Kerala TET Psychology Notes 2025 PDF Download

Preparing for the Kerala TET can feel overwhelming, but breaking down the Psychology section makes it a lot more manageable. In this blog, you’ll find easy-to-understand notes on important topics like child development, learning theories, and personality. Whether you’re starting fresh or revising, these notes will guide you step by step and help you approach the exam positively.

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Kerala TET Psychology Notes PDF

Click here to download free pdf of TET Psychology notes for the above mention topics:

Kerala TET 2025 Psychology Notes

In the Kerala Teachers Eligibility Test (K-TET) or any other Teachers Eligibility Test, Paper-1 is common for all graduates. This paper mainly covers topics such as Child/Student Psychology, Various Learning Theories, Teaching Aptitude, etc. Today, as part of the Kerala TET Psychology notes, we are discussing Child Development, Principles of Child Development, Stages of Cognitive Development (Piaget), Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development, and more.

As we grow both quantitatively and qualitatively, development occurs within us. The optimum development of a child is necessary for society. To nurture such development, we need a well-established learning system, which requires knowledgeable teachers.

The study of being a teacher or the process of teaching is called pedagogy or instructional strategies. The six areas of learning and development, which make up the skills, knowledge, and experiences, are:

1. Communication, Language, and Literacy
2. Knowledge and Understanding of the World
3. Creative Development
4. Personal, Social, and Emotional Development
5. Problem Solving, Reasoning, and Numeracy
6. Physical Development

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Child Development: Concept of Development and Stages

Growth refers to the quantitative changes in size, which include physical changes in height, weight, size, internal organs, and more.

In contrast, development involves the qualitative changes that occur in an individual alongside the quantitative changes. These developmental changes encompass biological and psychological transformations that happen from birth until the end of adolescence. As individuals progress from dependency to increasing autonomy, this process is referred to as child development.

These changes may be influenced by genetic factors and events during prenatal life. Developmental changes can occur due to genetically controlled processes (known as maturation) or because of environmental factors and learning. However, in most cases, development results from the interaction between these two factors.

Psychologists define each stage of development with a certain span and specific characteristics.

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• The Development of Concepts

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Principles of Development

The four principles of human development are:

• Continuity

Development is a continuous process from conception to death. In the early stages of life, development occurs not only in body size and functioning but also in behavior. Even after reaching maturity, development does not stop; it continues throughout life. The changes persist until death marks the end of the life cycle.

• Sequentiality

Development is sequential and orderly. Both humans and animals follow a development pattern that is unique to their species. In prenatal development, there is a genetic sequence that unfolds at fixed intervals, with specific characteristics emerging at each stage.

• Generality to Specificity

Development progresses from a general path to more specific ones. In the early stages, the fetus moves its whole body but is incapable of making specific responses. Infants initially wave their arms randomly, but as development continues, they begin to make more specific responses, such as reaching out for an object nearby.

• Differential

The tempo of development is not uniform. Individuals differ in the rate of growth and development. Boys and girls have different rates of development, and each part of the body has its own particular rate of growth. Development does not occur at a steady pace. There are periods of great intensity and equilibrium, as well as periods of imbalance. Development may reach a plateau, which can occur at any level or between levels.

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Principles of Child Development

The Principles of Child Development is marked by three interrelated processes, and they are:

• Differentiation
• Integration
• Learning

Principles of Differentiation and Integration

Let’s try to understand these two concepts through this example. The fertilization of the ovum by the sperm results in a single cell, called a zygote. The zygote then starts multiplying at a very fast rate into cells that are all of the same kind. These cells gradually acquire different characteristics and form different tissues such as nerves, bones, and blood, each with a specific function. These different tissues then coordinate with each other to form complex systems like the digestive, circulatory, and respiratory systems.

When the similar cells of the zygote change to form different tissues like nerves and bones, the process is called differentiation. Differentiation means that development proceeds from simple to complex, from general to specific.

When different tissues coordinate to form a system, the process is called integration. Integration refers to the coordination of various parts to form an increasingly complex structure. It also refers to the coordination of different behavior patterns that result in a higher level of complexity.

For example, in the infancy period, a child may smile at everyone, but as the child grows, they start differentiating their mother’s face from others. Later, the child integrates their mother’s face with her smell, touch, and other sensory aspects to form a deeper recognition.

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Jean Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development

Jean Piaget, a swiss biologist is regarded as one of the pioneers in Child Psychology studies.  Piaget believes that a person understands whatever information fits into his established view of the world. When that information doesn’t fit, he/ she must re-examine and adjust his thinking to accommodate the new information. He introduced four stages of cognitive development, they are as follows:

• Schemes/ Cognitive Structures
• Assimilation
• Accommodation
• Equilibrium

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Schemes, assimilation, accommodation, and equilibration

According to Piaget, schemes are cognitive structures or behavior patterns that both adults and children use to deal with environmental objects. As individuals develop, these patterns change and become intertwined with other patterns, resulting in more complex structures. These various patterns, along with their contents, form the basic structure of the human mind.

Assimilation is the process of using or transforming the environment to fit into preexisting cognitive structures. Accommodation, on the other hand, is the process of changing cognitive structures to accept new information from the environment. Both processes occur simultaneously and alternately throughout life.

An example of assimilation would be when an infant uses a sucking schema, developed from sucking on a small bottle, to attempt sucking on a larger bottle. An example of accommodation would be when the child needs to modify the sucking schema developed from sucking on a pacifier to one that works for sucking on a bottle.

The structures change from one form to another through the process of equilibration, which maintains balance between the child and their changing environment. All children strive to find a balance between assimilation and accommodation, and this balance is achieved through a mechanism called equilibration. Equilibration helps explain how children transition from one stage of thought to the next.

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Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development

Kohlberg modified Jean Piaget’s work to develop a theory explaining the progression of moral reasoning. He identified three distinct levels of moral reasoning: pre-conventional, conventional, and post-conventional, with each level having two sub-stages. An individual must pass through these levels in the listed order, with each new stage replacing the reasoning typical of the earlier stage. However, not everyone achieves all the stages.

Level 1: Pre-conventional morality

At this level (most nine-year-olds and younger, some over nine), one doesn’t have a personal code of morality. Instead, his/ her moral code is shaped by the standards of adults and the consequences of following or breaking their rules.

Stage 1: Obedience and Punishment: Children sees rules as fixed and absolute. As a means to avoid punishment, they will obey the rules.

Stage 2: Individualism and Exchange: Children recognize that there is not just one right view that is handed down by the authorities. Different individuals have different viewpoints.

Level 2: Conventional morality

At this level (most adolescents and adults), individuals begin to internalize the moral standards of valued adult role models.

Stage 3: Interpersonal Relationships:  The child is good in order to be seen as being a good person by others. Moral development is focused on living up to social expectations and rules, good boy- good girl orientation.

Stage 4: Maintaining Social Order: Consider society as a whole when making judgements. Follows the rules to maintain the law and order and to show respect towards the authority.

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Level 3: Post-Conventional morality

Individual judgment is based on self-chosen principles, and moral reasoning is based on individual rights and justice.

Stage 5: Social Contract and Individual Rights: The child becomes aware that while rules might exist for the good of the greatest number, there are times when they will work against the interest of particular individuals.

Stage 6: Universal Principles: People at this stage have developed their own set of moral guidelines which may or may not fit the law. The principles apply to everyone.

Criticisms

• The dilemmas are artificial, they lack any sort of ecological validity.
• Kohlberg’s theory overemphasizes the concept of Justice when making moral choices.
• Kohlberg’s theory and studies based on what was prevailed in western society. Eastern cultures may have different outlooks which he does not account for.

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