Culture and the Developing Child

Our beliefs about child development are shaped by our cultural context.  To illustrate this connection in my courses, I will typically start the discussion with provocative questions about things such as spanking, “family bed”, and cell phone use.   Most of these topics stimulate a polarity of responses and engage the students on an emotional level.  For example, the discussion about spanking often yields comments ranging from, “Well, I was spanked and I turned out fine” to “Spanking is never ok.  It teaches children to be aggressive. My parents never spanked me.”  Through class discussions, we explore how the layers of culture influence our beliefs.  Our parent’s practices impact our sense of what is right or wrong.  Shifting public views and community practices also impact our beliefs. 

Beliefs about what children should do and how adults should be involved are related to culture.   I previously wrote about Lareau’s research (Jan 29 blog entry) which explored the relationship between socio-economic status and child reading practices.  Looking at play is another vehicle for examining family practices.  Gaskins (2008) completed a study at a metropolitan children’s museum to look at the differences in play behaviors in families from different cultural groups.  The study extended previous research which suggested that families will engage in either cultivation of play, acceptance of play, or curtailment of play.  The family’s view of the role of play determines how the adult interacts with the child during play.  Gaskins reminds people who operate places such as children’s museum that settings such as that are based on the concept of cultivation of play whereas the family sees play as important for development and parents will likely take on a more active and supportive role.  Not every family, however, views play in the same manner. 

The work of people like Lareau and Gaskins reminds us that there is not “just one way” to parent a child or support child development.  It’s important to be aware of our own perspective and be cautious about judging the beliefs of others.  For many years, I worked with children and families from many different backgrounds.  Therapeutic or educational goals are often based on dominant cultural perspectives, but it may also be important to consider the perspectives of those we are working with.  What may be seen as resistance could be based on different cultural perspectives.   Opening our awareness of different perspectives can help us guide and support our clients and students in a more responsive manner.

Gaskins, S. (Winter,2008). The cultural meaning of play and learning in children’s museums.  Hand to Hand: Association of Children’s Museums. Retrieved from: http://www.childrensmuseums.org/docs/H2HWin08Play.FINAL.pdf