Child‐rearing practices and children's communicative interactions in a village in Botswana

Increasingly, research is indicating the need to consider language development in the particular cultural, socio‐economic and child‐rearing context in which it is occurring. The observations in this paper, conducted over a period of nine months while the first author lived with a family in a village in Botswana, highlight the need for a more thorough understanding of the ‘local’ child‐rearing practices and the nature of typically developing children's communicative interactions. Mothers' orientation towards interacting with their babies, as well as the interaction style with their young children, is described. Implications for further research are discussed.     

Modelling and close observation: ways of teaching and learning between third‐generation Bangladeshi British children and their grandparents in London

Studies on child development in cross‐cultural contexts generally contrast child‐rearing practices in traditional or non‐Western with those of Western societies. Thus, they show how non‐Western communities tend to emphasise the importance of interdependence and collectivism between family and group members; Western communities focus rather on the role of the individual and achievement within a competitive milieu. Similarly, close observation by younger siblings of older children and caregivers who ‘model’ tasks to be learned are usually concepts referring to non‐Western groups, whilst those detailing ‘scaffolding’ tend to focus on the caregiver/child dyad in the West. This paper questions the value of such binary divisions when studying the learning taking place in the homes of third‐generation migrants to the UK. Using examples of children, their younger siblings and their grandmothers in London, it shows ways in which the older generation skilfully syncretises traditional and Western teaching practices and how each child responds appropriately to the tasks in hand.     

Early childhood education in India: History,trends, issues,and achievements

The changes in the social and economic structure of India have intensified the need for universal early childhood education. The formidable challenges before the Indian Government are: to provide high quality early childhood education programs; to preserve indigenous practices such as multilinguality, family/community involvement, participation of older children as caretakers of their younger siblings; and to provide early childhood education to all children despite serious financial constraints. This article presents a brief overview of the traditional childrearing practices in India, chronicles government initiatives in early childhood education, describes the range of programs available in India, and identifies goals that will shape the future of early childhood programs in India. Portions of this article will appear in Isenberg, J.P., & Jalongo, M.R. (Eds.). (1997, in press).Trends and issues in early childhood: Challenges, controversies, and insights. New York: Teachers College Press.     

Socio‐cultural‐historical constructivism in the preparation and practice of early childhood teachers in New Delhi,India

Abstract

The author conducted a study with early childhood educators in New Delhi to understand the teachers’ perceptions of the relationship between their preparation and practice within a theory‐practice framework. The research problem emanated from the observations and experiences of the author, indicating an existing three‐way tension between the design of current Indian teacher education programs, the dominant discourse of early childhood education, and the underlying values of Indian philosophy that defined the construct of the teacher and child in Indian society.     

Lifelong learning and demographics: a Japanese perspective

This paper explores the social dimension of lifelong learning from the perspective of demographics, with particular focus on the issue of the birth of fewer children, which has become one of the most important current social issues in Japanese society. When considering the relationship between lifelong learning and demographics, the issues arising from an ageing population are usually the focus of policy‐makers. This perspective often overlooks crucial children’s issues, such as child development and the influence of the child’s daily environment. This paper suggests that it is necessary to analyse the issues arising from a society with fewer children independent of the concept of an aged society with fewer children in an attempt to emphasize these essential issues. The presented relationship between lifelong learning and the issues surrounding the birth of fewer children is based on two perspectives. The first perspective seeks to remove barriers such as the economic burden of educating children and the traditional stereotypical gender‐roles that have contributed to the birth of fewer children. The second perspective includes a response to the negative influences that the birth of fewer children has had on family’s experiences of child rearing and on children’s growth. Specifically, this paper develops the second perspective by focusing on three aspects: the development of children’s social skills; children’s growth as influenced by a high adult:child ratio; a decline in the quality of child rearing. Three issues are identified as necessary in order to build a Japanese society that fosters children: (1) embracing the concept of the ‘family‐friendly company’; (2)creating opportunities for mixed age groups to participate in learning programmes based on communities and schools; (3) reconsidering an intergenerational exchange programme.     

Families’ social backgrounds matter: Socio‐economic factors,home learning and young children's language,literacy and social outcomes

Parental support with children's learning is considered to be one pathway through which socio‐economic factors influence child competencies. Utilising a national longitudinal sample from the Millennium Cohort Study, this study examined the relationship between home learning and parents’ socio‐economic status and their impact on young children's language/literacy and socio‐emotional competence. The findings consistently showed that, irrespective of socio‐economic status, parents engaged with various learning activities (except reading) roughly equally. The socio‐economic factors examined in this study, i.e., family income and maternal educational qualifications, were found to have a stronger effect on children's language/literacy than on social‐emotional competence. Socio‐economic disadvantage, lack of maternal educational qualifications in particular, remained powerful in influencing competencies in children aged three and at the start of primary school. For children in the first decade of this century in England, these findings have equity implications, especially as the socio‐economic gap in our society widens.     

Ethnicity: the experience of socio‐economic disadvantage and educational attainment

The analysis concerns the way in which socio‐economic disadvantage affects the educational performance of children from different ethnic groups. Nationally representative data was provided by the 10 year follow‐up survey of the Child Health and Education Study. The effects of nine indicators of socio‐economic disadvantage on the intelligence, and reading test scores of United Kingdom, West Indian and Asian children were investigated. Differences were found between these groups of children in terms of the relationships between the disadvantage indicators and the test scores. The most striking result was the lack of sensitivity of the West Indian children's test scores to socio‐economic conditions. Attention was focused on this phenomenon, the analysis being repeated using United Kingdom and Asian children who had been matched with the West Indian children on the basis of intelligence. Again it was found that, unlike Asian and United Kingdom children, the test scores of West Indian children did not show any statistically significant relationships between the nine criteria of socio‐economic disadvantage. Subsequent analyses indicated a relationship between mother's social class and also mother's age and reading attainment in West Indian children. Various methods of explaining these results are discussed. It is suggested that further research should be pursued which investigates first whether different measures of socio‐economic disadvantage are relevant to West Indians, and secondly whether other non‐socioeconomic dimensions of disadvantage may help to explain the unique position of West Indian children.     

Bodies at Home and at School: Toward a Theory of Embodied Social Class Status

Sociology has long recognized the centrality of the body in the reciprocal construction of individuals and society, and recent research has explored the influence of a variety of social institutions on the body. Significant research has established the influence of social class, child‐rearing practices, and variable language forms in families and children. Less well understood is the influence of children's social class status on their gestures, comportment, and other bodily techniques. In this essay Sue Ellen Henry brings these two areas of study together to explore how working‐class children's bodies are shaped by the child‐rearing practices associated with their social class status, and the potential effects these bodily techniques have on their experience in schools.     

Child abuse in Nigeria

Although child abuse occurs in Nigeria, it has received little attention. This is probably due to the emphasis placed on the more prevalent childhood problems of malnutrition and infection. Another possible reason is the general assumption that in every African society the extended family system always provides love, care and protection to all children. Yet there are traditional child rearing practices which adversely affect some children, such as purposeful neglect or abandonment of severely handicapped children, and twins or triplets in some rural areas. With the alteration of society by rapid socioeconomic and political changes, various forms of child abuse have been identified, particularly in the urban areas. These may be considered the outcome of abnormal interactions of the child, parents/ guardians and society. They include abandonment of normal infants by unmarried or very poor mothers in cities, increased child labour and exploitation of children from rural areas in urban elite families, and abuse of children in urban nuclear families by childminders . Preventive measures include provision of infrastructural facilities and employment opportunities in the rural areas in order to prevent drift of the young population to the cities. This would sustain the supportive role of the extended family system which is rapidly being eroded. There is need for more effective legal protection for the handicapped child, and greater awareness of the existence of child abuse in the community by health and social workers.     

Levelling the reading gap: a socio‐spatial study of school libraries and reading in Singapore

This article takes a comparative socio‐spatial approach at the intersection of social class and reading politics to provide a fresh way of examining school reading policies and practices, unearthing previously hidden spaces of inequity for reading intervention. The juxtaposition of two nested case studies in Singapore, one of an elite all‐boys' school and another of a co‐educational government school with students in different academic tracks, revealed inequitable practices, specifically in the designs and uses of school library spaces between schools serving different social classes. The study argues that attempts to design reading interventions should move away from the view of student‐as‐problem to structure‐as‐problem in order to discover new perspectives for reading intervention. Additionally, this study demonstrates how foregrounding social class in educational research is necessary for effective design of educational strategies that aim to transform education and society by narrowing the gap between students from different social classes.     

Child‐Rearing Practices Associated with Aggression in Youth with and without ADHD: An Exploratory Study

Although parental behaviour and attitudes have been assessed for their contribution to disordered child behaviour, little research has examined child‐rearing practices. Child‐rearing practices may be more amenable to change than attitudes, while being more inclusive than specific behaviour. This study assessed child‐rearing practices and attitudes of parents of youth with hyperactivity. Twenty‐seven children, aged 7 to 11, were placed in either a hyperactive, hyperactive‐aggressive, or comparison group based on behavioural ratings. A home visit was made for the purposes of administering questionnaires to parents and observing a peer play interaction. Overall, we found that mothers of youth with hyperactivity were using more consequences (time outs, reasoning, and taking away privileges) than comparisons; whereas fathers reported greater incidence of allowing free‐reign in their child‐rearing than comparison fathers. Additionally, mothers of normal comparison youth were more overprotective than mothers of youth with co‐occurring hyperactivity and aggression.     

Creating family-centered services in early intervention: perceptions of professionals in four states.

This article describes professional perceptions of the current status of family involvement in early intervention programs in four states. Significant discrepancies between current and ideal practices were found in four dimensions: parent involvement in decisions about child assessment, parent participation in assessment, parent participation in the team meeting and decision making, and the provision of family goals and services. In identifying barriers to ideal programs, professionals most frequently mentioned family barriers (35.8%) and system barriers (35.1%). Professional barriers, or those related to a lack of skill, accounted for only 14.8% of the barriers mentioned.     

Parents as Therapists: A Responsible Alternative or Abrogation of Responsibility?

In the past two decades a growing theoretical and research literature has influenced treatment of and programming for children with special needs; one crucial area concerns early intervention programs, many of which are “home‐based” and rely heavily upon parents as implementors of treatment. More recently there has been increasing focus on the emotional impact of a handicapped child on the family, both parents and siblings. This paper reviews home‐based programs and psychosocial aspects of parental involvement, and questions whether professionals are expecting too much of parents who already may be physically and emotionally stressed by having to care for a handicapped child. Recommendations are made which require careful professional consideration concerning the role of parental involvement.     

An examination of the vocational education and training reform debate in Southern Africa

This paper explores the role that vocational education and training (VET) can play in Southern African responses to major socio‐economic challenges. It argues that this role will be most pronounced if it is articulated within a broader educational and economic vision that is shared by a range of stakeholders in society and supported by an adequate funding base, effective information systems and qualified and motivated planners and implementers. However, it cautions that it is also important to remember that VET reform will not in itself transform economies or societies. The paper argues that there is considerable convergence within Southern Africa around 10 themes of VET reform. It argues that there is much that is of merit in the current broad package for VET transformation but that it is essential that it is carefully critiqued and that elements are adapted to national circumstances and visions.     

转型期弱势群体的社会保障与构建和谐社会

改革开放以来,中国开始了由传统农业社会向现代工业社会、由计划经济体制向社会主义市场经济体制的转型时期。在社会转型过程中,社会弱势群体的大量出现已成为一个不容忽视的问题,这一问题的凸显直接影响到社会主义和谐社会的构建,因此,能否正确对待弱势群体,是构建社会主义和谐社会不可忽视的重要问题。     

The parent as learner: Early childhood parent programs

Early childhood parent programs have evolved from family‐oriented trends in the helping professions and a strong belief in the educational potential of early experiences. Recent conceptions of parents during the early years emphasize their role in providing educational experiences and the relationships of parents with programs and schools. In a variety of disciplines early education and treatment programs for children now focus on the behavior of the parent in relation to the young child. The parent is a learner; goals, strategies, and curriculum planning include family members as well as the child. Yet, clarification of parent and professional roles has proceeded slowly. This article describes the development and content of these programs, emerging theory, and implications concerning the child‐parent‐professional relationship.     

Early intervention practitioners’ self-efficacy: a measure and its applications

Teacher efficacy is linked to student achievement and classroom practices in general and special education, but has not been explored in early intervention (EI). Based upon the work of Gibson and Dembo [Gibson, S., & Dembo, M. H. (1984). Teacher efficacy: A contrast validation. Journal of Educational Psychology, 76(4) 569–582], a 15-item early interventionist self-efficacy scale (EISES) was developed for use in understanding child and program outcomes, as well as for use in evaluating interventionist training and practices. Analysis of the internal consistency reliability of the scale was adequate. Factor analysis indicated a personal self-efficacy component (internal consistency reliability was good) and a general self-efficacy component (internal consistency reliability was poor). This two-component solution explained 41% of the variance. Further analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between EI practitioners’ overall self-efficacy with years of intervention experience. There was also a significant positive correlation between personal self-efficacy and years of experience in early intervention. Implications for the application of the EISES are discussed in terms of the relationships between provider beliefs, implementation of practices, child and family outcomes, as well as effective components of early intervention personnel preparation programs.     

影响侗族传统生育行为和生育观中的因素分析

性别作为人类学理论分析的一种话语,划分了男女两性之间的差别,社会又赋予了两性不同的性别角色,使之具有了与性别相适应的行为规范.在传统社会中,男性都被赋予了养育家庭的责任,而女性则被赋予了生育的责任,在这种行为规范的影响下,人们的生育行为和生育观出现了很大的差异.对于处于中国西南部的侗族村寨,在这种社会性别规范下的生育行为和生育观,又有着自己的特色.造成这种差异的原因,主要有经济、文化和政治等几方面的因素.只有对影响其生育行为和生育观的因素进行根本性改革,才能扭转当地的生育现状,使其符合国家的政策和要求.     

Models of Micro‐Organisms: Children’s knowledge and understanding of micro‐organisms from 7 to 14 years old

Current approaches to science‐technology‐society (STS) education focus primarily on the controversial socio‐scientific issues that arise from the application of science in modern technology. This paper argues for an interdisciplinary approach to STS education that embraces science, technology, history, and social and cultural studies. By employing a case study of traditional papermaking technology, it investigates how the interactions between technology and science can be explored in an authentic societal and cultural context across a historical time span. The term technology‐society‐science (TSS) is used to represent an alternative approach to linking technology, society, and science that aims to redress the imbalance between science and technology, and to resolve the tension between two diverging goals of STS education. The educational implications of this alternative approach to STS education are discussed.     

Common components of evidence-based parenting programs for preventing maltreatment of school-age children

Child maltreatment can lead to a variety of negative outcomes in childhood including physical and mental health problems that can extend into adulthood. Given the transactional nature of child maltreatment and the difficulties that many maltreating families experience, child protection services typically offer various kinds of programs to maltreated children, their parents, and/or their families. Although the specific difficulties experienced by these families may vary, sub-optimal parenting practices are typically part of the picture and may play a central role in maltreated children’s development. Hence, to deal with child maltreatment, programs that focus on parenting practices are essential, and identifying the common components of effective programs is of critical importance. The objectives of the present study were to: 1) describe the components of evidence-based parenting programs aimed at parents who have maltreated their elementary school-aged children or are at-risk for doing so and 2) identify the components that are common to these programs, using the approach proposed by Barth and Liggett-Creel (2014). Fourteen evidence-based parenting programs aimed at parents who had maltreated their elementary school-aged children (ages 6–12) or were at-risk for doing so were identified using both a review of relevant online databases of evidence-based programs (California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare, Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development, Youth.gov, and the National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices). Common components were identified (operationalized as components present in two thirds of programs) and discussed. The identification of common components of evidence-based programs may help clinicians choose the best intervention methods.