PSY 632 Final Project Guidelines and Rubric

Overview The final project for this course is the creation of a program evaluation paper. Developmental psychology is the scientific study of changes that occur in human beings over the course of their life. Originally concerned with infants and children, the field has expanded to include adolescence, adult development, aging, and the entire life span. This field examines change across a broad range of topics including motor skills and other psycho-physiological processes; cognitive development involving areas such as problem solving, moral understanding, and conceptual understanding; language acquisition; social, personality, and emotional development; and self-concept and identity formation.

The development of the human mind is one of life’s great wonders. Everyone has experienced it firsthand and has seen it happen to family members, yet it still holds many mysteries. For example, the parents of a toddler might show her a photo with her own image and say, “That’s you!” For some time the child might point to it and say, “That’s you!” How and when does the child learn to say, “That’s me!”? The most rapid development of the mind occurs early in life, and what goes right or wrong then can affect a person’s whole life thereafter.

In this final project, you will evaluate a program designed to promote healthy development, or address atypical development, in children. The project is divided into three milestones, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final submissions. These milestones will be submitted in Modules Three, Five, and Seven. The final submission will occur in Module Nine. In this assignment, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following course outcomes:

 PSY-632-01: Assess classic and contemporary developmental theories for their stance on core developmental psychology issues in forming a foundational perspective on the field

 PSY-632-02: Analyze contemporary developmental psychology research for key factors that impact child and adolescent development in recommending prevention, assessment, and intervention strategies

 PSY-632-03: Assess the impact of sociocultural influences on the field of psychology, as well as communities and organizations in which developmental psychology is practiced in promoting the psychological well-being of individuals, communities, and organizations

 PSY-632-04: Critique current assessment and intervention strategies for their applicability across diverse populations

 PSY-632-05: Differentiate typical and atypical development in children and adolescents across physical, cognitive, affective, and social domains for informing prevention, assessment, and intervention strategies

Prompt The final project for this course is a program evaluation paper. You will select and research an existing program that is intended to promote healthy development, or that addresses issues of atypical development. You will examine the theoretical foundations of the selected program, critique its ability or consideration for meeting the needs of diverse populations, examine program effectiveness, and utilize concepts from the course to recommend potential improvements to the program.

You will place yourself in the role of a consultant who has been contracted to review the program to determine necessary changes or make recommendations regarding future funding. Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:

I. Select a Developmental Issue: Identify and research a developmental issue for children or adolescents. Developmental issues can be examined from the perspective of the promotion of healthy development, or you may select a particular developmental issue in the form of an impairment or diagnosis.

A. Describe the developmental issue you are examining for the purpose of this program evaluation, including if the issue is considered typical development or atypical development in nature. [PSY-632-05]

i. What distinguishes this issue in terms of criteria, if applicable? For example, are you promoting healthy cognitive development, addressing developmental delays, or addressing an actual diagnostic mental health disorder? What are the criteria or key identifiers for the selected issue?

ii. What is the primary area or areas of impact across physical, cognitive, affective, and social domains? B. Describe the population who is affected by the selected developmental issue, at risk for the selected developmental issue, or who would best be

served by a program that promotes healthy development. In other words, is there a primary age range for successfully promoting health for the selected developmental issue? Does this issue affect a particular socioeconomic group? Is the issue gender-specific? Are there cultural considerations or groups that are primarily impacted by the issue? [PSY-632-04]

C. Determine the sociocultural impact that the selected developmental issue has on the field of psychology in general, as well as on communities and organizations in which developmental psychology is practiced. [PSY-632-03]

i. How common is the developmental issue? ii. What organizations, societies, or groups promote awareness of the developmental issue?

II. Research and Theoretical Foundations: Apply contemporary developmental psychology research and classic and contemporary theories to the selected

developmental issue. A. Analyze contemporary developmental psychology research in explaining the selected developmental issue. In other words, what does research

have to say about the evolution of your selected developmental issue? Be sure to support your position with specific examples. [PSY-632-02] B. Apply the three core themes of developmental psychology to the selected developmental issue. Final Project: Program Evaluation Paper

i. Where does the selected issue fall on the continuum of nature versus nurture? Be sure to substantiate your claims with specific scholarly research. [PSY-632-01]

ii. Where does the selected issue fall on the continuum of continuity versus discontinuity? Be sure to substantiate your claims with specific scholarly research. [PSY-632-01]

iii. Where does the selected issue fall on the continuum of stability versus change? Be sure to substantiate your claims with specific scholarly research. [PSY-632-01]

III. Program Selection: Identify an existing program that targets the selected developmental issue for prevention or treatment.

A. Discuss the target of the program in terms of whether the program promotes healthy development, targets prevention of a developmental issue, or provides actual treatment for an issue. In other words, is the program promotional, preventative, or prescriptive? [PSY-632-02]

B. Determine the extent to which the assessment and treatment methods employed by the program address the selected developmental issue across diverse populations. [PSY-632-04]

i. What is the process for an individual with the selected developmental issue to be admitted to the selected program? What admissions policies or procedures might need to be considered in terms of cultural, ethnic, or socioeconomic standing?

ii. What methods are utilized by the program to provide intervention, health promotion, or treatment for the developmental issue with regard to cultural, ethnic, and socioeconomic sensitivity?

C. Analyze the selected program’s methods for the developmental theory and research that you feel were chosen to serve as its foundation. i. Does the program clearly stick to the core concepts of the developmental theory in its approach to assessment? Be sure to

substantiate your claims with specific examples and research. [PSY-632-01] ii. Do the treatment or intervention methods vary from what the developmental theory would support or recommend? Be sure to

explain your rationale. [PSY-632-02] iii. How might the assessment, prevention, or treatment methods be aligned with a different developmental theory? Be sure to justify

your position with research. [PSY-632-01]

IV. Sociocultural Evaluation: Critique current assessment and intervention strategies utilized by the selected program for their applicability across diverse populations for improving clinical sensitivity to the individual client context.

A. Identify the population that was originally utilized for program development in terms of cultural, ethnic, gender, and socioeconomic indicators. [PSY-632-04]

i. Was the program developed to address a specific population or group with respect to cultural, ethnic, gender, and/or socioeconomic indicators?

ii. In what geographic regions has the program been deployed and studied for data collection? iii. What impact might the process of regional and sociocultural population have on the program?

B. Analyze the effectiveness of assessment and intervention strategies across different cultural or ethnic groups. [PSY-632-04] i. What methods were utilized to examine the effectiveness of assessment or intervention strategies across different cultural or ethnic

groups? ii. What strengths of the selected program are apparent regarding the effectiveness to provide assessment and intervention strategies

across sociocultural groups? iii. What limitations or concerns of the selected program are apparent regarding the effective provision of assessment and intervention

strategies across sociocultural groups?

V. Program Evaluation A. Analyze the selected program with regard to the core developmental psychology themes (nature vs. nurture, continuity vs. discontinuity, and

stability vs. change). [PSY-632-01] i. Which of the core developmental themes in psychology are reflected in the selected program? Explain.

ii. Given the identified core developmental themes reflected in the program, where on the continuum of each would the current program lie and why?

B. Evaluate the selected program for the use of contemporary theories of development for key factors that impact child and adolescent development with regard to prevention, assessment, and intervention strategies. Be sure to provide justification for your reasoning. [PSY-632- 02]

i. How effectively does the program’s use of prevention, assessment, and/or intervention strategies align with the original theoretical model that you feel was utilized to establish the program?

ii. Discuss the evidence that prevention, assessment, and/or intervention strategies utilized in the selected program may originate from additional or different developmental theories or models.

iii. What alternatives to prevention, assessment, and/or intervention strategies for the selected program would improve alignment with the original developmental theory?

C. Assess the impact of sociocultural influences on the communities and organizations in which developmental psychology is practiced. [PSY-632- 03]

i. What are the impacts of the selected program on the communities and organizations in which it is currently operating? ii. How does this program contribute to knowledge in the field of developmental psychology?

iii. What are the sociocultural implications of the program with regard to the communities and organizations in which developmental psychology is practiced?

D. Assess the ability of the selected program to address typical and atypical development in children and adolescents across physical, cognitive, affective, and social domains for informing prevention, assessment, and intervention strategies. [PSY-632-05]

i. If the selected program targeted health promotion (typical development), what determines if it is effective at meeting this goal? What statistics or measures exist to support it? If not, recommend an approach for assessing the program’s ability.

ii. If the selected program targeted a developmental issue or diagnosis (atypical development), what determines if it is effective at meeting this goal? Do statistics or measures exist to support it? If not, recommend an approach for assessing the program’s ability. Final Project: Program Evaluation Paper

Milestones Milestone One: Draft of Developmental Issue In Module Three, you will submit a draft of your developmental issue (Section I), including all critical elements listed above. You will utilize research to identify a developmental issue relevant to this course. You are expected to use the library to locate two to three articles to provide additional information on the developmental issue that you choose. Your submission will be one to two pages in length. This milestone is graded with the Milestone One Rubric.

Milestone Two: Draft of Theoretical Foundations and Draft of Program Selection In Module Five, you will submit a draft of theoretical foundations (Section II) and a draft of your program selection (Section III), including all critical elements as listed above. For the draft of your theoretical foundations (Section II), you will apply contemporary developmental psychology research and classic and contemporary theories to the selected developmental issue.

This section of Milestone Two should be one to two pages in length. For the draft of your program selection (Section III), you will research and select a program that targets the developmental issue selected in Milestone One. This section of Milestone Two should be three pages in length. This milestone is graded with the Milestone Two Rubric. Milestone Three: Draft of Sociocultural Evaluation and Draft of Program Evaluation In Module Seven, you will submit a draft of your sociocultural evaluation (Section IV) and a draft of your program evaluation (Section V), including all critical elements as listed above. The Sociocultural Evaluation (Section IV) requires you to examine the selected program’s ability to be utilized across a diverse population.

The goal is to collect information, present your findings, and receive feedback on how to improve each section for your final submission. The draft of your sociocultural evaluation should be two to three pages in length. In the draft of your program evaluation (Section V), you will evaluate the program selected in Milestone Two in four critical areas as listed above. The draft of your program evaluation should be two to three pages in length. This milestone is graded with the Milestone Three Rubric.

Final Submission: Program Evaluation Paper In Module Nine, you will submit your program evaluation paper. It should be a complete, polished artifact containing all of the critical elements of the final product. It should reflect the incorporation of feedback gained from milestone assignments throughout the course. The final submission is graded with the Final Product Rubric. Final Project: Program Evaluation Paper

Deliverables

Milestone Deliverable Module Due Grading

One Draft of Developmental Issue Three Graded separately; Milestone One Rubric

Two Draft of Theoretical Foundations and Draft of Program Selection

Five Graded separately; Milestone Two Rubric

Three Draft of Sociocultural Evaluation and Draft of Program Evaluation

Seven Graded separately; Milestone Three Rubric

Final Submission: Program Evaluation Paper Nine Graded separately; Final Product Rubric

Final Product Rubric Guidelines for Submission: You should submit a well-developed program evaluation report using 12-point Times New Roman font, one-inch margins, and APA publication style.

Critical Elements Exemplary (100%) Proficient (90%) Needs Improvement (70%) Not Evident (0%) Value

Developmental Issue: Issue

[PSY-632-05]

Meets “Proficient” criteria and uses industry-specific language to establish expertise

Comprehensively describes selected developmental issue and accurately identifies as typical or atypical

Describes selected developmental issue but description lacks detail or does not accurately identify as typical or atypical

Does not describe selected developmental issue

9.5

Developmental Issue: Population

[PSY-632-04]

Meets “Proficient” criteria and uses industry-specific language to establish expertise

Comprehensively describes the population affected by the selected developmental issue

Describes the population affected by the selected developmental issue, but description lacks detail

Does not describe the population affected by the selected developmental issue

5

Developmental Issue: Impact

[PSY-632-03]

Meets “Proficient” criteria and uses industry-specific language to establish expertise

Comprehensively describes the impact the selected developmental issue has on the field of psychology, as well as on communities and organizations

Describes the impact the selected developmental issue has on the field of psychology, communities, or organizations, but not all, or description lacks detail

Does not describe the impact the selected developmental issue has on psychology, as well as on communities and organizations. Final Project: Program Evaluation Paper

9.5

Theoretical Foundation:

Contemporary Research

[PSY-632-02]

Meets “Proficient” criteria and cites specific examples and theories that establish a robust context for the evaluation

Comprehensively evaluates contemporary research of development for its applicability to the origin of the selected developmental issue and supports position with scholarly evidence

Evaluates contemporary research of development but evaluation lacks detail or evidence is not scholarly or is missing

Does not evaluate contemporary research of development

5

Theoretical Foundation: Nature

vs. Nurture [PSY-632-01]

Meets “Proficient” criteria and draws nuanced, well-informed connections between concepts

Accurately applies the core theme of nature versus nurture to the selected developmental issue and explains rationale

Applies the core theme of nature versus nurture to the selected developmental issue but with gaps in accuracy, or does not explain rationale

Does not apply core theme of nature versus nurture to the selected developmental issue

3

Theoretical Foundation:

Continuity vs. Discontinuity [PSY-632-01]

Meets “Proficient” criteria and draws nuanced, well-informed connections between concepts

Accurately applies the core theme of continuity versus discontinuity to the selected developmental issue and explains rationale

Applies the core theme of continuity versus discontinuity to the selected developmental issue but with gaps in accuracy, or does not explain rationale

Does not apply core theme of continuity versus discontinuity to the selected developmental issue

3

Theoretical Foundation: Stability

vs. Change [PSY-632-01]

Meets “Proficient” criteria and draws nuanced, well-informed connections between concepts

Accurately applies the core theme of stability versus change to the selected developmental issue and explains rationale

Applies the core theme of stability versus change to the selected developmental issue but with gaps in accuracy, or does not explain rationale

Does not apply core theme of stability versus change to the selected developmental issue

3

Program Selection: Target of Program

[PSY-632-02]

Meets “Proficient” criteria and provides detailed examples of how the program will support the developmental issue

Comprehensively discusses selected program and accurately identifies as preventative, promotional, or prescriptive

Discusses selected program but discussion lacks detail or does not accurately identify as preventative, promotional, or prescriptive

Does not discuss selected program

5

Program Selection: Assessment and

Treatment Methods [PSY-632-04]

Meets “Proficient” criteria and provides detailed examples of how the assessment and treatment methods evidence sensitivity to the needs of a diverse population

Comprehensively identifies the assessment and treatment methods utilized by the selected program to address the needs of diverse populations

Identifies the assessment and treatment methods utilized by the selected program, but with gaps in detail, or without regard to the needs of diverse populations

Does not identify the assessment and treatment methods utilized by the selected program

5

Program Selection: Approach

[PSY-632-01]

Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates keen insight into application of developmental theories

Explains whether the program’s approach to assessment aligns with core concepts of a developmental theory and substantiates claims with specific examples and research

Explains whether the program’s approach to assessment aligns with core concepts of a developmental theory, but does not substantiate claims with specific examples and research

Does not explain whether the program’s approach to assessment aligns with core concepts of a developmental theory

3

Program Selection: Vary

[PSY-632-02]

Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates keen insight into application of developmental theories

Explains whether the program’s treatment or intervention methods vary from what the developmental theory supports or recommends, and explains rationale

Explains whether the program’s treatment or intervention methods vary from what the developmental theory supports or recommends, but does not explain rationale

Does not explain whether the program’s treatment or intervention methods vary from what the developmental theory supports or recommends

5

Program Selection: Different

[PSY-632-01]

Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates keen insight into application of developmental theories

Explains how the program’s assessment, prevention, or treatment methods could be aligned with a different developmental theory, and justifies position with research

Explains how the program’s assessment, prevention, or treatment methods could be aligned with a different developmental theory, but does not justify position with research

Does not explain how the program’s assessment, prevention, or treatment methods could be aligned with a different developmental theory

3

Sociocultural Evaluation: Indicators

[PSY-632-04]

Meets “Proficient” criteria and provides detailed examples of how the program evidences sensitivity to the needs of a diverse population

Comprehensively identifies the selected program’s original intended population in terms of cultural, ethnic, gender, and socioeconomic indicators

Identifies the selected program’s original intended population, but identification lacks specificity with regard to cultural, ethnic, gender, and socioeconomic indicators

Does not identify the selected program’s original intended population

5

Sociocultural Evaluation:

Effectiveness [PSY-632-04]

Meets “Proficient” criteria and analysis is well informed and integrates relevant theories and research

Comprehensively analyzes the effectiveness of assessment and intervention strategies across diverse populations

Analyzes the effectiveness of assessment and intervention strategies, but analysis lacks specificity with regard to diverse populations

Does not analyze the effectiveness of assessment and intervention strategies

5

Program Evaluation: Core Themes [PSY-632-01]

Meets “Proficient” criteria and draws nuanced, well-informed connections between concepts

Comprehensively analyzes the selected program with regard to the core developmental psychology themes

Analyzes the selected program but analysis lacks specificity with regard to the core developmental psychology themes

Does not analyze the selected program with regard to the core developmental psychology themes

3

Program Evaluation: Contemporary

Theories [PSY-632-02]

Meets “Proficient” criteria and draws nuanced, well-informed connections between concepts

Comprehensively evaluates the selected program for the use of contemporary theories with regard to prevention, assessment, and intervention strategies

Evaluates the selected program but evaluation lacks specificity with regard to contemporary theories or does not connect with prevention, assessment, and intervention strategies

Does not evaluate the selected program for the use of contemporary theories

5

Program Evaluation: Sociocultural

Influences [PSY-632-03]

Meets “Proficient” criteria and assessment is well informed and integrates relevant theories and research

Comprehensively assesses the impact of sociocultural influences on the field of psychology in general, as well as on communities and organizations

Assesses the impact of sociocultural influences on the field of psychology in general, or on communities or organizations, but not all three, or assessment lacks detail

Does not assess the impact of sociocultural influences

9.5

Program Evaluation: Typical and Atypical

Development [PSY-632-05]

Meets “Proficient” criteria and assessment is well informed and integrates relevant theories and research

Comprehensively assesses the ability of the selected program to address typical and atypical development across physical, cognitive, affective, and social domains for informing prevention, assessment, and intervention strategies

Assesses the ability of the selected program to address typical and atypical development, but does not address physical, cognitive, affective, and social domains, or does not address prevention, assessment, and intervention strategies

Does not assess the ability of the selected program to address typical and atypical development

9.5

Articulation of Response

Submission is free of errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, and organization and is presented in a professional and easy-to-read format

Submission has no major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization

Submission has major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that negatively impact readability and articulation of main ideas

Submission has critical errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas

4

Earned Total 100%

Rubric Annotations Term Context/Definition

Comprehensively Indicates all contextualizing questions (that is, those questions under the “parent” instruction) were answered