Butte College

Course Outline

2026-2027 Catalog

CDEV C1000 - Child Growth and Development

Catalog Description

Transfer Status
CSU/UC
Unit(s)
3.00
  • Lecture: 51.00 Contact hours/102.00 Out of class hours/153.00 Total hours/3.00 Unit(s)
  • Total: 51.00 Contact hours/102.00 Out of class hours/153.00 Total hours/3.00 Unit(s)

Course Description: Students examine the progression of development in the physical, cognitive, social, and emotional domains and identify developmental milestones for children from conception through adolescence. Emphasis is on interactions between biological processes, environmental, and cultural factors. Students may engage in various methods of observing children's development to evaluate individual differences and analyze development characteristics at various stages according to developmental theories. (C-ID CDEV 100).

Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, the student should be able to:

  1. Identify the typical progression of development across all domains.
  2. Describe the impact of multiple factors on development and well-being, including those related to biology, environment, culture and social interactions.
  3. Summarize major theories of child development.
  4. Apply objective and ethical techniques and skills when observing, describing, and evaluating behavior in children.
  5. Differentiate characteristics of typical and atypical development.

Course Content

Topic Titles / Suggested Time Topic

Lecture

Lecture topics and suggested hours
TopicsLec Hrs

1.   Contemporary and historical theories of Child Development and Learning from a diverse representation of scholars.

2.   Influences on Development

      a.   Biological factors

            i.    Heredity and genetics

            ii.   Maturation

       b.  Environmental influences

       c.  Supporting optimal development in school and at home

       d.  Contexts of development

            i.   Cultural

            ii.  Socio-Economic

            iii. Historical perspectives

            iv. Societal

       e.  Other influences including, but not limited to:

            i.   Family and parenting

           ii.   Schools and teachers

           iii.  Community support and resources

           iv.  Socio-political climate

            v.  Multi-generational impacts

3.   Typical and Atypical Development from conception through Infancy, Toddlerhood, Early Childhood, Middle Childhood, and Adolescence

      a.   Conception, prenatal development, and birth

            i.   Influences on healthy conception, development, and birth

            ii.  Cultural variations

           iii.  Newborn care

      b.   Physical

           i.   Growth and health

          ii.   Brain development

          iii.  Fine and gross motor

         iv.   Gender and sexuality

      c.   Cognitive

            i.  Learning differences and neurodiversity

           ii.  Value of play

          iii.  Memory

          iv.  Processing skills

          v.   Moral development

         vi.   Language

        vii.   Mono and multilingual learners

       viii.   Literacy development

    d.   Socioemotional

          i.   Temperament

         ii.   Attachment

        iii.   Relationships

             1.   Peers and Friendships

             2.   Families

       iv.   Role of play

       v.    Self-Concept

      vi.    Self-Esteem

     vii.    Identity

    viii.    Self-Regulation

     ix.     Influence of guidance and discipline

4.   Risk Factors Including, but not limited to:

      a.   Forms of abuse and neglect

      b.   Trauma

      c.   Housing and food insecurity

      d.   Substance abuse and addictions

      e.   Mental health

5.   Observing Children: How and why

      a.   Methodology

      b.   Objective and subjective reporting

      c.   Ethical considerations

51.00
Total Hours:51.00

Methods of Instruction

  1. Class Activities
  2. Collaborative Group Work
  3. Homework: Students are required to complete two hours of outside-of-class homework for each hour of lecture
  4. Lecture
  5. Multimedia Presentations
  6. Reading Assignments

Methods of Evaluation

  1. Methods of evaluation are at the discretion of local faculty. Representative samples may include but are not limited to:
    1. Exams or quizzes that demonstrate the students' competencies related to theories of development, research methods, historical perspectives on child development, ethical issues, and recent trends in the field.
    2. Research papers, essays, and/or group projects that demonstrate students' ability to trace human development from conception through adolescence, analyze specific theories in child development, compare and contrast physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development norms and deviations from typical development and analyze historical perspectives related to child development.
    3. Participation in class discussions, written assignments, reflective practice activities, group projects, observations, and/or interviews.

Examples of Assignments

Reading Assignments

  1. Select a major child development theorist and complete a 1-2-page scholarly literature review.
  2. Locate two scholarly articles on attachment theory. Read the articles and write a 1-2-paper on attachment theory.

Writing Assignments

  1. Select a major theorist in child development and summarize the theorist in a 1-2-paper using APA format.
  2. After reading multiple scholarly articles on attachment theory, summarize the scholarly articles in a two-page paper using APA format.

Out-of-Class Assignments

  1. Visit a local preschool or elementary school to observe children at play. During your observation, identify and document examples of play using Parten’s categories of social play and/or Piaget’s cognitive play categories. Note when each type of play occurs, observe any differences across children, and pay attention to how children do or do not appear to be learning from one another. Alternative options to complete this assignment will be identified in the instructions.
  2. Interview children using a set of Piagetian questions about the physical world. Record each child’s responses and synthesize the findings.

Recommended Materials of Instruction

Berk, L. (2022). Infants, Children, and Adolescents. Sage Publications, 9th. 978-1071895061.

Fuligni, A. S., Fuligni, A. J., & Bayne, J. (2024). Scientific American: Child and Adolescent Development. Worth, 1st. 978-1319537012.

Arnett, J., & Maynard, A. (2019). Child Development: A Cultural Approach. Pearson Education, Inc, 2nd. 9780136636656.

Berger, K. (2023). The Developing Person Through Childhood and Adolescence. Worth Publishers, 13th. 978-1319541088.

Rathus, S. (2022). Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development. Cengage, 7th. 9780357374108.

Santrock, John W. (2024). Children. McGraw-Hill, 15th. 9781264925377.

Zero Cost Textbook

Paris, J., et al. (2024). Child Growth and Development. (OER). https://socialsci.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Early_Childhood_Education/Child_Growth_and_Development_(Paris_Ricardo_Rymond_and_Johnson)

Other Learning Materials

Texts used by individual institutions and even individual sections will vary.

Canvas Commons: Child Development and Development OER Resources

https://lor.instructure.com/resources/f8337e8772314b1b953e2c06d8fc050a

Minimum Qualifications

Child Dev/Early Childhood Ed