Competence with Concepts Presentation

1. UNDERSTANDING CHILD
POVERTY AND ERIK
ERIKSON’S
DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES
IN ELEMENTARY STUDENTS
Ginger Sulton
EPSY 5150
Summer 2015

2. Defining Poverty
 Absolute vs. Relative Poverty
 According to the National Center for Education
Statistics, absolute poverty is the lack of basic
necessities to survive as clean water, housing
and medications.
 Absolute poverty is more common in developing
countries as South Africa, Afghanistan and
Somalia.
 Relative poverty are individuals that struggle with
socially, cultural and economically to life’s
everyday situations.
 Relative poverty is more common in developed
nations as the U.S., Japan and France.
(Photo courtesy of http://www.dreamstime.com)

3. Defining Poverty
A family is judged to be in poverty if their pretax income falls below a certain
threshold according to the US Census Bureau.
- Criteria includes the age of household members, family size and income.
- If the individual or family falls below this threshold they are deemed poverty
stricken. However, if above this threshold they are not considered in poverty.
Living in poverty means a day to day struggle that affects your health and
psychological well being. Those in poverty feel powerless about their situation.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics (2015), in 2013, over 17%
of children in all U.S. regions age 5-17 live in poverty.

4. Children Living in Poverty (Source: National Center for Education Statistics. Original source: U.S. Department of
Commerce, Census Bureau, 1990 Summary Tape File 3 (STF3))
17
14
20
15 1615 14
18
12
16
21
18
23
19 21
0
20
40
60
80
100
United States Northeast South Midwest West
Percentage of 5-17 year olds in families living in poverty
1990 2000 2013

5. Defining Poverty
According to Layton (2015), in 2012-2013, 51% of students in pre-kindergarten
through 12th grade were eligible for free or reduced lunch. This is an essential
federally funded program that provides students with balanced meals.
Minority groups as African-Americans and Hispanics are more likely to be in poverty.
According to Jensen (2009), minority families are more likely than other non-
minority groups to be headed by single parents. In particular, African-American
households headed by a single mother had the highest poverty rate at 47.5%,
compared with 8.4% married black couples in 2006.

6. Why Discuss Poverty in Relation to Erikson’s Developmental
Stages for Elementary School Students?
 I thought this was an important topic as learning about poverty keeps you open
minded about individuals and family situation.
The effects of poverty go beyond financial aspects and extends to the psychological
and social being of the child. All children are not created equal in their environment.
Living in poverty has the ability to make them feel as if they do not have control over
the simplest tasks in life. In elementary school the child may not feel they are able to
assert control over their life. According to Erickson’s stages of development, children
need to essentially “graduate” and reach the state of autonomy or else they will resort
to a feeling of shame and guilt.
Poverty is “inherited” by children from their parent(s). A child is born into this world
based on their parents attributes, environment and lifestyle. Their parents situation or
crisis is theirs as well.

7. Poverty and Development of Children
Poverty affects not only the social and psychological aspects. It also affects the
brain development resulting in smaller brain volumes used for emotion processing
and memory. According to Layton (2015), children exposed to poverty at an early
age had smaller amounts of white and gray brain matter. Both play an essential role
in a child’s sensory, perception, memory and emotions.
-White matter is used to transmit information vs. grey matter is responsible for
processing and retrieving information.
Children from poverty may lag behind and have more behavioral problems than their
counterparts from middle class families. They may also have problems staying
attentive or using appropriate behavior in various classroom settings. The child may
act out in a need for attention because they do not have a positive interaction/or
attachment at home with their parents.

8. Poverty and Development of Children
 Children living in poverty should be afforded the opportunity to be enriched with
normal interactions with others. Elementary aged students can still be “molded” and
become resilient with issues they experience.

9. Protective Factors and Risks
Individual School & Peers Family
Self control Support for early
learning
Protection from harm
and fear
Secure attachment and
parental involvement
Access to supplemental
services
Responsiveness
Mastering
communication and
language skills
Stable and secure
attachment to childcare
providers
Support and discipline
from parent(s)
Able to make friends Adequate
socioeconomic
resources for the family
Risks: Difficult
temperament
Risks: Inaccessible to
outside support
Risks: Cold and
unresponsive behavior
from the parent
 Protective factors should be
in place to lessen the impact or
complete onset of risks.
 Elementary aged children that
progress into adolescence and
teens are more likely to have a
healthy development than their
counterparts.

10. Understanding Erik Erikson’s Developmental Stages on Poverty
Erikson focused on how children socialize and how this affects their sense of self. If
each state is completed successfully the child will be healthy socially and
psychologically. When a child does not complete a stage, they will develop an
unhealthy sense of self.
Trust vs Mistrust
- Occurs between birth and the first year of life. Attachment and
responsiveness from the parent(s) is/are very essential in development as babies are
learning to develop a sense of trust in people and themselves. Being in poverty can
change the mentality of some parents. According to Jensen (2009), low income
parents are typically more authoritarian with harsher demands and punishments than
higher income parents. These parents are typically more stressed and may not
respond to the infant’s cries or does so in a way that is not nurturing. Likewise if the
parent does not respond immediately the baby can become distressed and develop a
sense of mistrust.

11. Understanding Erikson’s Developmental Stages on Poverty
 Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt
- Occurs during early childhood. Independence and sense of self confidence begins
to evolve. During this stage children try to assert themselves and make small
decisions as what toy to play with, choosing what they want to eat and wear.
Encouragement is important during this stage because it boosts their self
confidence. In households with poverty, children may be taught “not to have a
voice” and lack words of encouragement from their parent(s). They are essentially
dependent on their parent(s) because they control all aspects of their life without
any consideration of their feelings. In the classroom setting the child may suppress
their comments when presented with unfamiliar words to avoid looking foolish in
front of their peers.

12. Understanding Erikson’s Developmental Stages on Poverty
Initiative vs. Guilt
- Occurs during the preschool years. Having a sense of security in their own actions
becomes important. They try to lead others and make their own decisions.
However, in poverty stricken homes children maybe criticized or controlled in what
they are allowed to do which develops a sense of guilt. They may also feel belittled
and a nuisance to others which suppresses what they think they are capable of
doing..
Industry vs. Inferiority
- Occurs approximately during ages 5-11. According to Erikson, children begin to
develop a sense of pride in their accomplishments which is essential for positive self
esteem. They feel they are on the same level as their peers and no inferiority to them
in aspects of skill set and knowledge. Students in poverty may not have this same
sense of accomplishment. Instead they may feel their peers are better off and have
something they do not have to help them succeed in life.

13. Effects of Poverty on Academic Achievement
 According to Lacour & Tissington (2009),
students from low income families regardless
of race or ethnicity score well below average
on tests. However, in 2007 African-Americans
and Hispanics are twice as likely to score
lower.
Percentages were 34.5% for African-
Americans and 28.6% for Hispanics.
Compared with 12.5% for Asians and 10.1%
for those of non-Hispanic decent.
(Photo courtesy of dreamstime.com)

14. How Literacy Relates to Elementary Students in Poverty
Children that are solid readers perform
better in school. They also have a
healthy image and develop a better
sense of well-being as needed in
Erickson’s Autonomy vs. Shame and
Doubt stage.
Those from disadvantaged homes may
need more motivation, access to
resources as books and readiness skills.
According to Lauer (2010), over 60% of
low income households have no books
at home.

15. How Literacy relates to elementary students in poverty
In this same group, approximately 50% of children have smaller vocabularies than
higher income families. There is less conversation and more use of smaller
vocabulary between parent and child which does not help stimulate their imagination
and expand their understanding. The result is an increase in the reading gap
between the child and their counterparts.
 Parents may not have the time or interest in simply using an activity as reading out
loud to their child to increase their vocabulary. Too often these parents are
overstressed trying to meet the daily needs of their family.

16. What We Can Do
Teachers should not give up on these students because of their “inherited”
background. These students maybe easily shrugged off as lazy because of their lack
of motivation and behavioral problems.
Keep track of comments to students and give more positive than negative thoughts.
Be honest, but gentle as well. Elementary age students are more likely scorned with
negative critiques than adolescence or teens. They tend to take comments and
feedback to heart which will hinder them moving through Erikson’s developmental
stages. When encourage students work harder and better results are likely to occur.
Instill hope and a positive mindset. Hope gives us the motivation we need to tackle
life’s problems. This assignment indicated lower socioeconomic status is associated
with believing the future has more negative than positive events. For young children,
they are more likely to have lowered expectations about their own future. If students
think failure is their predestination, they will not bother to try and limit their effort.

17. What we can do
Build cognitive activities that teach positive coping strategies. It has been shown
children from low socioeconomic households have more cognitive problems. This
includes being easily distracted and the inability to generate solutions to problem.
Despite these issues, children are still teachable, but educators will need to rethink
their teaching method in order to help the student succeed.
I think it’s imperative to first deal with the real issue which is stress. Having a sense
of control is important to help diminish stress. Teach students better coping skills so
they are able to better deal with their stressors. Give examples as “If this, then that”
or even pose realistic stories about our own coping strategies that worked for us.

18. References
 Cherry, Kendra. (n.d.) Erik Erikson Biography (1902-1994). About.com Guide: Psychology. Retrieved from
http://psychology.about.com/od/profilesofmajorthinkers/p/bio_erikson.htm.
 Jensen, Eric. (2009). Teaching with Poverty in Mind. ASCD Learn.Teach.Read. Retrieved from:
http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/109074/chapters/How-Poverty-Affects-Behavior-and-Academic-Performance.aspx.
 Lacour, Misty & Tissington, Laura. (2011). The Effects of Poverty on Academic Achievement. Educational Research and Reviews, Vol. 6 (7)
pp.522-527. Retrieved from: http://www.academicjournals.org/article/article1379765941_Lacour%20and
%20Tissington.pdf.
 Lauer, Rhonda. (2010). Support Learning – Before, During & Afterschool Hours. Language & Literacy for All. Reading for Life: The
Poverty/Illiteracy Connection. Retrieved from: http://www.languageandliteracyforall.org
 Layton, Lyndsey. (2015). Majority of U.S. Public School Students are in Poverty. The Washington Post. Retrieved from:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/majority-of-us-public-school-students-are-in-
poverty/2015/01/15/df7171d0-9ce9-11e4-a7ee-526210d665b4_story.html.
 National Center for Education Statistics. (Updated May 2015). Children Living in Poverty. The Condition of Education – Population
Characteristics – Demographics. Retrieved from: http://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_cce.asp
 Youth.Gov. (2012). Risk and Protective Factors. Youth Topics. Retrieved from: http://www.youth.gov/youth-topics/substance-abuse/nsk-
and-protective-factors-substance-use-abuse-and-dependence#early.