Child Development and Education by Tersa Cdevitt, Essay Example

One of the most widely-considered debates questions the impact of hereditary and environmental influences, i.e. nature versus nurture, but, according to Scarr (1993), all animals are behaviorally versatile and adaptable.  Bronfenbrenner and Ceci argue that the potential of these two major influences is not as crucial as the number and quality of interactions, typically in a parent-child or child-child relationships (as cited by Lang, 1995). Lang (1995) explains that the manner of child-rearing may account for many of siblings’ similarities in score sets and that sameness in nurture can also create a developmental stall. The absence of mainstream white culture may account for lower standardized test scores, as these tests frequently reflect a race bias which does not consider minority experience. Traditionally, society was stratified to exclude minority groups from the cultural knowledge which is valued in the mainstream. Cultures affect the norms which are expected or required. A behavioral pattern of speech, reward, punishment, etc. can establish a socially-learned expectation—whether or not it is unintentional (Scarr, 1993).

Nonetheless, a child’s development cannot be narrowed to any one thing. The term itself implies a wide range of genetic, social, familial, cultural, and other identifications which some adults are even unable or unwilling to embrace (Scarr, 1993). Being compared to a standard of genes or behavior can be demoralizing. In everyday situations, this occurs more than many parents realize. For example, it is not unusual for a parent- in a moment of frustration- to compare and contrast the attributes of their children. This devalues the individuality and independence of each child. Parents, as agents of social change, define the limits of acceptable behavior until a child is old enough to think and act independently (Scarr, 1993).

Teachers have a particular power to create a new culture of learning and to blur the racial lines of enculturation and expected mainstream knowledge through the creation of intercultural routines. Specifically, creating a habit of thinking about their understanding of the world creates a “safe place” from which the students can launch into educational exploration. These thinking routines created positives expectations for educational attainment and reinforced common practices, such as scaffolding (Salmon, 2008). It should be noted that this study was conducted for early education and that earlier interventions can have a greater positive impact and also that parents can initiate or reinforce the positive environments which teachers so carefully create.

References

Lang, S. S. (1995). Researchers challenge nature vs. nurture argument. Human Ecology, 23(3), 3. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Salmon, A. (2008). Promoting a Culture of Thinking in the Young Child. Early Childhood Education Journal, 35(5), 457-461. doi:10.1007/s10643-007-0227-y

Scarr, S. (1993). Biological and Cultural Diversity: The Legacy of Darwin for Development. Child Development, 64(5), 1333-1353. doi:10.1111/1467-8624.ep9402220347