Discussion: Adolescent Development Case
Discussion: Adolescent Development Case
Question Description
Adolescence
Adolescence is such a crucial time in overall development.It acts as the gateway between childhood to early adulthood.Typically, qualities and characteristics observed during this time can either be a passing fancy or an indicator of things to come.Many theories have been constructed over the years to help us figure out what to expect at this stage but as usual none of them ever address all observed factors.Stanley Hall believed this period of time is called the “storm and stress years” because his observations showed him that teenagers were difficult and unruly to get along with (some of us may still believe that Embarrassed). Whereas Margaret Mead believed adolescent difficulties are not the norm and that it is perfectly normal for them to pass this stage with little to no trouble at all.As you read this week’s material think about where you stand on these theories and how it would apply to the unique issues commonly faced at this stage.
THE OVERVIEW
At the micro level, social workers engage in quite a bit of work with individuals to help them address usually immediate and sometimes long-term issues.Oftentimes, we can’t fix all problems but with using a strengths perspective we can be very successful with assisting our clients in sorting out the issues in their lives that result in them finding solutions and improve their well being.Since we are focusing on adolescence, you will consider many of the situations and factors that are reported to regularly impact adolescents.You will also consider prominent adolescent stage theorists that help us think about development at this point.
THE DISCUSSION
This week you will create a short case study.Using the information you read in your textbook/lecture/online, you will create a fictional character that is facing a challenge/barrier and apply theory to help you understand their development as well as identify a potential intervention.The intervention you propose can be a combination of what you read in the text and your imagination :)The citation and reference rules still apply here!
To complete this assignment:
1) Identify one critical issue/life event (communication/homelessness/suicide/eating disorders/crime/delinquency/gangs/sexuality) and one major influence (peer/rebellion) to focus on.*The critical issue/life events and major influences identified here are in your textbook.For those still without a book just choose one of the critical issues/life events you see in the parentheses and one major influence in the second set of parenthesis to construct your case study.
2) Choose one of the traditional identity theories (Erickson/Marcia/Racial-Cultural Identity Model).*Only use one of these identity theories.
3) Choose one of the traditional moral identity theories (Kohlberg/Gilligan/Bandura/Fowler). *Only use one of these moral identity theories.
4) Present your fictional case study by explaining who your character is, how their immediate critical issue/life event and major influence is affecting them, and how your character is developing their identity and morals based on the theories you have chosen.
5) If you were your character’s social worker what do you believe is the best course of action in addressing this problem and why? *This is where you discuss your intervention and why you think it is best.Be sure to support your intervention with credible information as to the potentiality of its effectiveness.
Structure your post using this format:
1) Introduction
Character Name: Raymond
Critical Issue/Life Event: Homelessness
Major Influence: Rebellion
2)Traditional Identity Theory: Racial-Cultural Identity Model
3)Moral Identity Theory: Fowler
Begin your discussion here… This is where you discuss points 4 and 5 as based on what you identified in your introduction.You must demonstrate knowledge of the two theories you selected as you present your case study.
You must proofread your paper. But do not strictly rely on your computer’s spell-checker and grammar-checker; failure to do so indicates a lack of effort on your part and you can expect your grade to suffer accordingly. Papers with numerous misspelled words and grammatical mistakes will be penalized. Read over your paper – in silence and then aloud – before handing it in and make corrections as necessary. Often it is advantageous to have a friend proofread your paper for obvious errors. Handwritten corrections are preferable to uncorrected mistakes.
Use a standard 10 to 12 point (10 to 12 characters per inch) typeface. Smaller or compressed type and papers with small margins or single-spacing are hard to read. It is better to let your essay run over the recommended number of pages than to try to compress it into fewer pages.
Likewise, large type, large margins, large indentations, triple-spacing, increased leading (space between lines), increased kerning (space between letters), and any other such attempts at “padding” to increase the length of a paper are unacceptable, wasteful of trees, and will not fool your professor.
The paper must be neatly formatted, double-spaced with a one-inch margin on the top, bottom, and sides of each page. When submitting hard copy, be sure to use white paper and print out using dark ink. If it is hard to read your essay, it will also be hard to follow your argument.
ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CLASS
Discussion Questions (DQ)
- Initial responses to the DQ should address all components of the questions asked, include a minimum of one scholarly source, and be at least 250 words.
- Successful responses are substantive (i.e., add something new to the discussion, engage others in the discussion, well-developed idea) and include at least one scholarly source.
- One or two sentence responses, simple statements of agreement or “good post,” and responses that are off-topic will not count as substantive. Substantive responses should be at least 150 words.
- I encourage you to incorporate the readings from the week (as applicable) into your responses.
Weekly Participation
- Your initial responses to the mandatory DQ do not count toward participation and are graded separately.
- In addition to the DQ responses, you must post at least one reply to peers (or me) on three separate days, for a total of three replies.
- Participation posts do not require a scholarly source/citation (unless you cite someone else’s work).
- Part of your weekly participation includes viewing the weekly announcement and attesting to watching it in the comments. These announcements are made to ensure you understand everything that is due during the week.
APA Format and Writing Quality
- Familiarize yourself with APA format and practice using it correctly. It is used for most writing assignments for your degree. Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for APA paper templates, citation examples, tips, etc. Points will be deducted for poor use of APA format or absence of APA format (if required).
- Cite all sources of information! When in doubt, cite the source. Paraphrasing also requires a citation.
- I highly recommend using the APA Publication Manual, 6th edition.
Use of Direct Quotes
- I discourage overutilization of direct quotes in DQs and assignments at the Masters’ level and deduct points accordingly.
- As Masters’ level students, it is important that you be able to critically analyze and interpret information from journal articles and other resources. Simply restating someone else’s words does not demonstrate an understanding of the content or critical analysis of the content.
- It is best to paraphrase content and cite your source.
LopesWrite Policy
- For assignments that need to be submitted to LopesWrite, please be sure you have received your report and Similarity Index (SI) percentage BEFORE you do a “final submit” to me.
- Once you have received your report, please review it. This report will show you grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that can easily be fixed. Take the extra few minutes to review instead of getting counted off for these mistakes.
- Review your similarities. Did you forget to cite something? Did you not paraphrase well enough? Is your paper made up of someone else’s thoughts more than your own?
- Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for tips on improving your paper and SI score.
Late Policy
- The university’s policy on late assignments is 10% penalty PER DAY LATE. This also applies to late DQ replies.
- Please communicate with me if you anticipate having to submit an assignment late. I am happy to be flexible, with advance notice. We may be able to work out an extension based on extenuating circumstances.
- If you do not communicate with me before submitting an assignment late, the GCU late policy will be in effect.
- I do not accept assignments that are two or more weeks late unless we have worked out an extension.
- As per policy, no assignments are accepted after the last day of class. Any assignment submitted after midnight on the last day of class will not be accepted for grading.
Communication
- Communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me:
- Questions to Instructor Forum: This is a great place to ask course content or assignment questions. If you have a question, there is a good chance one of your peers does as well. This is a public forum for the class.
- Individual Forum: This is a private forum to ask me questions or send me messages. This will be checked at least once every 24 hours.
Discussion: Adolescent Development Case
Discussion: Adolescent Development Case
