The five major constructs of childhood

Discuss about the Contemporary Issues In Sociological Study Of Childhood.

The above image shows some children engaged in construction work in a rural setting. The image further demonstrates the plight of children in the developing and under developed countries.

Parents often put pressure on their children to make a living from a very early age, as mostly seen in low-income countries. Children are expected to earn for their families by taking on responsibilities like adults. According to Sorin (2005), adult-in-training implies that childhood is nothing but a practice to become an adult. Certain theories of development proposed by scholars like Piaget, Freud and Eriksen also point towards the child as an adult-in-training. These theories state that the children attain developmental milestones and become like adults. In the developing nations, children hailing from poor families are compelled to replace their adults for earning for the family (James & Prout, 2015). They pass the stages of cognitive and physical development until they fully turn into adults.

In the given image, it can be seen that the child is uncontrollable by the parent as she screams in order to fulfill her demand. The child’s body language depicts that she is not agreeing with her parent and she wants her demands to be met. The way the child has held her hips with her hand shows her authoritative image.

The child in this image can be juxtaposed with Sorin’ (2005) concept of the Out-of-control child, where the child leaves the adults helpless. This type of child is ‘unmanageable’, states Sorin (2005), unlike the Snowballing Child or even the Evil Child. The out-of-control child even resorts to violence to make people do whatever they want to do. Very rarely do parents and societies try to understand the behavior of this type of children in order to find a concrete solution.

Malala Yousafzai receiving Nobel Prize

Malala Yousafzai, a young girl of 15 from Pakistan, was fired at in her hometown for standing up in favor of girl education in 2012. She received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 at the age of 17. She was upheld as a child who displayed acts of extreme bravery for a noble cause.

Sorin (2005) explains that the noble/savior child is believed to possess the wisdom equivalent to that of Christ. This type of child can go to any extent to save the lives of others, sacrifice for the cause of others. Malala depicts that image of the child who was conditioned by the society to perform the role of an adult.  In popular culture, this image of the child has been used to generate viewership and profit through movies like Narnia, Harry Potter and so on.

Implications of constructs on early learning and education

“Roger gathered a handful of stones and began to throw them. Yet there was a space round Henry, perhaps six yards in diameter, into which he dare not throw. Here, invisible yet strong, was the taboo of the old life. Round the squatting child was the protection of parents and school and policemen and the law.” (Golding, 1983, Chapter 4)

The above excerpt is taken from William Golding’s classic work Lord of the Flies where the author has portrayed the “end of innocence” in children. All the major characters in the novel are depicted as evils in disguise of children. The novel showed the story of the transformation of a healthy civilization into a savage race. The children gradually become savages who could go to any extent to stay alive, even it means killing their best friends or other children.

The Evil Child explained in the work of Sorin (2005) is akin to this depiction. This social construct of children arises from the ancient belief that children are born evil and must be beaten to rid them of the evil. The adults feared this evil child and imposed certain restrictions and rules to control and punish this evil child. As evident from the latter part of the excerpt, the child is under constant protection of the adults in the form of parents, schools teachers, the law and others.

“And so Tom awoke; and we rose in the dark

And got with our bags & our brushes to work.

Though the morning was cold, Tom was happy & warm;

So if all do their duty, they need not fear harm.”(Blake, 2013)

The above lines are from William Blake’s poem The Chimney Sweeper that demonstrates the era of the industrial revolution when even the children had to take on adult responsibilities. It can be clearly seen from the above lines that the child is expected to wake up early notwithstanding the cold and go to work. In addition to that, they also have to live in fear of being punished if they do not carry out their duties responsibly.

This image of the child is similar to that of the child as Miniature Adult as described by Sorin (2005). As per this image, the child is not viewed as separate or different from the adult in terms of development or responsibilities. This image of the child as Miniature Adult appeared long back during the Ancient Greek and Roman times when children worked as slaves along with their parents. Blake’s poem also depicts this image of the child.

Child labor in low-income countries

The present study has focused on the five major constructs of childhood that shall be further explained by providing a thorough explanation and comparison. The focus however will be on the implications of these constructs on early learning and education. Previously, it was not considered important to comprehend learning from the child’s perspective but it has become a major theme in the modern education system. Although the social construction of childhood prompted adults to design the modern educational system, it did exist during the ancient times as well but varied across different social settings.

Children depicting roles of Adult-in-training, the Miniature Adult, the Noble/Savior Child and even the Evil Child are primarily centered on the adult side of children. Focusing on the Adult-in-training construct of childhood, it does not completely reject the notion of childhood but places it beside greater achievement and responsibility. Further, it also requires the child to perform adult roles like working in extreme conditions to support the family. In a majority of low income countries, it is a common scenario (Theguardian.com, 2018). According to a UNICEF report, almost one in every four children is engaged in child labor in the low-income nations. The report also revealed that most child labors had difficulty finding a job during their adult life or were limited to low income jobs (“Child Labour – UNICEF DATA”, 2018).

The Miniature Adult role of a child on the other hand requires the child not to train for or involve in any adult focused work but participate in tasks that are mostly done by adults. During the times of Industrial Revolution, children had to work in extreme conditions in factories in order to support their families. However, this trend gradually diminished and children working in factories and other places were made illegal. The modern context also views childhood as the time to grow naturally through learning and playing. Viewing this from the Australian context, the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) could be seen as a good example of the modern construct of childhood. According to EYLF, children have the capability to identify, they are able to contribute to the world, and they have a great sense of wellbeing and so on (Peers & Fleer, 2014). These learning outcomes resonate with the Miniature Adult and the Adult-in-training as well but the focus is mainly on the natural upbringing.

The depiction of the child as Evil also brings in certain elements of adulthood in the social construct of childhood. Quoting another line from Golding’s Lord of the Flies supports this statement, “We did everything adults would do. What went wrong?” The child viewed as evil during the ancient times contributed towards the absence of a concrete education system (Alnajm, 2015). However, it also led to the development of the system of education that focused on the child rather than on the process of education. In the modern context, the ‘evil’ child is also given enough opportunities and resources with which she or he can rectify her or his actions.

The modern construct of childhood

In contrast to the Evil Child, the Noble or Savior Child takes on the adult role of helping another member of the family or anyone in the society. The adults trust upon the Noble/Savior child that they could save them from any adversity. As opposed to the Miniature Adult child, who is compelled to participate in adult tasks, the Noble/Savior child earns the reputation of being a hero who carried out brave tasks without adult supervision.

The Out-of-control child can be said to have retained the elements of childhood and does not depict any quality of adulthood. This out-of-control child can be said to be the outcome of the modern social system where children are given limitless freedom by their parents. The crimes committed by these types of children also point to the failure of the overall political and social system. In order to elevate these children, many educational institutions in the modern day are devising strategies to not only provide academic knowledge but also assist in their overall improvement.

Modern educators must possess the capability to control the out-of-control child and make her or him realize her or his true potential. In case of the Evil child, the educators must first asses the background from which the child hails and then approach accordingly.

To an educator, it is important to identify and appreciate the abilities of a child that can encourage her or him to achieve greater things like the Nobel/Savior child. Realizing a child’s potential is very important for the educator. Many Australian organizations – both government and non-government – have initiated plans that focus on exploring the child’s innate ability (Rinaldi, 2017).

It is important for educators to understand the cultural and social background of students prior to disseminating knowledge. The modern educators must also know that the key to elevating students’ overall performance depends on their bond with parents. Therefore, they must establish a good association with the parents and learn deeply about the students.

References:

Alnajm, A. L. (2015). The main themes in Lord of the Flies. International Journal of English and Literature, 6(6), 98-102.

Blake, W. (2013). The Poetry of William Blake. eBookIt. com.

Child Labour – UNICEF DATA. (2018). UNICEF DATA. Retrieved 2 April 2018, from https://data.unicef.org/topic/child-protection/child-labour/

Dailymail.co.uk. (2018). Rise of the violent ‘Little Emperors’: Children lashing out at parents to get own way. Mail Online. Retrieved 2 April 2018, from https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2013293/Rise-violent-Little-Emperors-Children-lashing-parents-way.html

Golding, W. (1983). Lord of the Flies. Penguin.

Informationng.com. (2018). Photos: Malala Yousafzai receives her Noble Peace Prize – INFORMATION NIGERIA. INFORMATION NIGERIA. Retrieved 2 April 2018, from https://www.informationng.com/2014/12/photos-malala-yousafzai-receives-her-noble-peace-prize.html

James, A., & Prout, A. (Eds.). (2015). Constructing and reconstructing childhood: Contemporary issues in the sociological study of childhood. Routledge.

Peers, C., & Fleer, M. (2014). The theory of ‘belonging’: Defining concepts used within belonging, being and becoming—The Australian early years learning framework. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 46(8), 914-928.

Pri.org. (2018). Delhi to de-worm 4 million school children. Public Radio International. Retrieved 2 April 2018, from https://www.pri.org/stories/2012-02-02/delhi-de-worm-4-million-school-children

Rinaldi, C. (2017). Re-imagining childhood. Every Child, 23(1), 4.

Sorin, R. (2005). Changing images of childhood: Reconceptualising early childhood practice. Faculty of Education, University of Melbourne.

Theguardian.com. (2018). Five myths about child labour. the Guardian. Retrieved 2 April 2018, from https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/datablog/2015/jun/12/five-myths-about-child-labour-world-day-against