The school-aged child has three general characteristics that corresponds to the intellectual, social, and personality development. Intellectually, their thinking is becoming more in order, more logical, and more structured. They are more realistic and more rule-oriented. Here is the stage where they begin to display need for order.
A logical system begins to govern their thinking so they now perceive the universe as an orderly place. They are now able to classify materials logically, understand cause-and-effect relationships, gains a mature understanding of the concepts of time and space, and start to have an ability to reason by induction. They start to postulate general principles on the basis of specific observed moments.
Socially, they become involved with playmates and friends. Their peer group support becomes more significant. They usually display need for peer group support in their play. This when identifying one’s self to a “group” start to become dominant. Although they tend to go from one group to another sometimes on a weekly basis, their peer group is still their close-knit society with sure rules for membership.
The major socializing agent in this stage is the peer group. This group is where they learn cultures of childhood, not from the parents or the teachers. A peer or peers can teach a child effectively and at times very harshly. Lessons are usually about social rules and about the importance of obeying them. There are moral orders certain in these peers that could be somewhat different from adults. For instance, parents may tell their their children to tell on their peers when they are misbehaving but that could mean a crime for the peer group and excluding the child.
With their personality, this stage is when school-aged children are more challenged to their emerging self-concepts. They show to themselves and to others their talents, skills, and competency which they can be proud of. This is a time for displaying industry for them. Excelling in the class and school competitions can be a bug deal for them. They may also become competitive. Sometimes, it could be extremes. Either they become very good with school work or they misbehave just to catch attention.
This stage, therefore, is when they have three needs – he need for order, the need to belong, and the need for industry.
References:
Burman, J. T. (in press). Experimenting in relation to Piaget: Education is a Chaperoned Process of Adaptation. Perspectives on Science
Flinn, M.V. & Ward, C.V. (2004). Ontogeny and Evolution of the Social Child. In B. Ellis & D. Bjorklund (Eds.), Origins of the social mind: Evolutionary psychology and child development. Chapter 2, pp. 19-44. London: Guilford Press. Retrieved from http://missouri.edu/~anthmark/pdf/Ch_3–Mark_Flinn.pdf. on November 2, 2014.
Geary, D. C. (2005). Folk knowledge and academic learning. In B. J. Ellis & D. F. Bjorklund (Eds.), Origins of the social mind. (pp. 493-519). New York: Guilford Publications. Retrieved from http://web.missouri.edu/~gearyd/FolkKnowledgePDF.pdf on November 1, 2014.
By: Ruel P. Labrador | T – III | Morong Elementary School
