Child and Adolescent Psychology
Natalie Marino
Florida State College at Jacksonville. (n.d.) Child and Adolescent Psychology. https://library.achievingthedream.org/fscjchildpsychology/
Reviewed by: Natalie Marino, Lehman College
Introduction
This evaluation is based upon the edited version of Child and Adolescent Psychology by Florida State College at Jacksonville. This is a textbook that serves as a part of a psychology course for Lumen and is written for anyone who wants to learn more about the processes of child development. The textbook has a CC-BY license. This textbook is part of Lumen Learning which is software built for professional development support. Both faculty and students can use Lumen Learning. The textbook has six modules that all correlate to the development of a child/adolescent: The Field of Child Psychology, The Dawn of a Person, Physical Development, Cognitive Development, Emotional, and Self Development, and Social Development. The main audience for this particular version is users enrolled in this Lumen psychology course; however, it can also serve as a great informational and/or teaching resource for a psychology professor, psychology student, or curious learner.
Evaluation
Content: The content of the book is clear and comprehensible as it explains topics thoroughly and in a logical manner. The assignments included in the book are supplemental and add to the readers’ comprehension of the topic being introduced. The instructions for the assignments are concise and straight to the point. Any technical language that is used is defined or explained as simply as it can be. For example, the authors describe the defense mechanism projection as, “Projection: Defense mechanism in which a person attributes their unacceptable thoughts to others. If someone is frightened, for example, he or she accuses someone else of being afraid.” It states what projection is and provides an example for the idea of projection to be clear and understood in easier terms. The language used throughout the book allows for an easy read so the reader can follow along quickly whether they have background knowledge about this topic or not. The content refers to external reliable data like governmental and state websites. The book associates unfamiliar concepts with the real world which allows students to connect the topics to their own experiences. The book successfully reflects the learning objectives, goals, and or purpose and provides substantial efficacy for teaching the subject matter as it introduces each module and explains what the reader should be able to do, what it is important for them to do and how to do so, and clearly lists the objectives, and learning outcomes.
Structure, Organization, and Technical: The book is divided purposefully into modules, The Field of Child Psychology, The Dawn of a Person, Physical Development, Cognitive Development, Emotional, and Self Development, and Social Development. The book has subsections within the modules