SOCIOLOGICAL STUDY OF CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

Sociological Study of Childhood Education



Sociological Study of Childhood Education

Introduction

According to James et al (2001) 'new childhood studies' (p4) view children and adolescents as a social category whose lives are on equal terms with all other social categories. This view is clearly in conjunction with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Bainham, 2005) that views children as individuals and therefore bestows them with rights and responsibilities. However critics argue this is a Westernised view that is difficult to uphold in a substantial number of differing cultures (Woodhead and Montgomery, 2003). Also, children's rights are a relatively new and problematic area (Woodhead and Montgomery, 2003) that is evolving at a rapid pace (Bainham, 2005). This perspective indicates that views of childhood are not only culture specific, but are also greatly determined by the historical context of the generation to which each child is born (Narvanen and Nasman, 2004). This can be seen in particular when considering English perspectives of education and childhood.

Analysis When considering these historic or cultural perspectives of childhood it becomes necessary to understand what a child actually is. Hill and Tisdall (1997) state that a universal definition of a child is near impossible as childhood encompasses such a diverse historical, social and cultural perspective. Nevertheless, many theories can be combined to create a suitable definition. For example the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child states that a child is anyone under the age of 18 years (Bainham, 2005). As this is ratified by every country in the world other than the USA and Somalia (Amnesty International, 2001) this definition by age provides a sound starting point. Another useful convention is the age of majority, when an individual is legally given adult status in their own culture (Woodhead and Montgomery, 2003). In England this age is currently 18 years (HMRC, 2008). Other indicators of childhood can include immaturity in emotional and cognitive states, as well as physical attributes (Woodhead and Montgomery, 2003). However, these characteristics are subjected to heavy criticism as they are far more varied across individuals, creating difficulty in drawing reliable yet consistent results (Yeo and Lovell, 1998).

In this attempt to understand what a child and childhood are several approaches have been devised. The first of these is the scientific approach (Knifong, 1974), which aims to provide objective facts about children, young people and their development (Woodhead and Montgomery, 2003). While specific definitions of the scientific approach vary, the general consensus is that it consists of devising a theory, forming a hypothesis and then testing it through ethical action research with children and young people (Woodhead and Montgomery, 2003). Clear examples of this scientific approach can be seen clearly in the work of Piaget (1896-1980). Using observations of ages attached to the communication and understanding of games that male boys and adolescents played, Piaget managed to construct a theory of cognitive development (Piaget, 1932), before constructing tasks such as his conservation of liquid experiment ...