EDUC 302: Human Growth & Development

This assignment allows students to pursue a topic of their choice and conduct some basic research on the topic. The topic can be anything they are interested in that relates to the content of the course.

Using the research skills demonstrated by the education librarian Anne Melville (adrisco2@gmu.edu) or by the instructor, students are to find at least three scholarly (peer-reviewed) journal articles (including at least 1 empirical-research article) to use in the report that cover their topic of interest that have been published in the past decade. Students are to submit their topic and electronic copies (no links) of the articles for instructor approval prior to writing the paper. If an approved article is changed, students are to submit the new article for approval prior to writing the paper. In addition, they are to submit a brief outline (no more than 1 page) for review before writing the paper, and a final report. The final report should include a literature review and a synthesis. It should also include a reflection guided by the following questions:

• How is the topic situated in the field of lifespan development? Specifically, o
  • What developmental period is emphasized?
  • What theoretical perspectives inform the research? (Vygotsky, Piaget, Freud, Erikson, etc.)
  • What developmental domains (social and emotional, cognitive, and /or physical) are emphasized?
• How is this information helpful for practitioners?
• How is this information relevant for the general population? Students will cite current research from the course textbook and/or other course materials, which may be supplemented with other relevant sources to support their conclusions and assertions.

Students will use in-text citations and include a reference list. The paper will be five to six double-spaced pages plus title and reference pages.

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