Child Psychology Course

Child psychology is the study of the mental, social and emotional development of children from birth through to adolescence. It examines changes in motor skills, cognitive development, language acquisition, and identity formation.

This in-depth Child Psychology course will provide you with a fundamental knowledge of the development of children and will give you an integral insight into why children behave the way they do.

What Can I Do After Taking This Course?

Whether you are a parent or work within the childcare profession this course will provide you with the skills and knowledge to help a child to reach his or her maximum potential.

The course has been designed for someone without any prior knowledge of the subject and will allow the student to study the course at their own pace in their own home, either online or paper-based.

Build your career. If you wish to build your career in child psychology, you could continue your training and education to become a child psychologist working in schools, hospitals, mental health clinics, and more, with a starting salary of £25,000*/year. You could even open your own practice.

Child psychologists often work with a range of clients – from infants and toddlers to children and teens – though sometimes they specialize in working with a particular age group. Child psychologists help to understand, prevent, diagnose and treat developmental, cognitive, social and emotional issues.

*Source: Careersinpsychology.co.uk, Sept. 2012

Syllabus

Module One Major Developmental Issues

Unit One: The First Year of Life

• Infant reflexes; Social development during the first year of life including the social smile and onset of fear of strangers.

Unit Two: The Formation of Attachments

• Imprinting; Attachment (Bowlby) including cross-cultural studies; Harlow and surrogate mothers; Relevance of animal studies in child development.

Unit Three: Consequences of Breakdowns in Attachments

• Maternal deprivation; Implications of theories of attachment and maternal deprivation when placing children with surrogates.

Unit Four: The Home, Family and School

• Group vs family care and studies of effects of maternal employment and father absent families; Importance of peers and siblings.

Unit Five: Basic Principles of Research Methods

• Nature and purpose of research, what is an experiment, supporting and refuting hypotheses, independent and dependent variables, control of variables, standardised instructions and procedures, methods of sampling, design of investigations.

Unit Six: The Development of Visual Perception

• Introduction to the nature/nurture debate on visual perception; Fantz - form perception; Gibson and Walk - depth perception; how the physiology of the human visual system helps us judge depth and distance; Bower - size constancy; animal experiments on early sensory deprivation.

Unit Seven: The Development of Language and Communication

• Development of non-verbal communication in humans, gestures etc; comparisons with non-human primates; outline of language development in humans; including naturalistic observational in humans; including naturalistic observational studies and criticisms of these; Innate and reinforcement theories.

Unit Eight: Intelligence and Intelligence Testing

• Definitions of intelligence; mental age and IQ; Tests of intelligence; Advantages and disadvantages of IQ testing.

Unit Nine: The Nature/Nurture Debate in the Study of Intelligence

• Twins studies; stability of IQ; Are early experiences decisive for later development?

Unit Ten: Data Collection and Interpretation

• Tables and histograms, correlation and scattergrams; Mean; Range; Drawing conclusions from data.

Module Two The Child as an Individual

Unit Eleven: How Children Think

• Piaget's theory of cognitive development; including studies of egocentrism and criticisms of his work.

Unit Twelve: Learning Theory - How Behaviour is Acquired

• Learning and conditioning - classical conditioning and operant conditioning; including explanations of extinction, discrimination and generalisation; positive and negative reinforcement; Social Learning Theory and criticisms.

Unit Thirteen: Freud's Psychodynamic Theory - An Alternative Approach

• Personality structure, 5 stage theory, criticisms.

Unit Fourteen: Moral Development

• Definition in psychological terms; investigation of moral behaviour, moral feelings and moral judgement.

Unit Fifteen: The Development of Gender Roles

• Sex-typing; Gender identity; Biological, social and cultural theories.

Unit Sixteen: Aggression in Children

• Biological basis of aggression; Psychological theory and aggression; Aggression as a learned response;
  Imitation of aggression; viewing violence; Punishment for aggression; sex differences in aggression.

Unit Seventeen: Methods Used in Child Development Research

• Observational, Survey, Correlational, Experimental - advantages and disadvantages.

Unit Eighteen: Play

• The importance of play to learning;
  Piaget's theory of play; forms of play;
  Relevance of psychological theories to pre-school education;Play and learning in nursery schools; Play therapy.

Unit Nineteen: Learning in School

• Programmed learning and its relationship to learning theory - advantages and disadvantages; Discovery learning and its effectiveness.

Unit Twenty: Behaviour Modification

• Explanation and examples; Relationship to learning theory; Points systems, Advantages and disadvantages.

For a more detailed syllabus on this course, click here

Sample Course Materials

Please click on the logo below to view a few sample pages of the course materials we provide. Whilst this is only a few sample pages, we do hope that it will give you some idea of the quality of the materials we provide. If you have anymore queries in relation to the course materials, please feel free to contact one of our friendly course advisors who will be more than happy to deal with any queries that you may have.

Click to View

Study Hours

This is only an approximate figure and is dependant upon how much time you can dedicate to your studies and how well you grasp the learning concepts in the course material. Furthermore, at the end of each lesson there is a question paper that needs to be completed and returned to your tutor. You should allow at least 1 - 2 hours of study to complete each question paper.

The approximate amount of time required to complete the course is: 200 hrs.

The Access to Higher Education (A2HE) Consortium is a group of organisations who work together to promote and deliver excellence within the A2HE experience. By working in partnership the A2HE Education Consortium is able to call upon the significant expertise of each partner organisation to deliver the best possible learning journey and experience for our A2HE learners.

Access to Higher Education courses are ideal for learners wanting to start a university course but that have no formal qualifications. By working in partnership the A2HE Consortium is able to:

• Recruit, signpost and navigate learners through their decision to register on an A2HE programme of study.
• Provide learners with the most comprehensive Information, Advice and Guidance prior to registration.
• Provide learners with a range of funding options including; payment in full, payment using consumer credit and payment using a government backed Advanced Learning Loan.
• Give learners access to cutting edge technology to support the delivery of their A2HE programme.
• Allow learners to customise their A2HE programme so that it is bespoke to their own learning needs, challenges them throughout and delivers additional learning in areas such as Maths, English and Soft Skills (Confidence, Resilience, Team working etc.).
• Learners access high quality learning materials that are rich and engaging supported by a team of committed and talented tutors and assessors.
• Course accreditation and certification from Open College Network West Midlands, a QAA (Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education) licenced Access Validating Agency (AVA).

Who are the partners?

The Stonebridge Group (SAC) The Stonebridge Group of Training Companies is a conglomerate of 6 separate independent training providers established in 1997 and continually growing. Currently the group trains more than 70,000 learners per annum in a wide range of subjects areas from A-Levels to Web Design and IT with everything in-between. The Group currently employs almost 200 staff who work in all areas including learner recruitment, course development, course delivery, admin, finance and tutorial support Stonebridge Associated Colleges are currently a Gold Trusted Merchant with an average Service Rating of over 98% from 854 Independent Feefo Reviews. The Group specialises in training, digital marketing and learner recruitment including advice and guidance to ensure the right learners are placed on the right programme of study. Please click here for more information
Pearltech UK Ltd (PEARL) PEARL (Personalised e-Assisted Responsive Learning) is uniquely innovative Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) that delivers customised and responsive learning based on individual learner’s needs. The system is available entirely online which means that learners can access all aspects of their learning, assessment and eportfolio 24/7 and from any location in the World using a variety of devices. Pearl encourages learner development beyond academic skills and includes proprietary responsive algorithms which present different learning exercises or challenges unique to each learner. This means that every learner has the ability to customise their course and to enrich their learning experience.
Enabling Development Opportunities Ltd (EDO) EDO has been working with businesses and learners since 2007. The team of directors and staff have decades of experience in skills training. All learners are supported throughout their studies by a talented group of tutors and assessors who are responsible for ensuring that all learners on the A2HE programmes are supported in a way that makes them feel “special” and gives them the best possible chance of succeeding. As part of the A2HE Consortium, EDO are responsible for delivering the training and accessing Advanced Learning Loan (if required) funding for learners. EDO also quality assure the programmes and claim the final certificate for learners from Open College Network West Midlands on successful completion of the A2HE programme. Please click here for more information

The Advanced Learning Loan (ALL) Consortium is a group of organisations who work together to promote and deliver excellence within the ALL experience. By working in partnership the ALL Education Consortium is able to call upon the significant expertise of each partner organisation to deliver the best possible learning journey and experience for our Advanced Learning Loan learners.

Advanced Learner Loan funding is ideal for learners who are not able to fund their own learning and are seeking a government backed loan in order to do so. By working in partnership the ALL Consortium is able to:

• Recruit, signpost and navigate learners through their decision to register on a programme of study using an Advanced Learning Loan.
• Provide learners with the most comprehensive Information, Advice and Guidance prior to registration.
• Provide learners with a range of funding options including; payment in full, payment using consumer credit and payment using a government backed Advanced Learning Loan.
• Give learners access to cutting edge technology to support the delivery of their Advanced Learning Loan funded programme.
• Allow learners to customise their Advanced Learning Loan funded programme so that it is bespoke to their own learning needs, challenges them throughout and delivers additional learning in areas such as Maths, English and Soft Skills (Confidence, Resilience, Team working etc.).
• Learners access high quality learning materials that are rich and engaging supported by a team of committed and talented tutors and assessors.
• Course accreditation and certification from various Ofqual regulated Awarding Bodies.

Who are the partners?

The Stonebridge Group (SAC) The Stonebridge Group of Training Companies is a conglomerate of 6 separate independent training providers established in 1997 and continually growing. Currently the group trains more than 70,000 learners per annum in a wide range of subjects areas from A-Levels to Web Design and IT with everything in-between. The Group currently employs almost 200 staff who work in all areas including learner recruitment, course development, course delivery, admin, finance and tutorial support Stonebridge Associated Colleges are currently a Gold Trusted Merchant with an average Service Rating of over 98% from 854 Independent Feefo Reviews. The Group specialises in training, digital marketing and learner recruitment including advice and guidance to ensure the right learners are placed on the right programme of study. Please click here for more information
Pearltech UK Ltd (PEARL) PEARL (Personalised e-Assisted Responsive Learning) is uniquely innovative Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) that delivers customised and responsive learning based on individual learner’s needs. The system is available entirely online which means that learners can access all aspects of their learning, assessment and eportfolio 24/7 and from any location in the World using a variety of devices. Pearl encourages learner development beyond academic skills and includes proprietary responsive algorithms which present different learning exercises or challenges unique to each learner. This means that every learner has the ability to customise their course and to enrich their learning experience.
Dimensions Training Solutions (DTS) DTS was originally formed in 1973 and has been responsible for training thousands of apprentices and adult learners since then. DTS aim to help learners broaden their skills, gain knowledge; build on experience, to make a positive change to their career and life with dozens of apprenticeships and distance learning QCF courses that can really kick start a new career. Judged Good by OFSTED in October 2015: Just some of the reasons why DTS are a GOOD Training provider, very close to OUTSTANDING, but we don’t like to brag... Learners really enjoy their learning Effective employer involvement helps learners to link work-related activities well with their qualification Good quality workplaces, with a diverse range of clients Highly effective development of Apprentices’ English & Maths skills Employers provide a high quality working environment Consistent, high level of achievement for learners As part of the ALL Consortium, DTS are responsible for delivering the training and accessing the Advanced Learning Loan (if required) funding for learners. DTS also quality assure the programmes and claim the final certificate for learners from the relevant awarding body on successful completion of the programme. Please click here for more information

What's included

What's Included

• All study materials
• Study Guide
• Full Tutor and Admin support
• The course fee includes the awarding body registration and certification fee (valued at up to £30.00).

Tutor Support

With this course you will have unlimited access to your own personal tutor who specialises in their field of study. It is your personal tutor's role to ensure that you receive constructive feedback and to deal with any queries you may have. You are more than welcome to telephone, fax or email your personal tutor.

You will also have access to a dedicated and friendly team of administrators and course advisors who offer sound and professional guidance and advice when you need it. This ensures that you will never feel neglected and that you will always succeed!

Assessment Method

After each lesson there will be a question paper, which needs to be completed and submitted to your personal tutor for marking. This method of continual assessment ensures that your personal tutor can consistently monitor your progress and provide you with assistance throughout the duration of the course.

Qualifications

On completion of your course, you will receive two certificates:

Certificate 1 is issued by Stonebridge Associated Colleges: Child Psychology Diploma

Child Psychology Diploma issued by Stonebridge Associated Colleges, to view a sample of the college’s award, please click here.

Certificate 2 is issued by ABC Awards: Level 4 Child Psychology Certificate of Achievement

At the end of this course successful learners will receive a Certificate of Achievement by ABC Awards and a Learner Unit Summary (which lists the details of all the units you have completed as part of your course).

The course has been endorsed under the ABC Awards’ Quality Licence Scheme. This means that Stonebridge Associated Colleges have undergone an external quality check to ensure that the organisation and the courses it offers, meet certain quality criteria. The completion of this course alone does not lead to an Ofqual regulated qualification but may be used as evidence of knowledge and skills towards regulated qualifications in the future. The unit summary can be used as evidence towards Recognition of Prior Learning if you wish to progress your studies in this sector. To this end the learning outcomes of the course have been benchmarked at Level 4 against level descriptors published by Ofqual, to indicate the depth of study and level of difficulty involved in successful completion by the learner.

The course itself has been designed by Stonebridge Associated Colleges to meet specific learners’ or employers’ requirements. ABC Awards’ endorsement involves a robust and rigorous quality audit by external inspectors to ensure quality is consistently met. A regular review of courses is carried out as part of the endorsement process.

To view a sample of the ABC Certificate of Achievement, please click here.

To view a sample of the ABC Learner Unit Summary, please click here.

Who are ABC

ABC Awards is a leading national Awarding Organisation, regulated by Ofqual, and the Welsh Government[1]. They have a comprehensive portfolio of over 650 Ofqual regulated qualifications on the national Qualifications and Credit framework (QCF). It has a long-established reputation for developing and awarding high quality vocational qualifications across a wide range of industries. As a registered charity, ABC Awards combines 180 years of examination and assessment expertise but also implements a responsive, flexible and innovative approach to the needs of our customers.

Renowned for excellent customer service, and quality standards, ABC Awards also offers over 600 Ofqual regulated qualifications for all ages and abilities post-14; all are developed with the support of relevant stakeholders to ensure that they meet the needs and standards of employers across the UK.

For more info on our awarding body, ABC awards, click here

Requirements for Entry

There is no experience or previous qualifications required for enrolment on this course. It is available to all students, of all academic backgrounds.

Professional Membership

On completion of this course you will be eligible to join the following Professional Associations(s):

Qualifications Register

Anyone who is studying for or has completed a course endorsed by an Ofqual approved awarding body is eligible to join Qualifications Register.  The Qualifications Register (QR) is an independent register that aims to serve both members of the public and those professionals who hold recognised qualifications.

QR's primary aim is to provide transparency to members of the public and employers. The QR is a searchable database that allows them to find a practitioner and view the relevant qualification and endorsements the practitioner holds. The member of the public is then able to make an informed decision in relation to the suitability of the practitioner.  QR also tracks whether practitioners have insurance, again something that is useful for members of the public.  QR can also help professionals gain insurance or find professional indemnity cover.  Click here to find out more.

Members of the public can check an independent source with complete confidence that the practitioner has the qualification(s) they claim to have and that any additional CPD the practitioner has, is verified and quality assured to make sure that the CPD is being done on a regular basis. QR tracks a practitioners endorsed CPD (in unison with our CPD accreditation partner Lifetime Awarding) and other key signals to help members of the public and employers to come to a more informed decision about the professional they intend to use. This is an enormously valuable signal that's increasingly important as business becomes more deregulated and privatised.

For practitioners QR helps you market your skills, endorsements and feedback transparently to a wider audience. It also gives you access to a community to help make you more able to progress and succeed in your field of expertise.  Click here to find out more.

Affiliation of Ethical & Professional Therapists (AEPT)

"The Affiliation of Ethical & Professional Therapists is dedicated in assisting you as a  member, in the promotion and growth of your practice. Your profile will be entered onto our website and each month you will receive a free e-zine full of business tips and valuable information".

For further details please visit,  www.aept.co.uk

Professional Membership

On completion of this course you will be eligible to join the following Professional Associations(s):

Qualifications Register

Anyone who is studying for or has completed a course endorsed by an Ofqual approved awarding body is eligible to join Qualifications Register.  The Qualifications Register (QR) is an independent register that aims to serve both members of the public and those professionals who hold recognised qualifications.

QR's primary aim is to provide transparency to members of the public and employers. The QR is a searchable database that allows them to find a practitioner and view the relevant qualification and endorsements the practitioner holds. The member of the public is then able to make an informed decision in relation to the suitability of the practitioner.  QR also tracks whether practitioners have insurance, again something that is useful for members of the public.  QR can also help professionals gain insurance or find professional indemnity cover.  Click here to find out more.

Members of the public can check an independent source with complete confidence that the practitioner has the qualification(s) they claim to have and that any additional CPD the practitioner has, is verified and quality assured to make sure that the CPD is being done on a regular basis. QR tracks a practitioners endorsed CPD (in unison with our CPD accreditation partner Lifetime Awarding) and other key signals to help members of the public and employers to come to a more informed decision about the professional they intend to use. This is an enormously valuable signal that's increasingly important as business becomes more deregulated and privatised.

For practitioners QR helps you market your skills, endorsements and feedback transparently to a wider audience. It also gives you access to a community to help make you more able to progress and succeed in your field of expertise.  Click here to find out more.

Affiliation of Ethical & Professional Therapists (AEPT)

"The Affiliation of Ethical & Professional Therapists is dedicated in assisting you as a  member, in the promotion and growth of your practice. Your profile will be entered onto our website and each month you will receive a free e-zine full of business tips and valuable information".

For further details please visit,  www.aept.co.uk

Career Transition Partnership (CTP)

We are proud to be working with Career Transition Partnetship (CTP) as a CTP Preferred Suplier. We are able to offer ex-service personnel access to funding for our whole range of military resettlement courses.

As a CTP Preferred Supplier we are able to accept your IRTC (Individual Resettlement Training Costs) grant or ELC (Enhanced Learning Credits) for any of the following courses:

• Assessing Vocational Achievement (CAVA)
• Beauty Therapy (Massage Route) Dual Course
• Business Administration
• Certificate in Education and Training
• Counselling Skills
• Early Years Workforce (Early Years Educator)
• Foot Health Care Practitioner
• Health and Social Care (Adults)
• Hospitality Supervision and Leadership
• Playwork (NVQ)
• Preparing to Work in Adult Social Care
• Principles of Customer Service course
• Principles of End of Life Care Course
• Specialist Support for Teaching and Learning in Schools
• Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools Certificate

If you are ex-service personnel and would like more information on how to claim this funding, please contact the college or speak to your Service Resettlement Advisor.

For more information on CTP, please visit www.ctp.org.uk

Study Options

In order to offer our students the most convenient and flexible distance learning courses, Stonebridge Associated College offers you the option to study for your course via two methods:

• 1. Via the traditional paper-based method.
• 2. Through the online method.

Study Hours

This is only an approximate figure and is dependant upon how much time you can dedicate to your studies and how well you grasp the learning concepts in the course material. Furthermore, at the end of each lesson there is a question paper that needs to be completed and returned to your tutor. You should allow at least 1 - 2 hours of study to complete each question paper.

The approximate amount of time required to complete the course is: 200 hrs.

Further Information

If you would like any further information regarding this course, please call an advisor today on 0121 392 8288 ( or email enquiries@stonebridge.uk.com

Tutor Support

With this course you will have unlimited access to your own personal tutor who specialises in their field of study. It is your personal tutor's role to ensure that you receive constructive feedback and to deal with any queries you may have. You are more than welcome to telephone, fax or email your personal tutor.

You will also have access to a dedicated and friendly team of administrators and course advisors who offer sound and professional guidance and advice when you need it. This ensures that you will never feel neglected and that you will always succeed!

Assessment Method

After each lesson there will be a question paper, which needs to be completed and submitted to your personal tutor for marking. This method of continual assessment ensures that your personal tutor can consistently monitor your progress and provide you with assistance throughout the duration of the course.

Student Zone

We understand that studying from home may be a new experience for you. You may even be feeling a bit apprehensive because you will not be studying in a traditional "classroom environment".

To help you overcome these concerns we have developed the Student Zone. The Student Zone, to which all of our students receive access, encourages a high level of interaction with your tutor and other like-minded students. Within this area you can:

• Access the Student Learning Community which allows you to connect with fellow students and gain the help and support you need.
• View your tutor's feedback on your marked assignments.
• View optional reading lists for your course (where available).
• Access free online games, for when you need a break from studying.
• View the study guide with plenty of useful hints and tips on how to get the most out of your course.
• Access free courses such as: Improving Learning Skills; Job Interview Skills; The Effective Learner; Goal Setting and Time Management; and Ten Tips to Complete a Good Test Paper.
• Find details on our generous Referral Programme.
And don’t forget our Facebook page where you will find tips, resources, games, competitions, and plenty of engagement and interaction from fellow students.