Specific Assignment Requirements & Guidelines
1) You will write a reflective paper based on your experience raising your virtual child by integrating what you have learned in this course (from textbook, lectures, videos within MyVirtualChild, class videos, etc.) and through the process of raising your virtual child.
2) Your paper should include the following two sections:
a) Theoretical Frameworks and Influence of Parenting (30%, 1 page min): Specifically describe one (1) Baumrind parenting style (i.e., disengaged, permissive, authoritative, or authoritarian), and one (1) theoretical framework (i.e., Erikson, Bronfrenbrenner, Piaget, Vygotsky’s socio-cultural, attachment, or family systems) utilized to make your decisions. Include specific ways in which your parenting style and theoretical framework mattered for your child’s development, based on evidence from the course. Include relevant citations from textbook.
b) Virtual Child’s Experience (30%, total 1 page min)
Development and Characteristics (20%, 2/3 page min) Provide specific examples of your virtual child’s development over the lifespan, referencing relevant course material. You might consider the following questions: How did you adapt your parenting decisions to your child? Did anything surprise you about your child’s development or your parenting decisions? Choose at least one (1) of the following categories to expand upon and include relevant citations from textbook:
• Personality/Temperament (e.g., slow-to warm, communicative with others, etc.)
• Cognitive and Academic Ability (e.g. verbal skills, spatial skills, grades, etc.)
• Personal Interests/Abilities (e.g., sports, music, particular activities, etc.)
• Developmental trajectory/milestones (e.g., motor, language, object permanence, etc.)
• Strengths and challenges (e.g., externalizing or internalizing behaviors, impulsivity, etc.)
• Influence of peers (e.g., interactions with peers or siblings, decision-making, etc.)
Influence of Outside Factors (10%, 1/3 page min): Describe at least one (1) specific way in which your child developed that appeared to be influenced by factors outside your control as a parent. This could include a variety of things, such as neighborhood, American culture, peers, divorce, events, genes, etc. Include relevant citations from textbook.
3) APA Format and Writing Style. (15% total)
a) Writing style (10%): Correct spelling, punctuation, grammar, and page length are expected. Organization of paper and ideas, professional writing style, and academic tone are important. Please try not exceed 3 pages (though no points will be deducted for exceeding the page limit).
b) APA Format (5%): Your paper should have 1-inch margins, 11 or 12-point Times New Roman font, and double spacing. APA format requirements include: a title page, headings to organize your paper (use at least Level I headings), and a reference page with a citation for the Arnett textbook. No abstract is needed for this assignment.