Individual and Family Development, Health, and Well-being

Reviewed by Lisa Hollis-Sawyer, Associate Professor, Gerontology Program Coordinator, Northeastern Illinois University on 4/2/24

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This textbook does a wonderful job of covering all stages of lifespan development from a thoughtful and holistic perspective. The content is logical in presenting the stages of human development, with appropriate factors to consider both within and across chapters. The textbook offers an analysis of topics that are not well covered in other textbooks, such as the impact of trauma in one's lifespan on ongoing human development.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

As with any textbook, research content needs to be updated on an ongoing basis. The textbook presents detailed and historically accurate information regarding theories and other content areas. The information is thorough and represents a sampling of research across many different sources of information to create a balanced and unbiased representation of the content to be learned. I also appreciate that the information presented is framed within historical and cultural contexts, explaining the complexity of the many factors that impact human development over time.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

Over the many different chapters presented in the book, the information conveyed appears to be relevant to many different topics in today's society that shape human development. The textbook's structure seems appropriate, and updates can be made over time as society evolves regarding developmental influences and factors. I appreciate the supplemental materials, which further expand upon different topics that, again, are relevant to how individuals learn and grow as they age. The textbook again creates a nice balance between applying traditional theories of human development and integrating these ideas with current societal and developmental factors impacting diverse groups as they develop across the lifespan.

Clarity rating: 5

The textbook presents a clear structure to follow across chapters. There is also a conscious effort to limit any types of jargon or professional terminology that would not be appropriate for a student reading the textbook. The wording of concepts in the textbook is appropriate for the reading level of the students who would be using the textbook in a class at the undergraduate or lower-level graduate designation.

Consistency rating: 5

The textbook presents a clear and anticipated structure of the content presented within each chapter. There is clear consistency across chapters regarding the “frameworks” of what the reader should be learning in terms of theories and concepts, and there are applied examples of how these theories and concepts can be related to the real world. To create more depth in learning, each chapter presents additional readings and videos that further supplement the learning of theories and concepts within each chapter.

Modularity rating: 5

The textbook is well organized in terms of a clear framework that allows an instructor to develop topics to organize a course (e.g., the structure of a course syllabus) and that a learner reading the textbook can follow. It is helpful that each chapter begins with clear and actionable learning objectives. From there, there is a sound theoretical review of relevant theories and concepts for the focus of each chapter. As a follow-up to further integrate the learner’s understanding, helpful examples and supplemental content (additional readings and videos) are provided.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The textbook provides a good structure for learning concepts and applied ideas across the chapters. Within each chapter, there is a conducive “flow” in writing through headings and subheadings that support the framework of moving from theoretical ideas to more applied examples and extended readings or videos on concepts. The well-organized textbook facilitates learners' understanding of presented content through this defined structure within sections of the textbook.

Interface rating: 5

There are no apparent interface issues to be addressed in the chapters. The images and other visual displays support the understanding of the text. As with any textbook, integrating more visual displays should be an ongoing process to enhance the learner's learning experience further and maybe engage them more in relation to certain concepts that might be improved in conveyance through visual explanations.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

In my review of the textbook chapters, I do not see any grammatical errors. The book's text is written in a grammatically appropriate manner.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The textbook does a nice job of representing different diverse groups, but any textbook can always improve in terms of inclusivity regarding the wide range of diverse factors that can be represented in a population. The textbook’s images and supplemental videos do represent a good degree of diversity of cultures.

Comments

This is an excellent textbook choice for undergraduate or graduate courses with this focus across many different disciplines.

Reviewed by Bridget Kelsey, Professor of Psychological Sciences, Metropolitan State University of Denver on 3/14/24

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

This textbook is comprehensive in its coverage of human development and is appropriate for an introductory life-span development course. The text provides a solid foundation of theoretical perspectives, research methods, genetics, and prenatal development as well as in depth explanations of physical, cognitive, and social development for each period of the life-span. However, despite having ‘family’ in the title, family development is not highlighted to a large extent throughout the text as the primary focus is individual development. Family related theories are covered in the Introduction and Theories sections; there also is a section in the first part of the book on family and other influences. Although there are some additional readings linked in various places, it would be helpful to more fully emphasize family related influences throughout discussions of each period of the life-span and include more specific information related to family development. This would help to make the textbook more applicable to courses with an emphasis on family development and distinguish it from the numerous OER as well as non-OER life-span development textbooks. Given that there is an increased focus on career preparation in undergraduate programs, it would be desirable to have a specific section devoted to careers in human development and family studies as well as highlighting particularly relevant careers for given areas throughout.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The presentation of the theories and research findings seems to be an accurate and unbiased reflection of the field of human development. Sources are appropriately used throughout.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The authors provide historical context for theories and research findings while keeping the information up to date with current research findings. The organization makes it manageable for updates with the addition of more recent research throughout. As family science related research becomes more prominent in the field, it will be important to integrate more of this focus into the text, particularly given family development is part of the title.

Clarity rating: 5

The writing is easy to follow and a relatively straight forward presentation of the theories and research. The content is engaging and encourages active learning throughout with learning objectives, practice questions, videos, supplemental information, etc.

Consistency rating: 5

There is a clear easily identifiable framework throughout the text. It is particularly helpful that the sections for the different periods of the life-span are set up similarly so that instructors and students can more easily identify developmental continuities as well as changes across the life-span.

Modularity rating: 5

The text is broken into meaningful sections, sub-sections, etc. that help instructors make needed decisions about content for their particular courses. The grouping of topics also makes it manageable for students to work through the abundance of content typical in a life-span development course.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The authors follow the typical organization for a life-span course, with theories and research methods as a foundation at the beginning, followed by genetics and prenatal development, and then detailed sections for development in each period of the life-span. It is important to note that the book is set up chronologically and would not be a good fit for instructors who teach life-span development topologically.

Interface rating: 5

The text is easy to navigate, images/charts display well, and additional materials are easily accessed through the provided links. There are some long portions of text that could benefit from some additional breaks with images, bordered boxes, questions to ponder, etc. to keep students engaged.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

The text appears to be free of grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

Diversity in developmental processes is covered throughout the text. Culturally sensitive language is used as are inclusive examples.

Comments

Overall, this is a good OER textbook for introductory life-span human development courses in psychology or human development programs. It is similar in scope to other life-span development texts. Emphasizing family development in greater detail would align it more with the title and distinguish it from the large number of non-OER and OER book options in this area.

Reviewed by Daniel Moen, Professor, Minnesota State University Mankato on 11/21/23

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

I appreciate the depth and breadth of topics covered across the lifespan. The index is well organized and descriptive. There is a focus on cognitive, social, physical, and emotional aspects to life. Additionally, I see topics such as ACEs and abuse are covered as they relate to development.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

Information is well-sourced, mostly up-to-date, and relevant to the subject matter. I am not aware of any significant errors or biases.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

Content is relevant/applicable. As such, this content should be updated regularly. I'm not sure if updates are ever "easy". I do see the ability to keep the textbook structure while updating every 2-3 years. For example, macro and micro-level trends, family policy, etc. may contribute to a need for updates.

Clarity rating: 5

The text is clear and concise with limited jargon. I see significant efforts for consistency in the layout and structure. There are an appropriate amount of headings.

Consistency rating: 5

I see consistency in the level of reading, terms, and framework. As a reader, I know what to expect for each chapter.

Modularity rating: 5

The text is well organized. I can see using this in a lifespan development course. I would be able to divide sections into my course syllabus. I appreciate the order of things as well. The text starts with baseline information that is crucial to understand before more specific topics/focus.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

Yes. I thought this was particularly strong. I can see the authors were deliberate about the order of things.

Interface rating: 5

I did not observe any interface issues and had no problem navigating the text.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I did not observe any grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The textbook uses a fair amount of inclusive photos throughout. I did not see any insensitive or offensive content.

Comments

This textbook is a great OER for lifespan development. Perhaps, the authors may consider adding a quiz/test bank, discussion questions, classroom activities, etc. With that said, I do appreciate the external link that takes you to videos and formative assessments (practice questions).

Reviewed by Sharon Methvin, Part Time Instructor, Mt. Hood Community College on 10/11/23

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

The text covers the life span thoroughly, is up to date and well organized. Theories and research methods are also well covered.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

The material is supported from a variety of sources and well documented.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The sections are broken into nice small bites and these can then be easily added to or updated.

Clarity rating: 4

Clear and readable. I would like to see more cross cultural data and examples to highlight the key content. I would also like to see more reliance on a diversity of authors/examples.

Consistency rating: 4

The sections have similar tone. I would like to see greater consistency in the length of each section and more antidotes. I love the video inboxes as our students are so motivated by visual stimulation.

Modularity rating: 5

This is a strength of the text. It has nice bite sized sections. But, there are a lot of them, so hard to know what I would leave in and what I would take out in a term.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The structure is clear and logical.

Interface rating: 4

The graphs are clear and can be followed. Color and size appropriate. I would continue to develop more images to anchor the material and grab the students attention.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I did not catch any.

Cultural Relevance rating: 3

This is an area to continue to develop and include greater cross cultural material.

Comments

Text is well organized and up to date. I would like to see the data augmented by examples and cross cultural comparisons.

Reviewed by Jacqueline McMillion-Williams, Adjunct Professor, Bunker Hill Community College on 3/31/23

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

The text provides appropriate coverage of all areas of the lifespan. The table of contents provides an effective index for chapters, but not sections of the chapters. Although each section is labeled, there is no true insight into what content is within each section. Key words are bold and defined within the text. Although there is not a glossary at the end, readers can use the search function to locate key words and their definitions.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

Historical and current information about domains, theories and stages is accurate and presented without bias. Theories are presented within a historical context. The primary author also relies on content from several known sources to provide diverse perspectives. The text also provides examples of development across different cultures and accurately discusses a variety life circumstances that influence development.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

Contents of the text are relevant to today’s learners with up to date language such gender identity. Also, there are links to videos for supplemental learning. Over time these links can easily be swapped out for newer videos.

Clarity rating: 5

The language used in the book is accessible to readers of varying levels. The use of common language and conversational tone makes the content approachable. The author’s use of questions provide space for a pause and allow the reader to think about what is already known about a topic before the author provides information that the reader needs to learn or know by end of the course. This also makes the books feel more like a dialogue between the reader and author versus text that must be read for a class. Overall the content is engaging and enjoyable to read.

Consistency rating: 5

The author provides a clear framework of development for the reader to follow and information throughout the text is consistently presented within the framework of the domains of development. Use of language is consistent including the manner in which key terms are defined.

Modularity rating: 5

I appreciate the time spent covering an introduction to lifespan development, research, and theories as separate chapters. This division lends itself to being able to ensure students my adolescent and adult development courses as well as those taking the full lifespan development course can easily be assigned these chapters. Additionally, supplemental materials (videos) are linked within the chapters so readers do not have to go back and forth between an appendix and the chapters.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

I appreciate the time spent covering an introduction to lifespan development, research, and theories as separate chapters. This allows for reorganization all information. Foundational information can be reorganized so that each chapter does not have to be assigned in order. The manner in which the chapters are divided also lends itself to an instructor being able to reorganize content by domains versus stages.

Interface rating: 5

The author presents information in a logical sequence. Content is divided into chapters with clearly stated learning objectives. Chapters are also divided into subtopics. There is a PDF version of the textbook that readers can use offline, allowing readers to take notes and annotate directly on the text. I also appreciate the manner in which foundational information is chunked across multiple small chapters versus one long chapter.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I did not locate any grammatical errors in the text.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

The text places a heavy emphasis on the ways in which culture can influence development and provides diverse examples of cultural differences across common stages of development. In doing this the author reinforces that although we may be culturally different as humans, generally speaking, our development is the same. However, the pictures used do not reflect the same diversity.

Comments

Although there are sections that I am especially interested in using in the future along with linked videos and knowledge checks within the chapters, I am not certain if I would use the full text. Some adopted content is from a text that I am currently using, but that text does not provide supplemental learning materials. For this reason, there is a high likelihood of my piloting the use of this text with at least one of my developmental psychology courses.

Reviewed by Jacqueline Coogan, Adjunct Faculty, Bunker Hill Community College on 3/29/23

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This textbook , INDIVIDUAL AND FAMILY DEVELOPMENT, HEALTH, AND WELL-BEING by DIANA LANG ,Iowa State University Digital Press , Ames, Iowa covered extremely well all aspects of human development. It is particularly well documented, organized and written. It is very thorough, engaging to the reader, offering an ample number of examples as well as concepts and theory. In addition, each topic is followed by references, readings and videos that will enhance comprehension, learning and teaching. In many topics and subtopics, vocabulary and key terms are explained within content, and also in some readings or topics, vocabulary is placed as short learning listings at the end of chapter and /or sections.
Within each major Category/Chapters, learning objectives are also provided, clearly delineating what is to be expected for learning, comprehension and application.
This reviewer was extremely aware of the first three short Chapters setting the stage for the full command of Human Life Development by introducing, Human Development /Lifespans, Theories and finally Research allowing the student/ reader to absorb that this is the construct each stage will be examined, analyzed and reviewed in.

The textbook does not provide for an index but distinctly begins with a well-developed and outlined Table of Contents with corresponding page numbers.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

The Content is very accurate, bringing in many and varied resources to document accuracy. One notable and unfortunate issue is in accessing videos and additional readings, a few of the videos and/or articles access were difficult to manage or information no longer available.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The Content was extremely relevant demonstrating longevity where in many examples indicated historical perspective as well current theory and recognition. It was very interesting to have that very much part of the content so that the reader can easily see the development and updates of theory.
In addition, much of the additional built in articles and videos also demonstrate present and future thought of a particular theory , case study and /or examples.

Clarity rating: 4

This text, grammar and vocabulary are well-organized and comfortable to read, which makes it ideal and suitable for all learning abilities and styles. The references, at times, can be many in number and could cause confusion while reading for content and understanding. Another method of indicating references to studies and cases should be reviewed for placement within the body of the text so not to cause disruption and “reading for instruction/ learning” content.

Consistency rating: 5

The entire textbook is organized in a fashion that is very consistent with all of the Domains of each of the Stages of Human Development. Within each of the domains there is a structure which increases comprehension and learning. Examples of this would be the concepts and theories explained and described with examples, research and additional readings and videos as well as references.

Modularity rating: 5

This textbook does an excellent job of dividing up and organizing its chapters. Every chapter and domain start with learning objectives. Within each chapter, there are many headings and subheadings reflecting concepts in the particular stage. This really makes for terrific organization for the reader/students. This assists the teacher to plan and design lessons on the various concepts within each of the Domains and Chapter Stages. In addition, all the articles and videos provided for the various sub-divisions are extremely helpful and allow for more in-depth learning.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

All of the stages of development are presented very well and very organized following a pattern that makes for real structure and development of information and learning.

Interface rating: 5

Many informational Charts, photos, videos, additional articles and information provided to interface with content and enhance it for students and teachers.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I did not find any grammatical errors

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The text and content are culturally sensitive, especially in the additional articles and videos. These videos are particularly sensitive to issues in the 21st century. I would like to see additional text photos that are more demonstrative of the text and content within the book.

Comments

I really like this textbook for various reasons as stated above. It is very extensive with many opportunities for students to learn from additional written information and case studies as well as examples and videos explaining what they are reading and learning in the basic textbook.