ADOLESCENTS ( THE HIGH SCHOOL LEARNERS) 

Adolescence is a stage of human development that coincides with puberty, a biological development occurring at the average age of 11 for girls and 12 for boys. There are factors, however, which contribute the early puberty and delayed puberty. These factors include heredity, diet, exercise and socio-environmental influence.

Adolescence is a period of transition in terms of physical, cognitive and socioemotional changes. The period of adolescence begins with the biological changes of puberty. The specific ages for this period vary from person to person but (i) early adolescence characterized by puberty may come to the ages of 11 and 12 (ii) middle adolescence may meet identity issues Within the ages of 14 and 16, and (iii) late adolescence marks the transition into adulthood ages 17 and 20.

Physical Development

a. Physical appearance

b. Rapid rate of growth (next to the speed of growth of the fetus in the uterus) known as growth spurts

c. Resultant feeling of awkwardness and unfamiliarity with bodily changes

d. Alterations in sleeping habits and parent-adolescent relationship possibly accompanying puberty.

Cognitive Development

a. There is a decrease in egocentric thoughts

b. Piaget's Formal Operational thinker which means an adolescent go beyond the sensible and concrete in order to dwell on what is abstract, hypothetical, and possible.

d. Metacognition - ability to identify one's own thinking processes and strategies inclusive of perception, memory, understanding, application, analysis. assessment and innovation.

e. Overachievement - can achieve very high academic grades

f. Underachievement - adolescent may perform below the standards set

Propositional Thinking- making assertions outside visual evidence, and stating that may be possible in things not seen by the eyes

Relativistic Thinking - subjectively making an opinion on facts involving one's own bias, prejudice of distortion of facts - which may be either right or wrong 

Real Versus Possible - examining a situation and exploring the possible in terms of situations or solutions 

SIEGLER'S INFORMATION PROCESSING SKILLS

i. Increased thinking speed

ii. Increased complexity

iii. Increased volume

Implications for child care, education and parenting (Cognitive):

a. Activities at home 

b. Allowing more independence 

c. Activities in school that allow participation

d. Develop reading skills

Socioemotional Development - Generally, emotions are commonly known as human feelings that are manifested by varied conscious or unconscious moods. 

The unique patterns of emotions are:

a. Event that is strong or important

b. Physiological shanges in heart pulse rate, brain activity, hormone

levels and body temperature

c. Readiness for action often described as "fight or flight"

d. Dependence of the emotion on how the stimulus is appraised

Positive emotion - like interest and joy motivate the individual to continue his/ her behavior

Negative emotion - may cause withdrawal from what may be perceived as bad or dangerous.

IMPLICATIONS FOR CHILD CARE, EDUCATION AND PARENTING (SOCIOEMOTIONAL):

a. Emotional skills influence the adolescent learner's success in class work.

b. Learners who are able to regulate their emotions tend to be happier, better liked and better able to pay attention and learn.

c. Interventions by the teacher and the school can reduce learner's emotional distress, while raising test scores and grades

d. The teacher plays a most important role in promoting positive changes for the adolescent.

e. As the teen is susceptible to peer pressure, the negative influence of social media, drug use and addiction, early romantic sexual adventurism, the teacher and the school can conduct interventions to assist the youths with focus on risky and inappropriate behavior while promoting positive development among adolescents.