General Instructions:
1. Double space
2. Proofread for clarity, grammar and spelling mistakes.
3. Upload your document in any of the following formats: .doc, docx, .rtf, or
.pdf. Please do not upload Apple Pages documents. Please ensure that
you upload the correct file and that it opens correctly before uploading.
Un-openable files will not count as on-time submissions.
Please use the template
Download template
.
Step 1. Choose a Target Developmental Context
● Paragraph (5-8 sentences) describing your target developmental context (including the
population and aspect of development you will focus on) due by end of Week 2; worth 20
pts.
What population, aspect of development, and developmental context are you interested in?
Guided by the questions below, pick a developmental context as the focus of your project. (For ideas on
developmental contexts, see the list of examples in the box below. )
Write a short description (1-2 paragraphs) and include answers to the following questions:
1. What is the target population whose development you would like to foster? This
might be a specific age group (e.g., early childhood, elderly) or a segment of the
population (e.g., an ethnic minority or marginalized group).
2. What aspect(s) of development do you want to focus on? The aspect you
identify can be specific (e.g., adolescent suicide, work-family balance for people
with children, loneliness in the elderly) or more general (e.g., school readiness
for young children living in poverty, better pipeline to employment for youth of
color, better options than foster care).
3. Which “developmental context” (i.e., a setting that influences development) do
you want to improve? To identify some options, think of settings, places, or
organizations that influence the development of your target population. Select a
setting you would like to change and pick that developmental context for this
project. Your context can be general (e.g., schools, middle school) or specific
(e.g., Alice B. Toklas University).
4. Is there a role you would like to play in this context or in improving this context?
This could be now or in the future, a real or an imagined role. Examples of roles:
○ Policy maker
○ Community Organizer
○ Teacher
○ Healthcare Provider (physician, nurse, counselor)
○ Caregiver (children or elders)
Examples of Developmental Contexts
Reimagining Microsystems
● Schools, Teaching, School
Counselors
● After-school Programs
● Childcare, pre-Kindergarten
programs
● Families, Parenting, Extended
Families
● Peer groups, Friends, Crowds &
Cliques
● Neighborhoods, Communities, and
Public Spaces
● Social Media, Television, Books,
News Media
● Play, Hobbies, Volunteering, Art,
Theatre, Music
● Workplaces
● Housing for seniors: Assisted living,
Nursing homes
● End of Life Care
Reimagining Exosystems
● Child Protective Services
● Healthcare
● Housing
● Food Systems
● Social movements
● More…
Reimagining Macrosystems
● Public safety
● Economic systems
● Political System
● More…
Group Ages Possible Contexts (Pick ONE)
Prenatal ● Germinal (first two
weeks of conception)
● Embryonic (week 3 –
week 8)
● Fetal (Week 9 –
birth)
Mothers’ environmental and
biological influences
Infancy Newborn – age 1
Home, daycare
Toddlerhood 2-4 Home, daycare, preschool
Childhood ● Early childhood (4-6)
● Middle childhood
(6-8)
Home, preschool, kindergarten,
Elementary school – Middle
school
● Late childhood (9-10)
Adolescence ● Early adolescence
(10-14)
● Late adolescence
(15-18)
Home, Middle school – High
school
Emerging adulthood 18-26 College, workplace, home
Early adulthood 27-40 Workplace, school, home
Middle adulthood 40-65 Workplace, school, home
Late adulthood ● Young old (65-74)
● Middle old (75-84)
● Oldest old (85+)
Workplace, nursing home,
school, home
Examples of segments of populations
Ethnic and Racial minorities
Gender and sexual orientation
Socio-Economic status
Disabilities
Immigrants and refugees
Religious minorities
