Childhood, Youth, and Education - Report Example

CHILDHOOD, YOUTH, EDUCATION Introduction Childhood is a concept that cuts across cultural divide, yet its understanding varies according to schools of thought. Childhood is a sociological issue because it has to do with people living in the society. The school as a major institution of socialization plays a very vital role in child development. The concept of childhood is not limited only within the sociological sphere; it has a footing in education because the educational development of a person starts from the childhood. It is therefore not a thing of surprise that a greater aspect of education psychology is dedicated to childhood development. In this paper, we are going to analyze the concept of childhood with the view to understand the social, historical and spatial significance of such a study. Conceptualizing childhood The common sociological opinion about childhood is the period between infancy and adolescence, when a child is separated from the rest of the adults. (James A, and Co, 2004). Hence, Childhood is the period of human development that comes immediately after the infancy stage (normally from birth to 5/6 years). Educationally, this is the period when children are expected to be in school. It is the cradle of educational development, and one’s educational opportunities are made or marred in this period of personality development. Despite the disagreement in conceptual understanding of childhood among the various schools of thought, it is commonly believed and acknowledged that the major component of childhood is the dependency of a child. He goes out to play with other children and he is no longer in a constant watch from the parents. This is a period when a child begins to socialize and make friends. The school is the summit of a child’s socialization because a greater part of his time during this period is spent in the school with his fellow school children and tutors. Hence, the role of the school in child development is highly imperative. The school therefore has a very important role to play in child development. Apart from socialization, the cognitive aspect of child development extensively takes place within the school environment. The tutors and school masters have a very big role to play in this regard. In the school, the child is taught a lot of things, and more than 70% of what a child knows take place within the school environment. Hence, it could be said without any fear of contradiction that a child may experience a stunted intellectual growth without the necessary assistance from his tutors and school masters. Another issue in the conceptualization of childhood is the constant definition of childhood base on biological development of a child. Borrowing the words of Hastrup, James, A., and Co. (1997) submits that the semantics of biology has been extensively and grossly used in childhood explanations; the issues of childhood are mistaken to be biological rather than sociological. Hence, the biological facts about the birth of a child are erroneously used to depict the sociological facts that associate childhood with any consideration for cultural influences. Because of this confusion, there has been disagreement trailing the conceptual understanding of the term; child. Institutions of childhood, youth and education The childhood stage has become a very large institution in human development. This is because of the many institutionalized rituals and ideals that are associated with the stage. There are many issues and phenomena that are associated with the childhood development, some of them which have been institutionalized. Hence, when we talk about childhood as an institution, we are talking about the structuring of the childhood experience in the development of a person, which could be social, historical, and spatial. The social construction of childhood The childhood institution varies among cultures. In the African society, childhood institution is associated with cultural values such as folklores and folktales, peer play, and an intensive socialization with the larger society outside the family. This is evidenced in the character of African children to gather together in small numbers and experience a profound get-together. This could take place in the play ground where children gather together to play with each under. Under this condition, they associate with each other and will always miss the moments of being with their fellow children. This is the hallmark of socialization as a child. Hence, the social skills of a child are developed during the childhood stage, especially through structured play and interactive sessions with each other. (Alexander R, 2010). In the western world, childhood is construed as a stage of innocence and much vulnerability. At this stage, the child receives special care and love from the parents. Unlike the African society where children are capable of playing with their fellow children, the western child is highly protected by the parents, and the social skills of the child might not be as developed as his African counterpart because of the variance of culture and attitude. In some cultures, children are being protected with the highest parental care. This is typical of western culture where the right of the child is upheld. The child enjoys certain privileges in the society which the adults do not enjoy. In the eyes of the law, children have a very special place because of their perception as the vulnerable of the society. While in some other cultures such as Arab and African cultures, children are not excluded from contributing to the family. Example, children are given goods to hawk in the street so that they can contribute to the family income through such means. This might be attributed to the level of poverty in some African and Asian countries, but the fact is too important to be ignored. The implication of the social construction of childhood on education is very important because the stage is very important in the educational attainment of a child. This is because if the socialization of the child does not culminate in the school system, such a child could have a stunted intellectual growth. Hence, the school both as an institution and an agent of socialization has a very important role to play in the development and enhancement of the social skills of a child. The historical construction of childhood Historically, the notion and construction of childhood has changed from generations to generations. The way in which the society sees childhood has tremendously changed as a result of historical antecedents. The idea of childhood has evolved throughout history, needless to say that the various conceptions about childhood have far-reaching effects on the personality development of a child. The changes in the perception and construction of childhood are rather inconsequential, but it is very important to mention that various factors influenced the historical perception of childhood. Such historical factors include urbanization, industrialization, religion, and so on. During the age of Protestantism catholic revolution, humans were generally seen as evil because of the original sin. Children in the other hands were considered to be moral agents, and as a result, are capable of doing good or evil. This gave rise to the stifling of the natural impulses of children and this is done through physical punishment. This is done with the view to beat the evil out of children since they, including all human beings are prone to evil. Sequel to this is the seventeenth century believes in work ethics. The Latin monastic aphorism of laborare est orare (to work is to pray) was very much in vogue. It was thought that the best way to keep children busy and out of evil is to engage them in the industries and mines. By so doing, they will not only turn their minds from evil to good, but also contribute to production. The industries readily accommodated this idea because of its immense contribution to the growth of the industry. This particularly has effect on those who belonged to the lower class because their children were readily available for work in the mines and industries. Children were periodically kidnapped and sold for labor because of the emphasis that is laid on child labor. Instead of working in the farms for subsistence agriculture, children take solace in working in big factories. This broke the link between childhood and adulthood because the age of seven which ushers a child to adulthood is the common age when children were permitted to work in the factories. Factories and mines ushered urbanization with its many effects. This further shaped the construction of childhood in the society. The movement of large families to the city brought about a change in the economic status because the economy shifted from commodity trad8ing to cash economy. This changed the perception of childhood by the society which has a major effect on the lower class. Children became assets to their families and the tendency to procreate massively became so compelling among the families. Due to the advancement of the industrial technology, there was a rise in productivity and a fall in labor demand. Manual labor diminished to the barest minimum while production soared as a result of the use of technology in production. Because of this paradigm shift in the economy, the role of children also changed and their need in the workforce became less important. This led to an increase in juvenile delinquencies. This led to the invention of the school system. Hence, children used the same time they worked in the industries in their schools. The school system became an invention that was targeted towards reducing the negative effect of the increase in technological production, which is the displacement of children from the workforce. Much emphasis was laid in educational attainment rather than manual strength and labor. The spatial construction of childhood The concept of childhood is also affected by space and time because separation is very fundamental in childhood development. This separation could be in various forms and could be influenced by various factors. Holloway, S.L. and Valentine, G., (2000) opined that the desire to travel and experience the other side of the world, an increase in urbanization and the attached lifestyle as well as familiarization with other environments through the media contributes to the spatial conception of childhood development. Sequel to the engagement of children in the workplace is their disengagement from the same workplace through legislations. Child labor was frowned at and defaulters were normally punished for child abuse. Refusing a child the right to education became an offence that is punishable under the law. In the 19th century, it became an imperative for a child to go to school. Compulsory education became a legislation that confines children with their peers within the school environment. Age restriction is another factor that plays a significant role in the understanding of childhood from the spatial factor. In some cultures, it is a sign of disrespect for children to associate freely with adults. Because of this cultural factor, children do not have any other choice than to associate with each other. This is the basis of peer group. in this circumstance, the grow together in knowledge and understanding, and they share the common features of childhood. The most important aspect of spatial separation of children is the moment when they were enrolled in schools. This marks a very important moment of their life where they are excluded from adults and made to be together with their fellow children. This certainly contributes to the perception of their immediate environment and also helps to sharpen their social skills. This is very important in the development of a child because the influence he receives from the school outweighs the influence of the family and other agents of socialization within the course of childhood development. Conclusion The issues of childhood development have evolved from being a purely sociological phenomenon to an educational issue that has developed to a thing of concern to education psychologists. It is not an accident for educationists to develop an interest in childhood theories which was hitherto the prerogative of sociologists and anthropologists. Because of the effect of childhood development on the cognitive nature of children, the study of childhood development in becomes a categorical imperative. References James, A. and James, A.L., (2004), Constructing Childhood: theory, policy and social practice,  Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan  James, A. and Prout, A, (eds.) (1997) Constructing and Reconstructing Childhood: contemporary issues in the sociological study of childhood, London: Routledge Alexander, R. (Ed.) (2010) Children, their World, their Education: final report and recommendations of the Cambridge Primary Review, London: Routledge  Holloway, S.L. and Valentine, G., (2000), Children’s Geographies: playing, living, learning, London: Routledge  Read More