Explanation of the Developmental Tasks by Havighurst and Their Importance to Middle and High school

Heri septiawan
06211210263
Semester 7
Curriculum and Material Development

Explanation of the Developmental Tasks by Havighurst and Their Importance to Middle and High school

Understanding the developmental tasks of adolescence is a such kind of very crucial thing for language teachers, especially for those who want to engage their students as the life long readers. If students are asked to read literature that is not consistent with their developmental tasks, they will not be able to interact fully with that literature. As a result, they just read in school since they are forced to do that, not as life long readers who read because they love it. Consequently, the result of the teaching is just like selling ice to the Eskimos.
Havighurst outlines lifetime developmental tasks for healthy individuals that include a series of tasks that confront adolescents. The first task is achieving new and more mature relations with age-mates of both sexes. Mature relationships are here viewed as adult relationships; girls are looked upon as women and boys as men. They are interested in relation to the opposite sex in social activities and social experimentation. In this case, school is the main place where the socialization takes place. Approved to be peer of the both sexes is a powerful influence on the behavior of adolescents. In addition, failing or delaying this developmental task will affect their social adjustment and other developmental tasks.
The second developmental task is achieving a proper masculine of feminine social role. In this task, the main point is to be accepted in adult social role. The task of achieving manhood or womanhood is complicated by the contemporary ferment over social roles, the erosion of traditional models, and lack of clarity for replacements.
Accepting one's physique and using body effectively is the third developmental task. Adolescence period is the time of change. As the adolescents grow up, their bodies will also change. In this period, they will learn what their bodies will be. But, not all bodies are shaped or function as what they desire. Havighurst define a task that will be pride or tolerance of one’s body and the ability to use and protect the body satisfactorily. There are at least two components to teenage anxiety regarding physical growth. First is the concern about developing into a satisfactory adult body. The second and more immediate adolescent crises regarding physical growth has to do with the timing of physical changes, particularly the development of adult sexual characteristics. They will have question in their time of change, am I normal? It is asked by the adolescents as they compare their bodies change with the peers,
The fourth developmental task is achieving emotional independence from parents and other adults. The parents want them to become mature adults, but they also want to protect their children. On the other hand, the children have achieved emotional independence form parents and other adults. They want to leave the security of childhood for the adulthood world. The result of the opposite condition is miscommunication, rebellion, authoritarian behaviors and irresponsibility; they may say “whatever!” “I don’t care with the rules, it’s me who determine myself!”. In this case, Teachers have to understand the conflicts so that they can avoid being drawn into misplaced hostility and confrontation.
The fifth task is preparation for marriage and family. The strong attraction with the opposite sex, in period of adolescence need developing, it comes from their willing to have relationship with the opposite sex and establishing independence from parents. They will have understanding that family and marriage is two important things for the adolescents.
The sixth developmental task is preparing for an economic career. One thing which is primary from childhood to adulthood is achieving economic independence and the ability to make a living, as well as choosing a satisfying occupation. They try to think how to earn money and sustain their lives since they are not longer as children.
Acquiring a set of values and an ethical system as a guide is the seventh task of Havighurst’s. This task reflects that adolescents start to have interesting in world views, religions, and ideas of life, political stances and philosophical problems. They are no longer a passive thinker but, one who can see universal truths. Therefore, they need to make choices that reflect their values and ideals. And it is later their principles to lead their lives.
The final developmental task is satisfactorily achieving social responsibility. This task involves discovering one’s role in social lives; to be citizen, members of community and so on. Adolescents discover that what they do will potentially affect the social groups where they live beyond their own families.
To consider the seventh developmental tasks outlined by Havighurst is a crucial point. Teachers should be aware of the tasks, especially, for middle and high school students. In the middle school, students have opportunity to relate their experience to and respond to what they read. The real experience is the basis to build their responses on what they read. They have tried to associate the real experience with their readings. They can share knowledge, discuss and do more with their readings.
In high school, adolescents are able to reason at the formal operational level. In general, these students have reached intellectual maturity, and most are able to think in a systematic manner. If then, teachers consider the all developmental tasks, so it will be more interesting for the students to study literature at school. Even more, they will be long life readers, because they think literature is consistent with their interests and needs as shown in developmental tasks by Havighurst.