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Running Head: PEPSI SCREENING

Portfolio Artifact: Pepsi Case Study

Carlos A. Ginez

The College of Southern Nevada

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Abstract

The focus of this PEPSI screening will be Alana, a seven year old girl who attends first grade at a

private academy. She is an energetic child and attends gymnastics three times a week in addition

to her schooling. She lives at home with her mother; the household however, is comprised of five

other individuals all family. In addition to her mother, Alana also lives with her mothers

boyfriend, and his sister; and her uncle, as well as his girlfriend, and their daughter. The family is

of islander decent, having originally migrated from Guam and the Philippines. Alana was born

mainland in the states and has lived here her entire life. She does well in school and is adjusted to

a household where respect is dictated by age. It is also important to note that this child

understands the scale of respect, and is very aware of where on the hierarchy she stands.

Keywords: First grade, gymnastics, private academy, islander decent, hierarchy

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Portfolio Artifact: PEPSI Case Study

The first area of development observed was the childs physical development. Alanas

height and weight were recorded at four feet, two inches (50 in.) tall, and fifty-two pounds (52

lbs.) Her figure was tall, lean, and toned; and according to a growth chart provided by the center

for disease control, she was average on the scale for her weight, but landed high in 90th percentile

for her stature. Research concluded by McCown and Snowman (2015) explains that an average

primary child at this age is extremely active. This was very fitting for this girl because during the

entire observation she was very fidgety and did not like to hold still. Alana attended gymnastics

two times a week; and as a result she exhibited excellent balance, a milestone that was to be

expected of a child her age (GreatSchools Staff, 2016). Alana had an active lifestyle, which was

a perfect vent for all of her high energy; and according to an article by The Center for Disease

Control (2016) it was also a projector for a healthy body. My recommendation was to continue

to encourage her active physical exercise, as she was very well on track with her physical

development I observed that there was no improvement needed.

Next in the study, Alanas emotional development was observed. One particular point of

interest stated by McCown and Snowman (2015, p. 86) is that children of this age may be

sensitive to criticism and ridicule and may have difficulty adjusting to failure. During the

screening I partook in a video game competition with the girl during the beginning of the

competition Alana was seen to be very excited and eager to play; but as she steadily lost she

grew quieter and less eager to play. A dissertation by Buis (2014) stated that early experiences,

such as these, greatly shape a childs emotional development should individuals develop

without appropriate influences, they may fail to effectively manage overwhelming

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emotional demands. Alana displayed frustration at losing, which was normal for a child her

age in fact; it would not have been uncharacteristic of a child her age to lash out in some

manner at such frustration. Surprisingly, this young girl kept very calm and after a few minutes

was very happy to announce that she would do better next time, which not only showed that she

had good influences in the house, but that she was also confident and well-adjusted emotionally.

Dowling (2014) touches on the importance of this particular characteristic in her book, stating

that children do need to become confident from an early age. It is necessary for their early

success in life and also for the future. This child displayed remarkable confidence, despite such

a debilitating loss; coupled with her resilience and willingness to try again despite failing, one

may conclude that Alana was more advanced in her emotional development than other children

her age since no improvement was needed, as this child was already ahead of the curve, it was

recommended to simply continue to encourage and foster both her independence and confidence.

Alanas social development was observed while at a baby shower that was held in the

home where she lived. According to the text authored by McCown and Snowman (2015, p. 85)

children in this age group like organized games in small groups; this was recognized when

Alana began forming groups with her cousins and other children close in age, so that they could

all participate in keeping a balloon off of the ground. It was supposed in a scholarly journal that

engaging with peers may be complex (Howes, Phillips, and Whitebook, 1992); this was not so

much the case with Alana; she was incredibly social and outgoing. In their same journal Howes,

Phillips, and Whitebook (1992) also added that children who feel emotionally secure with

adults are positively orientated to peers which was the exact case with this kid. The findings

came as no surprise Alana was raised in a household that greatly valued collectivism, which is
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typical of most Asian-American families. Greenfield (2014) states in her book that collectivistic

cultures are more likely to emphasize the implications of their own behavior for others, and

duties and obligations. Alana grew up with set rules and chores that modified slightly as she

grew to account for her age and new level of competency; since the rules remained constant she

was able to develop trust and security, not only in her parents, but also their rules and guidelines,

which served as the foundation for her social development. Alanas mother plans on giving her

more autonomous freedom as she grows older, as well as more mature household chores to

continue to develop her sense of responsibility as such, no recommendations for improvement

were given regarding this area.

The philosophical development that Alana was undergoing throughout the observation

was observed to be preconventional, supported by her inability to understand the conventions or

rules of a society (McCown and Snowman, 2015). One such witnessed example was during

dinner time, where her mother asked her to eat her vegetables Alana was made aware of the

consequences if she did comply with her mothers direction; but when it came time to serve the

punishment she could not comprehend why she had to go to bed early. An article which was put

out by The Center for Parenting Education (2002) states that it is not unlikely for children at this

age to believe that fairness is very important; but to stress what was previously said, they may

not fully understand what is and is not fair. Alanas thinking was shown to be egocentric, and

according to research concluded by Ma (2013) this is was indicator for the first of two major

stages of moral judgment called heteronomy. Moral realism is not just dictated by a childs

ego however; Alana displayed unilateral respect for adults (Ma, 2013) which was a sign that her

philosophical development was progressing steadily into a more conventional form of morality.
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When compared with others her age, there is no real deficiency in Alanas philosophical

thinking; she was right on track with others in her age group. It was recommended that parenting

continue as normal and that patience be exercised when introducing new social constructs in

order to guide an improved development of the childs philosophy.

The final area surveyed during the time with Alana was her intellectual development.

Alana did well in school and she even took a deep interest in some of her studies; she also

exhibited signs of metacognition, a trait that McCown and Snowman agreed would begin to

emerge at this age. The text asserted that at this age, children begin to understand that learning

(is) caused by cognitive processes that they can control. Alana always got excited to sit

down and have one of her family members help her with her homework; she enjoyed not only

getting to spend time with a loved one, but also having someone else to further explain a concept

that she did not fully understand, or grasp while at school. She was completely able to recognize

when she did not fully understand something, and she felt no shame in asking for help she

welcomed the opportunity to fully discern what she did not know, and took great pride in every

concept she adequately comprehended. One particularly remarkable examination came during

her study time she was working alone on her math homework when she asked if I would assist

her. On first review I noticed that more than half of the page was already completed; when asked

about it, she responded that she had filled in the ones that she definitely knew, and only needed

help with the few she was unsure of. Destan (2014) expressed that this is not unusual; and in a

study, deduced that 6- and 7-year-olds spent more time studying difficult items compared

with easier items. Alana wanted to get what she already knew out of the way so that she could

focus on what she needed, and wanted, to learn something that was rarely observed in children
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her age. Once again, this child proved to be right on, if not ahead of, the developmental

milestone of her peers; seeing as she was eager to learn and exhibited high levels of

metacognitive capacity, the only recommendations offered were to continue satisfying her

intellectual endeavors and academic ambitions.

End
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References

Buis, T. (2014). PERSPECTIVES OF PRESCHOOL EDUCATORS ON EARLY CHILDHOOD

EDUCATIONS IMPACT AND ROLE ON SCHOOL READINESS AND THE SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL

DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN (Doctoral dissertation, California State University, Sacramento).

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (15 March 2016). Middle Childhood (6-8

years of age). Retrieved from

http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/positiveparenting/middle.html

Destan, N., Hembacher, E., Ghetti, S., & Roebers, C. M. (2014). Early metacognitive

abilities: The interplay of monitoring and control processes in 5-to 7-year-old children. Journal

of experimental child psychology, 126, 213-228.

Dowling, M. (2014). Young children's personal, social and emotional development. Sage.

GreatSchools Staff. (16 March 2016). Developmental milestones: your 7-year-old child.

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http://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/developmental-milestones-your-7-year-old-child/

Greenfield, P. M., & Cocking, R. R. (2014). Cross-cultural roots of minority child

development. Psychology Press.

Howes, C., Phillips, D., & Whitebook, M. (1992). Thresholds of Quality: Implications for

the Social Development of Children in Center-Based Child Care. Child Development, 63(2),

449-460. doi:10.2307/1131491
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Ma, H. K. (2013). The Moral Development of the Child: An Integrated Model. Frontiers

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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3860007/

McCown, R., Snowman, J. (2015). Psychology Applied To Teaching (14th ed.).

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www.developingchild.harvard.edu.

The Center for Parenting Education. (2002). Child Development by Age: Characteristics

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