Customer Reviews

Child Development

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I am currently using this book for my Early Childhood Education(ECE)Diploma studies.This book has detailed and comprehensive topics and theories on Child Development.It also provides lots of pictures and graphics to enhance your understanding of what you read.This book is a must for anyone studying ECE or for those teaching children and wish to know more about Child development.

This is one of the worst textbooks I've ever used (bachelor's degree, master's degree, working on 2nd master's). The writing is not the worst, though it's not very lively. My attention wanders after about 4 pages and by 10 pages I want nothing more than to do anything but keep reading. But read on I must, because it's a long book and it's determined to overlook no detail, no matter how peripheral.

It's definitely packed with data, a fault, not a virtue. In its zeal to be comprehensive, it spends page after page on disproven theories, unproven theories, half-proven theories, and even theories nobody has cared about for decades. (I know, because I was working in cognitive AI in the 1980s when some of those theories were already history and many of the rest of them greeted with a Spock raised eyebrow.)

Everything is jumbled together so the student ends up in the state of "buzzing confusion" often used to describe a newborn infant. Case in point: the author seems enamored of Jean Piaget. Piaget asked good questions. He also got many wrong answers and his research methodologies broke nearly every guideline laid down in an early chapter of this very textbook. So does the reader get a summary of Piaget's major ideas, with a focus on those that have proven useful, with a side mention of the mistaken details? Nope. You get play by play detail. Pages of Piaget, followed by pages of research that disproves him. After wading through all that, the reader has to flip back and forth to figure out on their own what might be worth remembering and what not. It doesn't help that the author phrases every statement of Piaget's theory, proven or not, as though it were true, and often qualifies statements that summarize research that clearly disproves him, e.g., "So, Piaget may have been wrong about ..."

The study guide and questions are no help. They focus on the details of who did what and when as much as or more than the ideas themselves. They find disproven theories worth memorizing as much as validated ones. Worth knowing if this were a history of the field. Incredibly confusing otherwise.

Ironically, the text's focus on distracting side detail gets in the way of learning in precisely the ways it criticizes when discussing effective strategies for teaching.

A very frustrating book.

I am so displeased with this publisher PEARSON I had to return and comment. The description of this book on Amazon hints to having the MyDevelopmentLab code seeing as how it's in the description. After spending over $100 I received the book with no codes. Our class is two weeks in and only a small handful of kids have the book. It was promised a month ago. Bad business of a publisher. I hope teachers re-think buying the latest editions. Not much has changed, I'm sure, in the last few years that a teacher couldn't look up herself and tell us about it. Instead we are forced to buy a book that doesn't even come with all it's parts!!

This is the BEST child development text I have been able to find as an overview of the many theories and stages of childhood. A great text that you will refer back to over and over again in your child development and psychology study.

I ORDERED at about 3:30pm on Friday, September 2nd.
The book was MAILED at about 2:30pm on Monday, September 5th (Labor Day).
The book ARRIVED at about noon today, Monday, September 12th.

If they told me the book was mailed new, I would have believed them. There is a VERY minor amount of damage to the edges of the covers, but that could have been from the mailing; the box it came in looked pretty abused, as if it had been squashed good or thrown around a bit. The inside seems as new as can be. I'm very pleased; thank you fastbooks6. :)

I should have never purchased this book! every single page has underlining and words circled! it is so hard to read and comprehend. i am so dissapointed. I should have just bought the book for full price at my college book store!

I am getting my Australian teaching degree and was in desperate need for a book called CHILD DEVELOPMENT. The issue I am facing is i am studying by distance learning from Indonesia, due to work and other issues.

So i had searched almost the whole Indonesia for this book and found nothing, i even called the publisher here and found that i had to wait for 2 months! Buying the book from Australia also would take about 3 weeks to reach me.

In the midst of my desperation i finally think about Amazon. i was thinking there might be some sellers that are located in Singapore or even Indonesia, which would be closer and shorter delivery time. but, i only found one in The USA,and decided to choose the express delivery.

The shocking thing was, i ordered the book Thursday afternoon, and the book was in my hands by Monday morning (less than 4 days). i didn't expect it at all since it is a really long distance order The US - Indonesia! it was really an express delivery! they must ship through the weekend as well!! i was so happy and would definitely trust Amazon for my next purchase!

Had to get this book for class and the price was much better than the school store. Using standard shipping, the book arrived prior to the start of the semester. I'm glad I chose to order my books this way.

I have enjoyed reading Laura E. Berk's book on Child Development and I am looking forward to reading more books written by her. Excellent!!!

I received this book in great condition. It was described exactly. I received it quickly. Thank you... for outstanding service!