Module manager: Rebecca Thorley
Email: R.Thorley@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2026/27
This module is not approved as a discovery module
Children do not develop in a vacuum. Everything from family relationships and cultural background to the communities they grow up in shapes who they become. In this module you will explore the key theories and ideas that help us understand how and why children develop as they do. You will consider the role of close attachments between children and caregivers, look at how professionals can support children's learning and development, and examine why play matters so much in early childhood. Whether you are working with children already or planning to do so, this module will give you a strong theoretical foundation for understanding children's emotional, cognitive, social and physical development, and for thinking critically about the factors that shape it.
1. Develop critical thinking in relation to the nature versus nurture debate.
2. Analyse the role of adults and professionals in influencing and intervening in children's lives and development.
3. Explore child development from a social, cultural, emotional and physical perspective.
4. Evaluate key child development theories in relation to play, attachment, communication and resilience.
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes relevant to the subject:
On completion of the module, students will be able to:
LO1: Identify and explain a range of developmental theories explaining children’s emotional, cognitive, physical, and social development and their resilience.
LO2: Explain the ecological view of young children’s development, including the role of adults and professionals.
LO3: Evaluate the role of play and individual agency on children’s development.
LO4: Discuss the interaction of nature/nurture on development.
LO5: Apply developmental theories to provided observations of young children.
Skills Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
Skills LO1 (Academic — Critical Thinking): You’ll learn how to justify your arguments as to what influences children’s development in terms of established theory.
Skills LO2 (Work Ready — Reflection): You’ll learn how to undertake a systematic observation and assessment of a child’s behaviour in context and complete a simulation of a workplace observation report.
This will be a ‘flipped’ class in line with the Child and Family Studies Programme suite of modules. Students are expected to learn from interactive online materials prior to attending each weekly seminar wherein this prior learning will be applied and formatively assessed. Alongside maintaining expected progress and learning within the structured online interactive resources, it is expected that students deepen, extend and enhance their learning by consulting with recommended and self-sourced academic texts on the subject.
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supervision | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Lecture | 10 | 1 | 10 |
| Seminar | 1 | 5 | 5 |
| Independent online learning hours | 83 | ||
| Private study hours | 100 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 17 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200 | ||
Student progress and engagement with online learning tasks will be monitored on a weekly basis, and formatively assessed by the tutor in weekly seminar discussions. In addition:
• Viva preparation: A formative ‘practice viva’ session will be conducted in seminar time, using a sample vignette. Students will practise articulating and defending theoretical positions in pairs, with peer and tutor feedback. This develops assessment literacy for the summative viva format and builds student confidence in oral academic performance.
• Observation portfolio: Students will have the opportunity to submit a draft observation proforma and an extract of their analytical commentary for individual written feedback from the tutor. Feedforward guidance will be provided to support completion of the final portfolio submission.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Viva | NA | 50 |
| Multimodal Assessment | NA | 50 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list
Last updated: 30/04/2026
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team