Student development theory, also called student growth theory, describes the behavior of students in classrooms and how they change throughout their learning experience. This theory has been around since the 1940s but it was not until the 1990s that it began to gain popularity within education circles. It encourages teachers to think about student development as natural, ongoing processes that take place over time rather than snapshots of what students look like at different points in their learning careers. It posits that all students can develop if teachers help them identify and achieve goals that meet their needs and interests.
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Psychosocial stage theory
Student development theory is a psychological model that looks at the different stages students go through as they transition from adolescence to adulthood. Erikson’s psychosocial stage theory is one of the most well-known student development theories and posits that there are eight stages of development: trust vs. mistrust, autonomy vs. shame and doubt, initiative vs. guilt, industry vs. inferiority, identity vs. role confusion, intimacy vs. isolation, generativity vs. stagnation, and ego integrity vs. despair. The first four stages occur during childhood and adolescence, while the last four occur during adulthood. The ultimate goal in life for all individuals is to achieve ego integrity which can be achieved when you have achieved all other developmental tasks
Stages of development
Pre-encounter: In this stage, students are generally unaware of the differences between themselves and others. They tend to see the world in black-and-white terms and have little understanding of social issues. Students typically have few friends who may not be of the same ethnicity or socioeconomic status. Consequently, they do not fully understand how these differences might affect their interactions with people from different backgrounds.
For example, a student from a low-income family may not know how to help someone else with chores at home if he or she is accustomed to performing them. Additionally, an individual with intellectual disabilities could feel overwhelmed when interacting with other children on the playground because he does not understand how others play. To address this challenge, a teacher might use games such as Simon Says to teach rules that everyone must follow. The goal would be for the child with intellectual disabilities to eventually learn how to appropriately interact with peers without feeling overwhelmed by all of the new information presented in a group setting.
Erikson’s Eight Stages
Student development theory is a framework that helps educators understand how students grow and develop over time. According to the theory, there are eight stages of student development: trust vs. mistrust, autonomy vs. shame and doubt, initiative vs. guilt, industry vs. inferiority, identity vs. role confusion, intimacy vs. isolation, generativity vs. stagnation, and ego integrity vs. despair. The first stage includes infancy and early childhood; the second stage includes middle childhood; the third stage includes late childhood; the fourth stage includes adolescence; the fifth stage includes young adulthood; the sixth stage includes adulthood; and finally, the seventh stages include old age.
The Psychosocial stages in detail
Student development theory posits that there are certain stages students go through as they develop both academically and emotionally. The first stage, known as dependence, is when students rely on others for support and direction. Next is independence, when students start to explore who they are and what they want in life.
The third stage is interdependence, characterized by collaborative relationships and a sense of social responsibility. Finally, there is the stage of self-actualization, which is when students reach their full potential both academically and emotionally. These psychosocial stages can be mapped onto the Education Pyramid Model or pyramid of learning created by developmental psychologist Jean Piaget, with lower levels becoming more automatic with practice and higher levels requiring greater mental effort.
Summary and further research
Student development theory is a framework for understanding how students grow and develop over time. There are many different theories out there, but they all share some common elements. Student development theories typically include stages of development, which describe the progress that students make as they move through their educational careers. These theories can be used to inform pedagogy, support student growth, and provide a framework for further research.
Stages: Student development theorists often use stages to classify and analyze progression across the lifespan. Theorists have identified four broad categories of student developmental stages: infancy, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. In each stage, developmental changes take place at different rates depending on biological maturity and environmental factors such as parenting style or peer group pressure.
Change: Students undergo profound changes during each stage in their development because they have more experience with the world around them.
From adulthood to old age
Student development theory is a framework for understanding how students grow and develop over time. It posits that there are certain stages that all students go through as they move from adolescence to adulthood. This theory can be used to guide educators in their work with students, helping them to better understand the needs of each individual. For example, by knowing what stage a student is at on the developmental scale, an educator could tailor his or her instruction accordingly. Younger children would need more hands-on learning opportunities; older ones might need more practice with abstract concepts.