Online Course
Nurs 787 - Theory Teaching and Learning
Module 2: Contexts of Learning and Learner Characteristics
Developmental Stages of Learning
As we mature mentally, emotionally, and physically, we can accomplish additional learning tasks. This process is often described as proceeding through stages or the concept of "developmental stages of learning", which will help us:
- Respect individual differences within developmental stages.
- Be aware of the strengths and limitations of learners at different stages.
- Provide instruction appropriate to one's level of development.
Daniel J. Levinson (1978) classified five developmental stages of learning by chronological age:
- Pre-adulthood (birth to age 22)
- Early adulthood (age 17 to 45)
- Middle adulthood (age 40 to 64)
- Late adulthood (age 60 to 85)
- Late late adulthood (age 80 and over)
Erik Erickson is an American psychologist who described eight stages of the life cycle in terms of psychosocial crises. Continued development can be successful if the individual is able to resolve the key conflict which arises during each of the stages.
| Stage | Name and Age Range | Psychosocial Crisis | Hoped-for result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Infancy - Birth to 1.5 years | TrustvsMistrust | Hope |
| 2 | Early childhood - 1.5 to 3 years | AutonomyvsDoubt | Will |
| 3 | Play age - 3 to 5 years | InitiativevsGuilt | Purpose |
| 4 | School age - 5 to 12 years | IndustryvsInferiority | Competence |
| 5 | Adolescence - 12 to 18 years | Identity and RepudiationvsIdentity Confusion | Fidelity |
| 6 | Young adulthood - 18 to 25 years | Intimacy and SolidarityvsIsolation | Love |
| 7 | Maturity - 25 to 65 years | GenerativevsSelf Absorption/Stagnation | Care |
| 8 | Old age - 65+ years | IntegrityvsDespair | Wisdom |
Jean Piaget (1896--1980) was a Swiss psychologist, whose research and writing influenced the field of education psychology and Western education practices. He described four stages of intellectual development:
| Stage | Age | Examples of characteristics observed |
|---|---|---|
| Sensorimotor | 0 to 4 years | Explores things that can be seen, felt, touched develops motor skills |
| Preoperational | 2 to 7 years | Thinks in terms of self-oriented to the present intuitive rather than logical |
| Concrete Operations | 7 to 11 years | Begins to understand numbers, space, and classification, and to apply logical operations to concrete problems thinking is bound to the concrete |
| Formal Operations | 11 to 15 years | Able to think abstractly, hypothesize, generalize, reason and form different standpoints, and develop ideals |