E104 TMA01 Introduction to Childhood Studies and Child Psychology Assignment Brief 2026

TMA01 Part 1

Learning about childhood and youth studies and Psychology

Through my time studying at the open university, I have learnt many different things about childhood and some basic psychology, since reading the materials at the start of this module I have gained more information on childhood and youth studies and psychology this blog will describe brief parts of what I have learned so far.  

Childhood and youth studies

Childhood and youth studies is the analysis of ideas about the nature of childhood. From reading the subject materials, I have learnt that by gaining the views and experiences of the children, we as a community can use these to influence policies and how we can teach our children throughout their lives.
In one of many studies, it states that childhood and youth are social constructions.  

What is social constructionism?

Social constructionism is a theory highlighting the way that ideas, meanings, or categories are shaped by people who share assumptions about the world. Childhood means different things in different societies and cultures across the world and across different periods of time. (study topic 1, Montgomery, 2023, pg. 15)

So, from reading the first part of the module it has shown that childhood is different in cultures and that adults will treat children differently depending on their own experiences and nature.

Childrens rights:

what are the rights of a child? The United Nations convention on the child's rights (UNCRC) is legislation used worldwide to help protect our children and give them the right to be taken seriously as they may not be due to their age.

The UNCRC has three main groups that help them in the rights of the child:

Provision

•  Food
• Housing  
• Education

Protection

• Against exploitation
• Against abuse

Participation

• Views
• Promotion
• Listened too

All children should be given these rights to help them throughout their lives and ensure they are getting the best out of life. Children should be able to stand up for what they believe in and have a voice.  

Psychology

 Psychology is known as the science of the mind and there are several types of psychology from studying module 1, I have gained a little knowledge of some of these types of psychology and a little understanding of how they may be used when working within childhood studies.

Developmental psychology – life span, development, learning and change over time.

Biological psychology – Sensation, neuroscience, and consciousness.

Cognitive psychology – cognition, memory, and intelligence

Social and personality psychology – social, the self, personality, emotion, and motivation.

Mental and physical health psychology – health and ill health and therapies. 

These are some of the different psychologies that are used to help with a child's development.

The psychology of childhood and youth is a web of interconnecting factors that interact with one another. (pg. 27)

Psychologists

What is a psychologist?

A psychologist is someone who tries to understand the human mind ther are many different psychologists who study various parts of the mind, the following are types of psychologists used within childhood:

• Clinical psychologist - these can carry out tests to diagnose children's difficulties and provide psychotherapeutic, behavioral, or other kinds of support.
• Educational psychologists support children in schools and homes and address barriers which may prevent them.
• Forensic psychologists – these work within the legal and justice system and give advice, guidance, and support.  
• Research psychologist – these work within universities and collaborate with other professionals to generate knowledge of children.

 Throughout time psychologist have used many methods to challenge children and gain more knowledge of their behavior, one famous example of this is the marshmallow test:

What is the marshmallow test?

The marshmallow test is where a marshmallow is put in front of a child. The adult then left the room telling the child that if they did not consume the marshmallow while they were gone, they would have another one.  From this experiment came many different conclusions and many different variations. The experiment was believed to find that children who left the marshmallow were the children who were more intelligent and did better in tests and assessments. As the experiment has been varied and tried in many cultures and countries there have been many different results. Maybe doing the experiment today will bring out a different result.  will we ever know the true results of the marshmallow test? So, from the information I have read and has been supplied from the open university I have a better understanding of childhood and youth studies and the psychology behind it and how they work alongside each other in the development of a child in not only their mind but also the mind. I understand more about the rights children have and how these rights are in place to help protect our children in different ways.

TMA01 Part 2

Studying E104 has taught me many different skills and habits which I can use throughout my time at the open university. As this is my second-year studying, I have already picked up some skills I can use from my previous year. From block 1 I have learnt that when I read it is best to pick out key words within the text which may help you to understand the topic and may be relevant to that topic. Other skills such as note taking and highlighting are also effective ways to pick out the relevant information that you may need to feel I am good at this and use it within a lot of my work. It helps me pick out the things I need for a later time, and it also helps you find them quicker.  As this is a university course I will need to reference and paraphrase which I feel in these two areas I need to work on to improve as I lack confidence in these areas. The main improvement I need to make is my time management skills as although I try to plan and make sure everything is done and ready to send in, I always feel although I still struggle and stress myself at the last minute, so I need to find a way to manage my time more effectively.

There are many different support sources and resources you can access from the open university. Your first and main support is your tutor as they will be able to help and support you throughout, they can answer any questions and give you relevant information.  You also have all the contact information needed for them. Student services is also a god place to talk about what you need from the university. Within your module there are forums these can be used to access information from other tutors and other students, the forums can be used as a talking and learning place it can help you make friends and ask the questions you may need help with. The study guidebook is also a knowledge of information and will guide you throughout the course, the online library can also supply you with a lot of different areas such as books, articles and papers which can help with your studies.