Childhood Diversity, Essay Example

Introduction

Social and cultural differences affect children’s socialization patterns and life outcomes. In today’s world, due to the emphasis on children’s rights to schooling, education’s main role around the world has become helping children socialize and find their place in their cultural environment. As the above statement indicates, educators -just like home and community environment – impact the personality, preferences, values, self-identity, and socialization of young children. The author of the current study will focus on examining the relationship between culture and children’s lives.  Examining Montgomery’s (2014)  statement that “Children in different parts of the world lead very different lives, partly because of variations in cultural beliefs about childhood”, the author would like to reveal how cultural differences result in socialization pattern variations.

The Role of Ethnicity

Unlike race, ethnicity has a cultural aspect, as well as a physical one (Ponsford, 2014, p. 195). The question the author (Ponsford, 2014) asks is: what is the reason for the differences in the United Kingdom between the academic attainment of mainstream (majority) and minority children? Is the teaching approach culturally relevant to children from different ethnic groups? Is there a conflict between home and school environment? Are there any linguistic issues that are not correctly addressed by the education authorities? As the author states, lower socio-economic status itself does not provide adequate explanation for lower attainment among minority groups. However, racism cannot be blamed alone, either. Studies have proven, for example, that Chinese and Indian children achieve the same academic level on average as whites, while Caribbeans, Bangladeshi, African, and Pakistani children are left behind (Ponsford, 2014, p. 205).

Montgomery (2014) states that the way the society looks at children determines their future socialization and self-identity. In Cote d’Ivoire, for example, the cultural belief about children is that they came from the spirit world, and have a deeper understanding of life than adults. In the Western world, however, children are believed to be innocent, vulnerable, and in need of being taught basic knowledge about life, and essential skills. There is also a discrepancy regarding who is considered a child from educational and criminal perspective. In England, Wales, and Scotland, children can be prosecuted for their criminal actions (Montgomery, 2014, p.  212).  There are different age limits for getting married, learning to drive, working, or living alone in various cultures. Interestingly, these categories are simplifying the question, and do not address individual differences. According to La Fontaine, quoted by Montgomery (2014), the boundary between childhood and adulthood should not be defined by age, but as a social term.

Children’s socialization and self-identity formation is not only influenced by the parents’ cultural beliefs about their capacities, abilities, but also the parent-child relationship norms of the society. In Europe, independence and individualism of babies is emphasized, while in other societies, cooperation within the family has a greater value. From the example of Xia Bo, described by Montgomery (2014), it is evident that socio-economic status, as well as parents’  cultural value systems influence the socialization of children. In the case of Xia Bo, the parents understand that the only way to give their children a chance for a better life is to make the most out of their education. Therefore, socio-economic status itself does not necessarily indicate lower academic attainment. It is important to note that while socio-economic status influences and often limits children’s opportunities, it is not the only factor responsible for lower attainment of minority kids in school. In the case of the United Kingdom, the impact of globalization on the lives, self-perception of minority children is clearly visible. Many second-generation immigrant children socialize in school and clubs, and this means that their values, self-concept, and culture are “westernized”. While media, advertising, and school curriculum designed for the “average child”  influence childhood experiences, it does not “standardize” them.

The difference in cultures definitely has a great impact on parent-child relationships, socialization of children, and consequently motivation for learning. In collectivist cultures, people are looking to “fit in” the patterns of the society, therefore, minority children, who are – according to Montgomery (2014) aware of racism and bias are more likely to fulfill the beliefs of the mainstream society about them. In the United Kingdom, white British children belong to an individualist culture, while under-achieving minority kids would often come from a collectivist environment. In individualist cultures, however, the environment is perceived as changeable, and people believe that they can have an impact on the future. Likewise, it is also important to note that the identity of minority children is influenced by two different environments: home and school. In school, Western norms are standard, and at home, they need to adapt to a different culture. Montgomery (2014, p. 221) states that many children are now adopting international childhoods in the 21^st century. While it is more standard than it has been before, due to the influence of media and commercials, it is also important to note that culturally diverse groups feel like they need to become more “standard”. Further, the “United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child” is also mainly based on Western values and views about childhood; it emphasizes individualism, and these do not always match the society’s norms. The universal rights of children are limited in adaptability, and therefore, every country needs to create their own policies that reflect the society’s values and beliefs. Internet and social media has also been mentioned by Montgomery, as an influence of children’s socialization, and with the rising number of English speakers worldwide, this influence will be likely to grow over the next years. Still, children live different lives over the world, and minority children in the Western world’s schools face several issues, such as racism, conflict of norms and values, and discrimination.

Conclusion

The above review of the topic and the textbook chapter has revealed that socialization impacts academic attainment more than ethnicity and race. The main influences of attainment have been identified as those related to culture. The case of Xia Bo has showed that values within the family and social preferences had a greater impact on education choices and attainment than socio-economic status. The parents of the boy value education higher than their personal comfort, and even health, and save the money for schooling. It has also been found that how parents and the culture views their development, cognitive and practical skills influences the  socialization of children. Finally, seeking answers for the question why children of different cultures have different childhood, the analysis of individualist and collectivist cultures provided some insight. Culture was found to have an impact on motivation, independence, and self-esteem, which can all influence academic attainment of children.

While every child comes from a unique background, and generalization of cultures would not be the right approach, the patterns identified above might help researchers develop school curriculum in the United Kingdom that are culturally relevant for minority children, as well as majority kids.

References

Montgomery, H. (2014) ‘International childhoods’, in Farrington-Flint, L. and Montgomery, H. (eds) An Introduction to Childhood Studies and Child Psychology, Milton Keynes, The Open University.

Ponsford, R. (2014) `Race and ethnicity` in Farrington-Flint, L. and Montgomery, H. (eds) An Introduction to Childhood Studies and Child Psychology, Milton Keynes, The Open   University.