erik Erikson characterized child development
as psychosocial, where the child develops through mastering specific tasks in order to reach the
next stage (pg. 132). Jean Piaget believed child development was due to cognitive equilibrium,
where the child develops through intellective experiences (pg. 134). Lawrence Kohlberg created
a theory based on morals, where children develop morals based upon dilemmas that they
encounter in life (pg. 135). Preschool children experience a lot of different stages in a few years.
With the permission and approval of Preschool Coordinator Susan Rosaldo, Jonathan Dimaya, a
nursing student at Kapiolani Community College, spends four hours to observe children at
Waipahu Kamaaina Kids Preschool on January 23, 2014.
Signs of development occur early within the youngest class. The youngest class (15-18
months mixed with two-year olds) is really anti-social; a perfect example of Eriksons Trust
versus Mistrust stage. Occasionally, the children will socialize with the teacher. Children play
independently and are more interested with toys, rather than playing with their classmates. This
behavior reveals presence in the stage of Autonomy versus Sense of Shame and Doubt. The
children seem to demonstrate the first period (sensorimotor) in Piagets theory of cognitive
development. Some of them suck their fingers, touch everything, and interact with their

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environment as a form of learning. The gross motor skills they display are walking, sitting,
rolling over, and kicking things. Fine motor skills are also on display and it consists of using a
spoon, writing with a marker, and picking toys up. Most of the children cannot talk as much. The
children laugh, yell, and make sounds, but the two-year olds are the children who can speak a
few words. Teachers are very encouraging with the younger children. They attempt to motivate
children to perform any type of activity. When a child says a word, use a marker to draw, or
throw a ball, the child is rewarded with recognition and appraisal. The preschool provides all the
children with beef broccoli, rice, and milk for lunch. The lunch menu is exceptional because
preschool students, 15 months to 4 years of age, require adequate protein and calcium intake
(Potter, Perry, Stockert, & Hall, 2013, pg. 1002). Teachers will crush or smash food down with a
spoon for easier chewing and swallowing for the young children. As the children become older,
they become more independent.
Findings of development in the three-year old class are different from the younger class.
Potty training is accomplished and mastery of Eriksons second stage of development had been
met. Three-year olds find themselves in the stage of Initiative versus Guilt, as they enjoy playing
dress-up and role-play as policemen or doctors. Signs of Piagets Preoperational period were
present as the children utilize play for learning, display imaginative thinking, and began
developing an egocentric point of view. Teachers deliver punishment for unacceptable behavior,
which began to shape child behavior as seen in Kohlbergs first stage (Punishment and
Obedience Orientation) of moral development. Fine motor skills at this age consists of coloring
exercises, constructing buildings out of blocks during play, eating with a spoon, and self serving
during meals. This age group has mastered the basic gross motor skills of walking, running,
sitting, and jumping. Children show signs of speech development; theyre able to say broken

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sentences at the very least, but words are clear. The teacher plans many tasks and activities for
the children. They learn how to play with musical instruments, sing songs, and dance. The
encouragement and motivation the teacher provides the students with, is similar to that of the
younger class.
The older, social-able, and more developed class of four-year olds is the eldest class in
the preschool. All of the kids show signs of improvement in fine motor skills, speech, social
ability, cognitive thinking, and moral development. Fine motor skills out weigh gross motor
skills; children are more precise with their artistic abilities, feeding techniques, playing with toys,
and hand washing. Speech consists of full and clear sentences. Unlike the other classes, four-year
olds have mastered potty training and were going to the restroom with minimal supervision.
Mastery of this task exhibits presence of Initiative versus Guilt in stage 3 of psychosocial
development. Unacceptable behavior results in verbal punishment and taken privileges. The
teacher also maintains the same levels of encouragement, but also gives the children freedom to
think freely and make their own decisions. Kohlbergs first stage (Punishment and Obedience
Orientation) of moral development reflects the preschoolers view about right and wrong based
on reward and punishment by the teacher. The children approach play at a far more creative
angle. Imagination and exploration enhances their quality in playtime and easily portrays
Piagets second period (Preoperational) of cognitive development. The teacher provides them
with similar activities as the previous class, but the length of playtime is longer.
The nursing student observes three classes during observation day. Classes at the
preschool differ by age. Each class has a different teacher-child ratio: 15-18 month olds are 1:5,
two years olds are 1:8, three year olds are 1:12, and four year olds are 1:16. The ratio is a result
of the comfort level of the instructor. Every teacher at Kamaaina Kids Preschool provides

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activities and encouragement for the children, for proper growth and exploration. A constant rise
in development in every aspect is seen between age groups. Every teacher communicates with
the students similar to how a mother communicates with a child, which explains the comfort
level of the children at the preschool. Its important and valuable for the preschool teachers to
communicate well with preschool students in regards to the students language and literacy skills.
Cabell et al. (2011) claimed, Observational research has shown that children with better
language skills are more engaged during classroom activities and initiate more peer interactions.
(pg. 327). This claim is strongly evident in social comparisons between four-year olds and the
rest of the younger children.
The observation at Kamaaina Kids Preschool provides Jonathan with a beneficial
experience in further understanding how development works. By observing teacher-child
interaction, playtime, mealtime, and comparing all aspects of development between three age
groups, the student nurse is able to identify the characteristics per age norm. This experience will
help the student nurse to recognize any delay in development in hopes that quality care may be
provided to future patients.

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Reference
Cabell, S. Q., Justice, L. M., Piasta, S. B., Curenton, S. M., Wiggins, A., Turnbull, K., &
Petscher, Y. (2011). The Impact of Teacher Responsivity Education on Preschoolers'
Language and Literacy Skills. American Journal Of Speech-Language Pathology, 20(4),
315-330. doi:10.1044/1058-0360(2011/10-0104)
Potter, P. A., Perry, A. G., Stockert, P. A., & Hall, A. M. (2013). Fundamentals of Nursing,
Eighth Edition. St. Louis, Missouri: Elsevier. (pgs. 130-136, 1002)

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Kapiolani Community College

NURS 210 Health Promotion Across the Lifespan
Developmental Observation Paper
Grading Rubric
Student Name ______________________________
Criteria

Pass
Complete Data
Described,
Examples
Score 10 Points
Each Criteria

1. Identification of
school, date, and
contact person
2. Identifies
teacher/student
ratio
3. Identifies
psychosocial
developmental
stage of child
(Erikson)
4. Identifies cognitive
and moral stage of
development
(Piaget &
Kohlberg)
5. Identifies Gross &
Fine motor
development
6. Identifies Speech
and language
development
7. Discusses Learning
activities
associated with
each
developmental
area
8. Describes
teacher/student
interaction

Needs
Improvement
Missing Data,
Unclear Data,
Incorrect Data
Score 7 Points
Each Criteria

Non-Pass
Data
Omitted
Score 5
Points Each
Criteria

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9. Discusses Nutrition
choices in relation
to age
10. APA format,
Reference page;
Introduction, Body,
grammar, spelling,
Conclusion
sections, rubric
added
Score
Grand Total Score
Comments: