Autobiography, Developmental Theory, and Teacher Education

AbstractInstrumental approaches to teaching human development ask students to learn about children at different ages and stages so as to plan appropriate instruction. An alternative approach stresses the connections between psychological theories of growth and the life experiences of the students themselves, with the goals of increasing intrapersonal awareness and identity achievement. In one such course, students wrote autobiographical texts, interviewed each other, and wrote essays on their texts and "official" texts in human development. This case study focuses on the narratives of one woman, who used Erikson's psychosocial theories to analyze her stories of adolescent conflict and school difficulties. (Developmental Psychology-Education)