Human beings keep changing — some of that change comes from learning, some from natural growth and development. Since the whole aim of education is to bring about desired change in the learner, and a teacher’s task is to bring about desired change in a growing child, knowledge of growth and development is essential groundwork for teaching well.
Most people use ‘growth’ and ‘development’ interchangeably, treating them as synonyms. In reality, the two terms mean something different.
Growth: Definitions
Growth refers to a physical increase in some quantity over time — changes in height, weight, body proportions, and general physical appearance. The Encyclopaedia Britannica defines growth as ‘an increase in size or the amount of an entity,’ covering the structural and physiological changes that happen within an individual during maturation. Hurlock defines growth as ‘change in size, in proportion, disappearance of old features and acquisition of new ones,’ while Crow and Crow (1962) tie growth specifically to structural and physiological change. Put simply: growth refers to an increase in the physical size of the whole body or any of its parts, and it can be measured directly.
Development: Definitions
Development refers to the qualitative changes in the organism as a whole — a continuous process through which physical, emotional, and intellectual changes occur. It’s a wider, more comprehensive term than growth, and it’s possible even without growth. Webster’s dictionary defines development as ‘the series of changes which an organism undergoes in passing from an embryonic stage to maturity,’ while the Encyclopaedia Britannica calls it ‘the progressive change in size, shape and function during the life of an organism by which its genetic potential is translated into a functioning adult system.’
Skinner describes development as a continuous and gradual process, and Crow and Crow (1965) note that development is concerned with growth as well as the changes in behaviour that result from environmental situations. Put together: development is a process of change in growth and capability over time, driven by both maturation and interaction with the environment.
The Core Principles of Human Development
Developmental psychologists believe that knowing the accurate pattern of development is fundamental to understanding children. Several basic principles characterise this pattern — and even though children differ individually in personality, attitude, and timing, these principles and characteristics hold as universal patterns.
| Principle | What It Means |
| Development involves change | Change is constant from conception to death — in size, proportions, and features. Its ultimate goal is self-realisation, what Maslow called self-actualisation. |
| Development is a continuous process | It continues throughout life, in interaction with the environment. Each stage forms the basic framework for the next — a child who can write must first have developed the hand control to hold a pencil. |
| Development follows a direction and uniform pattern | Two sub-principles apply: proximodistal (development moves from the body’s centre outward — the spinal cord develops before the arms, arms before hands, hands before fingers) and cephalocaudal (development moves from head to tail — head control comes before arm control, which comes before leg control). |
| Individual differences exist in the process | The pattern of development is similar for all children, but the rate varies, shaped by both genetic and environmental factors — a reason to be cautious about using age/stage norms to label individual children. |
| Development depends on maturation and learning | Maturation is the sequential, biological side of growth (driven largely by changes in the brain and nervous system); learning and an enriched environment determine whether a child reaches their optimal development. |
| Development is predictable | Though shaped by genetics and environment, development follows a pre-defined pattern — motor development, speech, social behaviour, and intellectual growth all follow broadly predictable sequences and periods (prenatal, then postnatal: infancy, babyhood, childhood, puberty). |
| Early development is more critical than later development | As Erikson put it, ‘childhood is the scene of man’s beginning as man.’ If early needs for food, attention, and love are met, the child develops secure, stable, positive attitudes; negative early experiences can produce maladjustment — delinquency can be identifiable as early as age 2–3. |
| Development involves social expectations | Also called ‘developmental tasks’ (Havinghurst) — tasks that arise from physical maturation, cultural pressure, and personal values/aspirations, motivating children to learn and helping parents guide them. |
| Development has potential hazards | Physical, environmental, or psychological hazards — from the environment or heredity — can retard growth, produce aggression, or cause adjustment problems if left unaddressed. |
| Happiness varies at different periods of development | Childhood is generally the happiest period of life, and puberty the unhappiest — though patterns of happiness vary by child and by how they’re raised. |
Baltes’ Six Lifespan Principles
Paul B. Baltes added a complementary set of six principles specifically for the lifespan approach to development, worth knowing alongside the ten above:
- Development is a lifelong process — it begins at birth and ends at death.
- Development includes both gain and loss during the lifespan — a child may develop in one area while losing ground in another.
- Development is influenced by biological factors and environmental situations together — e.g., body strength develops early but may deteriorate in old age.
- Development involves a changing allocation of resources — time, money, and social support shift across developmental periods.
- Development shows plasticity — capacity can be modified within a person, depending on life conditions.
- Development is contextual — it occurs through the interaction of three factors: age-graded influences, history-graded influences, and non-normative life events.
