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Understanding child poverty and ERIK eriksons Developmental Stages IN elementary studentsGinger SultonEPSY 5150Summer 2015

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Defining Poverty Absolute vs. Relative PovertyAccording to the National Center for Education Statistics, absolute poverty is the lack of basic necessities to survive as clean water, housing and medications.Absolute poverty is more common in developing countries as South Africa, Afghanistan and Somalia.Relative poverty are individuals that struggle with socially, cultural and economically to lifes everyday situations. Relative poverty is more common in developed nations as the U.S., Japan and France. (Photo courtesy of http://www.dreamstime.com)

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Defining PovertyA family is judged to be in poverty if their pretax income falls below a certain threshold according to the US Census Bureau. - Criteria includes the age of household members, family size and income.- If the individual or family falls below this threshold they are deemed poverty stricken. However, if above this threshold they are not considered in poverty. Living in poverty means a day to day struggle that affects your health and psychological well being. Those in poverty feel powerless about their situation. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (2015), in 2013, over 17% of children in all U.S. regions age 5-17 live in poverty.

Children Living in Poverty (Source: National Center for Education Statistics. Original source: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, 1990 Summary Tape File 3 (STF3))

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Defining PovertyAccording to Layton (2015), in 2012-2013, 51% of students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade were eligible for free or reduced lunch. This is an essential federally funded program that provides students with balanced meals. Minority groups as African-Americans and Hispanics are more likely to be in poverty. According to Jensen (2009), minority families are more likely than other non-minority groups to be headed by single parents. In particular, African-American households headed by a single mother had the highest poverty rate at 47.5%, compared with 8.4% married black couples in 2006.

Why Discuss Poverty in Relation to Eriksons Developmental Stages for Elementary School Students? I thought this was an important topic as learning about poverty keeps you open minded about individuals and family situation. The effects of poverty go beyond financial aspects and extends to the psychological and social being of the child. All children are not created equal in their environment. Living in poverty has the ability to make them feel as if they do not have control over the simplest tasks in life. In elementary school the child may not feel they are able to assert control over their life. According to Ericksons stages of development, children need to essentially graduate and reach the state of autonomy or else they will resort to a feeling of shame and guilt. Poverty is inherited by children from their parent(s). A child is born into this world based on their parents attributes, environment and lifestyle. Their parents situation or crisis is theirs as well.

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Poverty and Development of ChildrenPoverty affects not only the social and psychological aspects. It also affects the brain development resulting in smaller brain volumes used for emotion processing and memory. According to Layton (2015), children exposed to poverty at an early age had smaller amounts of white and gray brain matter. Both play an essential role in a childs sensory, perception, memory and emotions.-White matter is used to transmit information vs. grey matter is responsible for processing and retrieving information. Children from poverty may lag behind and have more behavioral problems than their counterparts from middle class families. They may also have problems staying attentive or using appropriate behavior in various classroom settings. The child may act out in a need for attention because they do not have a positive interaction/or attachment at home with their parents.

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Poverty and Development of Children Children living in poverty should be afforded the opportunity to be enriched with normal interactions with others. Elementary aged students can still be molded and become resilient with issues they experience.

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Protective Factors and Risks IndividualSchool & PeersFamilySelf controlSupport for early learningProtection from harm and fearSecure attachment and parental involvementAccess to supplemental servicesResponsivenessMastering communication and language skillsStable and secure attachment to childcare providersSupport and discipline from parent(s) Able to make friendsAdequate socioeconomic resources for the familyRisks: Difficult temperamentRisks: Inaccessible to outside supportRisks: Cold and unresponsive behavior from the parent

Protective factors should be in place to lessen the impact or complete onset of risks.

Elementary aged children that progress into adolescence and teens are more likely to have a healthy development than their counterparts.

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Understanding Erik Eriksons Developmental Stages on PovertyErikson focused on how children socialize and how this affects their sense of self. If each state is completed successfully the child will be healthy socially and psychologically. When a child does not complete a stage, they will develop an unhealthy sense of self. Trust vs Mistrust - Occurs between birth and the first year of life. Attachment and responsiveness from the parent(s) is/are very essential in development as babies are learning to develop a sense of trust in people and themselves. Being in poverty can change the mentality of some parents. According to Jensen (2009), low income parents are typically more authoritarian with harsher demands and punishments than higher income parents. These parents are typically more stressed and may not respond to the infants cries or does so in a way that is not nurturing. Likewise if the parent does not respond immediately the baby can become distressed and develop a sense of mistrust.

Understanding Eriksons Developmental Stages on Poverty

Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt - Occurs during early childhood. Independence and sense of self confidence begins to evolve. During this stage children try to assert themselves and make small decisions as what toy to play with, choosing what they want to eat and wear. Encouragement is important during this stage because it boosts their self confidence. In households with poverty, children may be taught not to have a voice and lack words of encouragement from their parent(s). They are essentially dependent on their parent(s) because they control all aspects of their life without any consideration of their feelings. In the classroom setting the child may suppress their comments when presented with unfamiliar words to avoid looking foolish in front of their peers.

Understanding Eriksons Developmental Stages on PovertyInitiative vs. Guilt - Occurs during the preschool years. Having a sense of security in their own actions becomes important. They try to lead others and make their own decisions. However, in poverty stricken homes children maybe criticized or controlled in what they are allowed to do which develops a sense of guilt. They may also feel belittled and a nuisance to others which suppresses what they think they are capable of doing.. Industry vs. Inferiority - Occurs approximately during ages 5-11. According to Erikson, children begin to develop a sense of pride in their accomplishments which is essential for positive self esteem. They feel they are on the same level as their peers and no inferiority to them in aspects of skill set and knowledge. Students in poverty may not have this same sense of accomplishment. Instead they may feel their peers are better off and have something they do not have to help them succeed in life.

Effects of Poverty on Academic Achievement

According to Lacour & Tissington (2009), students from low income families regardless of race or ethnicity score well below average on tests. However, in 2007 African-Americans and Hispanics are twice as likely to score lower.

Percentages were 34.5% for African-Americans and 28.6% for Hispanics. Compared with 12.5% for Asians and 10.1% for those of non-Hispanic decent.

(Photo courtesy of dreamstime.com)

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How Literacy Relates to Elementary Students in Poverty

Children that are solid readers perform better in school. They also have a healthy image and develop a better sense of well-being as needed in Ericksons Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt stage. Those from disadvantaged homes may need more motivation, access to resources as books and readiness skills. According to Lauer (2010), over 60% of low income households have no books at home.

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How Literacy relates to elementary students in povertyIn this same group, approximately 50% of children have smaller vocabularies than higher income families. There is less conversation and more use of smaller vocabulary between parent and child which does not help stimulate their imagination and expand their understanding. The result is an increase in the reading gap between the child and their counterparts. Parents may not have the time or interest in simply using an activity as reading out loud to their child to increase their vocabulary. Too often these parents are overstressed trying to meet the daily needs of their family.

What We Can DoTeachers should not give up on these students because of their inherited background. These students maybe easily shrugged off as lazy because of their lack of motivation and behavioral problems. Keep track of comments to students and give more positive than negative thoughts. Be honest, but gentle as well. Elementary age students are more likely scorned with negative critiques than adolescence or teens. They tend to take comments and feedback to heart which will hinder them moving through Eriksons developmental stages. When encourage students work harder and better results are likely to occur.Instill hope and a positive mindset. Hope gives us the motivation we need to tackle lifes problems. This assignment indicated lower socioeconomic status is associated with believing the future has more negative than positive events. For young children, they are more likely to have lowered expectations about their own future. If students think failure is their predestination, they will not bother to try and limit their effort.

What we can doBuild cognitive activities that teach positive coping strategies. It has been shown children from low socioeconomic households have more cognitive problems. This includes being easily distracted and the inability to generate solutions to problem. Despite these issues, children are still teachable, but educators will need to rethink their teaching method in order to help the student succeed. I think its imperative to first deal with the real issue which is stress. Having a sense of control is important to help diminish stress. Teach students better coping skills so they are able to better deal with their stressors. Give examples as If this, then that or even pose realistic stories about our own coping strategies that worked for us.

References Cherry, Kendra. (n.d.) Erik Erikson Biography (1902-1994). About.com Guide: Psychology. Retrieved from http://psychology.about.com/od/profilesofmajorthinkers/p/bio_erikson.htm. Jensen, Eric. (2009). Teaching with Poverty in Mind. ASCD Learn.Teach.Read. Retrieved from: http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/109074/chapters/How-Poverty-Affects-Behavior-and-Academic-Performance.aspx. Lacour, Misty & Tissington, Laura. (2011). The Effects of Poverty on Academic Achievement. Educational Research and Reviews, Vol. 6 (7) pp.522-527. Retrieved from: http://www.academicjournals.org/article/article1379765941_Lacour%20and%20Tissington.pdf. Lauer, Rhonda. (2010). Support Learning Before, During & Afterschool Hours. Language & Literacy for All. Reading for Life: The Poverty/Illiteracy Connection. Retrieved from: http://www.languageandliteracyforall.org Layton, Lyndsey. (2015). Majority of U.S. Public School Students are in Poverty. The Washington Post. Retrieved from: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/majority-of-us-public-school-students-are-in-poverty/2015/01/15/df7171d0-9ce9-11e4-a7ee-526210d665b4_story.html. National Center for Education Statistics. (Updated May 2015). Children Living in Poverty. The Condition of Education Population Characteristics Demographics. Retrieved from: http://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_cce.asp Youth.Gov. (2012). Risk and Protective Factors. Youth Topics. Retrieved from: http://www.youth.gov/youth-topics/substance-abuse/nsk-and-protective-factors-substance-use-abuse-and-dependence#early.