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PEPSI Case Study of Hector Nunez Jr. Age 16

Nikira Nunez

College of Southern Nevada

EDU 220

Professor Richardson

30 March 2018
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Bio

Hector Nunez is currently sixteen years-old and is a sophomore in High School. When it

comes to school Hector is not the biggest fan and feels that this year of school has been more of a

social scene and he was not to focused on his academics. He has lived in Las Vegas his entire life

and lives at home with his two sisters and mother. He also spends the weekends with his father.

Both of his parents were born in the Dominican Republic so the primary language spoken at

home is Spanish. His father grew up in New York and his mother did not come to America until

the 90s. Although, his first language was English he did say that speaking Spanish is a lot more

difficult for him but he understands almost all of it. He is the youngest in the family so he feels

that by the time he came around it was not as important for him to know how to speak Spanish

since both of his parents can also speak and understand English. Hector has played baseball since

the age of four and continues to play to this day. His father is very tough on him when it comes

to the sport but he loves it and his family supports him 100%. All his life this sport is all he

comes to know and feels like he should live and breathe baseball. Another hobby he holds is his

obsession with superheroes. Growing up this is hobby other than baseball was one of his only

connections to his father. He says that this is also one of the number one topics between himself

and his closest friends. My observation of Hector carried on within the comforts of his home for

a couple of weeks, so that I could really see into his development as an early adolescent.

Physical

According to Greatschools.org, “Middle adolescence is a time of blossoming

development. Boys and girls still exhibit markedly different levels of physical maturity as they

enter middle adolescence.” (Greatschools Staff, 2016). Based on an Article from CDC “Boys

might still be maturing physically during this time. Your teen might have concerns about her
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body size, shape, or weight.” (Child Development, 2017). While I was observing Hector I

noticed that he has hit most of his developmental milestones. He is in the stage of puberty where

facial hair and hair on other parts of his body like under arms and legs are beginning to be more

noticeable. His voice when he speaks tends to crack every now and then but his voice has

deepened throughout time. At the age of sixteen he is still not fully matured. Right now he holds

the height of 5’9 and weighs about 150 lbs. Because his body is still developing it is possible he

can grow taller but according to medicalnewstoday.com, “Most boys will stop growing taller by

age 16 and will usually have developed fully by 18.”(Sissons). Also at this age boys tend to be

very hungry all the time. Hector says he can put away about two to three plates of food down.

The shape and weight of his body will fluctuate and change as he goes through his

developmental milestones. A recommendation I have for parents in this stage of development is

to make sure to acknowledge the changes your child is going through.

Emotional

After talking with Hector, he explains how he has been through a lot while growing up.

His emotional development seems to be in the right place. For most of my observation Hector

had no problem talking about himself and about who he wanted to be in life. Erikson’s theory

shows that in this stage of development there is in fact some kind of confusion in identity. He

says, “If adolescents succeed in integrating roles in different situations to the point of

experiencing continuity in their perception of self, identity develops” (Snowman 30). Erikson’s

theory also ties in with article on webmd.com that says, “Teens become more comfortable with

their own identity” (Emotional). Hector has said he has take the role of “Man” of the house

because of his parents being seperated. I also noticed as he talked about this topic he became

very upset. In the text by Snowman he states, “Depressed mood is primarily characterized by
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feelings of sadness or unhappiness” (Snowman 104). The separation of Hector’s parents seem to

have taken a toll on his emotional development because he does not react to feelings right away.

At this stage of development in his life he knows that he will have many ups and downs. Hector

says, “It’s a part of life and we just have to go with the flow”. The best way for parents to get

involved in their child's emotional state in my opinion is to be their friend and be able to listen

instead of being a parent they feel they cannot talk to.

Philosophical

The philosophical developments normal characteristics deal with morality and making

formal thoughts and decisions. In my observation I noticed that Hector seemed a little lost in the

mix. His thoughts were very scattered and only focused on things that he really enjoyed talking

about. But, of course at this age according to Snowman, “High school students become

increasingly capable of engaging in in formal thought but they may not use this capability”

(106). At this age it is important to teach them how to plan and create a formal thought. They are

at the stage in their life where decision making is now up to them and if we as adults cannot

guide them correctly, their development could possibly regress. According to J’Anne Ellsworth,

“The student is often overwhelmed with the chaos and restructuring, so rules and expectations

become onerous and area negated as "nothing but social notions"” (Ellsworth). Within this

observation there was a lot going on in our surroundings. I do believe that the chaos between

home and school has a big toll on the philosophical development in this case. Also in the levels

of Kohlberg's stages of moral reasoning I believe Hector falls into level 3 which states, “Good

boy- nice girl orientation. The right action is one that would be carried out by someone whose

behavior is likely to please or impress others” (61). Hector falls in this stage because even

though he does not show it much, he is always trying to do the right thing because he wants to
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look good for everyone else. Overall in this stage of development I do think he is heading in the

right direction. Just like in the emotional stage parents should learn to be more optimistic and

open to the thoughts of their child and be there for support in this stage of development.

Social

According to the University of Washington, the normal characteristics of the social stage

of development consists of “Relationships with parents range from friendly to hostile” (Child

Development Guide). In Hectors case I believe he shares a little bit of both of those factors

between both of his parents. With his mom they seem to have a fun and open relationship and

they joke around with each other a lot. He feels comfortable and says that his mom is basically

like his best friend. Whereas there is hostility between himself and his father. He and his father

are very closed off with each other and Hector expressed that sometimes he feels resentment

towards him. In the text by Snowman he says, “Not-surprisingly, most conflicts between parents

and their adolescent children are about such peer-influenced issues as personal appearance,

friends, Internet and cell phone use, dating, hours, and eating habits” (103). With this quote I can

see that this is one of the bumps in the road that he sees with his mother. It seems like it is hard

for him to deal with these issues with her because they have such a friendly relationship. Because

he is with her most of his week it is tough because he seems to forget that she is still his mom

and regardless of their relationship she wants what is best for him. They argue about these things

a lot but, when these issues are brought up with his dad he knows that there is no fighting it. Also

according to CDC adolescents “Show more independence from parents” (Child Development).

Adolescents begin to do things for themselves and realize that they do not need their parents for

every little thing they do. They tend to become their own problem solvers and branch out on their

own. This is very important because as they grow further into development adolescents need to
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learn that they cannot be codependent because their parents are not always going to be around.

They need to become their own person and see what is going on for them. Hector says he sees

many of his friends starting to branch out by working and driving and he wants to begin working

towards that route as well.

Intellectual

The University of Washington Child development guide states that a normal

characteristic of intellectual development states that adolescents are, “Seriously concerned about

the future; beginning to integrate knowledge leading to decisions about future” (Child

Development Guide). I do not think that Hector has reached this stage of development quite yet.

He does not think his education right now is important and he is not concerned about his future.

He is holding onto this dream about making it into Major League Baseball. When I asked him

about how is baseball is going he seems very nonchalant about it and does not seem to have

much interest or care to further his career. CDC states, “Children in this age group might learn

more defined work habits”. In this case I do not see an aspiration to pick up these types of skills

and ethics. It seems like Hector is satisfied with staying at home, watching movies, and playing

video games. His ability to grasp knowledge is very dominant but I am afraid that he is not quite

aware of the power he has to use it. Also per The University of Washington Child Development

Guide, “adolescents may lack information or self-assurance about personal skills and abilities”

(Child Development Guide). From observation this characteristic of intellectual development

could be in effect as to why Hector does not care for his future. It is possible that he is unsure

about his personal skills and abilities. For many people after the stage of adolescents they may

still not know what they are doing. But, for him it seems as though he is afraid to find what he is

good at because he is so used to everything being given to him by his mom. It is almost as
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though he is not ready to move on further into believing in himself to achieve this goal. In this

stage of development Hector is a little behind but he still has time to progress.
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Graph
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Parent Recommendations

Physical

In this stage of development is important for parents and teachers to acknowledge the

changes that their children are going through. They are maturing and their bodies are changing

and if we do not inform children about what is happening in these stages of their lives then we

can harm them.

Emotional

For the emotional stage of development the best recommendation I can give is to be

supportive. This stage of life is an extreme emotional roller coaster. Adolescents need someone

to hear them out and someone who is not going to be there to judge them. At one point they may

start to feel alone and if parents and teachers are there for support we can help lighten the load.

Philosophical

My recommendation here is to be open to hearing about your child's thoughts and

feelings. Their minds are expanding and now it is time for them to make choices. We have to

learn how to be their guides without actually guiding.

Social

Socially, as parents and teachers we need to learn how to be one in the same with our

kiddos. It is important for them to see you as an enforcer and a peer. With this they can learn

how to build a healthy respectable relationship with you. Do not force yourself upon them and be

more welcoming.

Intellectual
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To me this is one of the most important things we need to focus on especially as teachers.

I recommend that we encourage to talk about the things that matter to them and find out who and

what they want to be. I do not think it is ever too early to start start this conversation.
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References

Child Development. (2017, October 24). Retrieved from

https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/positiveparenting/adolescence2.html

Child Development Guide: Sixteen to Nineteen Years. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://depts.washington.edu/allcwe2/fosterparents/training/cdevguid/cdg15.htm

Ellsworth, J. (n.d.). Early. Retrieved from

http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jde7/ese504/class/pepsi/reading2-1-1.html

Emotional and Social Development, Ages 15 to 18 Years - Topic Overview. (n.d.). Retrieved

from https://www.webmd.com/parenting/tc/emotional-and-social-development-ages-15-to-18-

years-topic-overview

GreatSchools Staff | March 2, 2016 Print article. (n.d.). Child development: 13- to 16-year-olds.

Retrieved from https://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/child-development-13-to-16-year-olds/

Sissons, C. (n.d.). When do boys stop growing: Height, genitals, and what to expect. Retrieved

from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320676.php

Snowman, J. (2014). Psychology applied to teaching. Place of publication not identified:

Cengage Learning.