Assignment 4: Reflection on Social Issues and Development
For Assignment 4, select only one case study below and write a 500-word reflection including
the use of citations and references from the textbook to support your answer.
Case Study A: Angela
Angela, 17, recently gave birth to Sarah, now aged ten months, the baby’s father is not
present. Both live with Angela’s mother Maureen, aged 43. Maureen has two other children,
Paul aged 15 and David age 13. Maureen’s husband who is Angela’s father is not present,
neither are the fathers of Paul and David. Angela has dropped out of high school but is still
having difficulty caring for Sarah. Angela does not believe her mother is giving her enough
support and Maureen thinks that Angela is not doing enough to help herself.
Your reflection should consider the four parts below—as listed in the Marking Rubric: review,
apply, connect, and reflect. For more details about the expectations of the essay, see the
marking rubric provided.
Marking Rubric: Case Study A: Angela
Review: Provide a summary of the consequences of
early sexual behavior, including teen pregnancy and
intergenerational transmission of attachment by
selecting two developmental theories from the
textbook that help explain teen pregnancy.
/4
Apply: Based on the course textbook discuss how
these two developmental theorists would rationalize
why intergenerational pregnancy continues from one
generation to another.
/4
Connect: How would you connect the individual issue
of teenage pregnancy to larger social issues of
poverty and gender-specific roles and
responsibilities?
/3
Reflect: Reflect on your family situation, both now
and as you were growing up. What pressures did you
experience in adolescence about sexual behavior from
family, friends, and community? How did you balance
competing and conflicting expectations?
/3
Essay Formatting: The student has used a title page,
double-spaced, and indented paragraphs. The work has
an obvious introduction, main body, and conclusion.
Word count is within the 500-word range.
/3
Readability: The student has used academic quality
language including APA citations and references to
paraphrase and quote any words from the text or
another source.
/3
OR
Case Study B: Kevin
Kevin is 11 years old and in grade five. He presents as intelligent and athletic; however, he
also is very disruptive in the classroom. Kevin lacks attention, energy, or effort to do his
homework assignments. He is smart enough to coast through his classes yet lacks real
learning. Kevin is a popular student and takes part in class activities, but there tends to be a
negative outcome due to his hyperactivity and bullying of others. Kevin’s parents do not
acknowledge there is a problem and believe the school administration’s job is to manage kids
in the classroom. Kevin’s participation in a field trip was recently revoked for his acting-up
behavior. The parents are livid and now in the principal’s office to discuss their concerns.
Your reflection should consider the four parts below—as listed in the Marking Rubric: review,
apply, connect, and reflect. For more details about the expectations of the essay, see the
marking rubric provided.
Marking Rubric: Case Study B: Kevin
Review: Provide a summary of the issue of bullying
in middle childhood, including schoolyard and
cyberbullying for 11 year-old Kevin. Include two
developmental theories from the textbook that help
explain Kevin’s developmental issues that address
aggression and bullying.
/4
Apply: Based on the course textbook discuss how
these two developmental theorists would explain the
negative acting out based on developmental
challenges.
/4
Connect: How would you connect bullying in the
middle childhood years to aggression and problems in
adulthood?
/3
Reflect: Think about your emerging social work
practice. What kind of impact does childhood bullying
have on family relationships? How would you begin to
work with families in which bullying is an issue?
/3
Essay Formatting: The student has used a title page,
double-spaced, and indented paragraphs. The work has
an obvious introduction, main body, and conclusion.
Word count is within the 500-word range.
/3
Readability: The student has used academic quality
language including APA citations and references to
paraphrase and quote any words from the text or
another source.