Both children and adults share a common, culturally distinct view of what it means to be male or female. These gender stereotypes are pervasive in society and daily social interactions, and influence all aspects of gender development (Golombok & Fivush, 1994). The inherent physical differences of boys and girls may have triggered the speculation and accompanying myths surrounding the existence of gender differences in childhood development. Many people believe that boys and girls follow a different developmental path that lead to gender differences in intellectual ability. An up-to-date and integrative review of theory and research on gender indicates two opposing perspectives on the topic, with substantial information supporting each view. However, this is the first study to examine and compare a sample of South African pre-school boys and girls from a truly holistic developmental perspective on the recently released Griffiths Mental Development Scales-Extended Revised (GMDS-ER). Developmental theorists have emphasized the profound impact early childhood development has on subsequent development, as it shapes the course of an individual’s life. Contemporary cognitive developmental theories, such as Demetriou’s (2000; 2004) developmental model of cognitive development, advance that child development does not progress in a fixed and predictable manner. Instead, Demetriou proposes that development occurs in a wave-like fashion, where the processes and functions of the various levels of the mind may be at differing points in their cycle of development. When one function progresses to a higher level, it unlocks the possibility for another function to advance to a different point in its cycle (Demetriou et al., 2002). As the significance of understanding the process of early childhood development more fully increases, so does the need to establish with more confidence the value and role of developmental assessment in the early identification of problems. The overall purpose of this study was to generate comparative information regarding the general development of a sample of 5- and 6-year-old South African pre-school boys and girls. Specifically, the study aimed to explore and describe the developmental profiles of pre-school boys and girls within the abovementioned age group with respect to their overall performance on the GMDS-ER as well as their performance on the six Subscales. Then, the mean General Quotients (GQ) and developmental profiles of the pre-school boys and girls obtained on the GMDS-ER were compared. An exploratory-descriptive quantitative research method was used. The sample (N = 64) was selected through a combination of non-probability, purposive and convenience xiii sampling. Within this framework, a between-subjects design in which matching was used to control extraneous variables, was employed. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics and independent sample t-tests to compare the GQs of the gender groups. A Hotellings T2 was used to compare the Subscale profiles. No significant gender differences were found when comparing the overall developmental and Subscale profiles of the boys and girls on the GMDS-ER. However, certain interesting trends did emerge from a review of the findings when compared to the literature review and previous studies. The information generated from this study has contributed to our knowledge base of the performance of South African children on the recently released GMDS-ER.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:nmmu/vital:9904 |
| Date | January 2009 |
| Creators | Jakins, Tamarin Ashlea |
| Publisher | Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Faculty of Health Sciences |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis, Masters, MA |
| Format | xiii, 184 leaves, pdf |
| Rights | Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University |
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