NPC NPC Student Development & Learning Theories 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Erik Erikson's stage theory suggests that school-age children (ages 6–12) face the psychosocial conflict of:
- Trust vs. Mistrust
- Autonomy vs. Shame
- Industry vs. Inferiority (Correct answer)
- Identity vs. Role Confusion
Correct answer: Industry vs. Inferiority
Erikson's Industry vs. Inferiority stage occurs during middle childhood when children either develop a sense of competence or feel inferior compared to peers.
Question 2: Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences suggests that paraprofessionals should:
- Focus only on verbal-linguistic and logical-mathematical skills
- Recognize that students have diverse strengths across different intelligence types (Correct answer)
- Test students in all eight intelligences weekly
- Assign students to groups based on their primary intelligence
Correct answer: Recognize that students have diverse strengths across different intelligence types
Gardner's theory identifies at least eight types of intelligence, meaning students learn and excel in different ways that should be recognized and supported.
Question 3: What does 'intrinsic motivation' mean in the context of student learning?
- Motivation driven by external rewards like grades or prizes
- Motivation that comes from internal satisfaction or genuine interest (Correct answer)
- Motivation created by teacher instructions
- Motivation based on parental expectations
Correct answer: Motivation that comes from internal satisfaction or genuine interest
Intrinsic motivation comes from within the student — a genuine desire to learn, curiosity, or personal satisfaction — and is more sustainable than external rewards.
Question 4: A paraprofessional is working with a student who becomes frustrated easily. Which approach best supports the student's emotional development?
- Ignore the frustration to avoid reinforcing it
- Remove the student from all challenging tasks
- Acknowledge feelings, offer coping strategies, and provide encouragement (Correct answer)
- Immediately report the behavior to the principal
Correct answer: Acknowledge feelings, offer coping strategies, and provide encouragement
Acknowledging emotions validates the student's experience, while coping strategies and encouragement build emotional regulation skills.
Question 5: Which term describes a student's belief in their own ability to succeed at a specific task?
- Self-esteem
- Self-efficacy (Correct answer)
- Self-concept
- Self-regulation
Correct answer: Self-efficacy
Self-efficacy, a concept from Albert Bandura's social cognitive theory, refers to a person's belief in their capacity to execute behaviors necessary to achieve specific goals.
Question 6: When a paraprofessional praises a student's effort rather than their intelligence, this supports:
- A fixed mindset
- A growth mindset (Correct answer)
- Learned helplessness
- Extrinsic motivation
Correct answer: A growth mindset
Carol Dweck's research shows that praising effort fosters a growth mindset, teaching students that abilities can be developed through hard work.
NPC NPC Student Development & Learning Theories 2
Erik Erikson's stage theory suggests that school-age children (ages 6–12) face the psychosocial conflict of: