Overview
If there’s one thing most of us can agree on, it’s that the behaviour of children can be baffling, and even frustrating at times. Child psychologists attempt to make sense of why children think and act the way they do and work with them to help improve their emotional and psychological wellbeing. This could be as simple as becoming more comfortable making new friends, or as complex as trying to gain control over difficult emotions. Whether you’re a teacher, parent, or you’re simply interested in pursuing a career within this fascinating subject area, this distance learning child psychology level 3 course is ideal.
As you study in your own time, at your own pace, you’ll learn about the subject of psychology as a science, and some of the differing approaches taken towards the study of child psychology, such as nature vs nurture. You’ll gain a comprehensive understanding of child development, taking a look at theories developed by influential psychologists such as Piaget. You’ll discover how scientific data is collected, compiled, and presented, and discover how children create and express emotional resilience. Through the examination of case studies, you’ll learn about the origins of childhood psychological disorders, and delve into some of the most common issues children might experience, such as bullying.
Alongside or upon completion of this course, you may also wish to study Counselling for Children.
What you'll learn
In the opening unit, you’ll take a look at psychology as a science, as well as some of the differing approaches to child psychology such as nature Vs nurture. You’ll examine Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological systems model of child development, as well as the ‘evolutionary’, ‘social’, ‘information processing’, and ‘psychodynamic’ approach.
In the second unit, you’ll examine the cognitive development of humans as they grow, and the psychological stages we move through as we mature. You’ll study Kohlberg’s stage theory of gender development, along with Dr John Money’s bio-social theory. Moving on, you’ll take a look at how children’s language skills develop, along with Chomsky and Bruner’s theories of language acquisition. Finally, you’ll learn how children gain a sense of morality and ethics, and take a look at classical conditioning and social learning theories.
In unit three, you’ll learn how psychological research is conducted, the difference between types of data such as quantitative and qualitative, along with some of the ways in which data is collected. You’ll also discover how data is analysed and presented, as well as how research reports are written.
In the fourth unit, you’ll delve into the two aspects of positive psychology, and gain a thorough understanding of the concepts of deprivation, delinquency, and privation through the examination of relevant case studies. Finally, you’ll learn about biological and educational differences such as Down’s Syndrome and autism as causes for developmental delay.
Unit five will cover the psychology of friendship, bullying, and play, along with the developmental theories relating to each. You’ll also take a look at some of the interventions which have been created in order to tackle the problem of bullying.
Extra info
Awarding Body
With a heritage stretching back over 150 years, NCFE is one of the largest awarding bodies in the UK. Over 340,000 students were awarded certification by NCFE last year.
NCFE Customised Qualifications are bespoke, unregulated qualifications developed to meet the specific needs of learners. These courses fit in where there are no other regulated qualifications are available. Meaning you can achieve recognition from a well-respected awarding body, even if there isn’t a pre-existing qualification in a certain subject area.
Course Outcome
At the end of this course, successful learners will receive an NCFE Customised Qualification and a Learner Unit Summary (which lists the details of all of the units you have completed as part of your course).
How is this course assessed or examined?
Throughout this course, you may be expected to complete assignments, essays, research projects, presentations, video/audio recordings, and practical learning sessions to meet the requirements of your course. This information will be included in your study pack detailing exactly what you need to do to accomplish your goals as a student.
Entry requirements
There are no formal entry requirements for this course, however, it is recommended that you have an intermediate ability to read and write English.
