Young Adolescent Development

Early adolescence is a critical period of human development; yet, one that is often misunderstood. The young adolescent, not still a child but not yet an adult, faces immense physical, cognitive, social, emotional, and moral/ethical growth. This unique stage of development has been studied by psychologists, philosophers, and educators, and is of significant importance for middle grades teachers who teach young adolescents. To that end, it is imperative that middle grades teachers understand and consider this unique period of growth when planning and implementing middle grades curricula.

G. Stanley Hall (1904) referred to as the father of the child study movement, established adolescence as a field of study as well as a valid and unique stage of development, with the publication of his book Adolescence: Its Psychology and Its Relations to Physiology, Anthropology, Sociology, Sex, Crime, Religion and Education. Through his work, Alexander reported that the adolescent endures significant physical changes in which girls grow and develop faster than boys and that during this time in human development different body parts vary in rate of growth, resulting in what is known as the awkward phase. For example, the young adolescent appears to have long and lanky limbs and girls often stand heads taller than boys stand and look physically more mature than boys of the same age. Further, he examined issues like risk behavior, sexual development and behavior, and brain development of young adolescents.