Discussion on Childhood Theories
With the advent of science and technology the early childhood education system of the beginners have revolutionised to a great extent. Despite incorporating modern reform in the education imparting system to the beginners of learning, it must be noted that the incorporation of digital approaches on play-activities of the children have remained isolated over the years (Berk, 2017). This is primarily because the researchers all over the world engaged in pedagogic studies have remained divided on the opinion of inclusion of digitalised medium of play in the initial years (Roskos, 2017). However, on the international level it is believed that the inclusion of technology as a part of the play based learning curriculum hampers the overall development of the child and at the same time obstructs with the learning process. Fairly, a proportion of the argument has been proposed on account of the ill effects of the digital media associated with the inclusion of digitalised theme of play in the early childhood years (Cook et al.,2015). This essay would primarily focus on the positive aspects of including digitalised version of play in order to promote all round development of the children in the initial years and at the same time accelerate the development process. This essay would delve deeper into analysing the available contemporary policies of education and also draw a vivid comparison between the policies previously used and at the current trends observed in the sector of early education and development practices.
Childhood has been defined as the most vulnerable phase of livelihood where the children are positioned at the fastest developmental stage and possess an immense spectrum of potential to grasp knowledge at an extremely fast rate (Black et al., 2017). Research studies have revealed that there are five key elemental factors that contribute to the overall physical and mental development of the children who are below 5 years of age (Black et al., 2017). These five factors have been enlisted as, nutritional intake, behaviour of the parents in dealing with emotional and social behaviour of the ward, type of parenting mechanism adopted in order to bring up the child, the associated social and cultural background and the environment where in the child is exposed (Selwyn, 2016). It has also been stated in research papers that children who belong to the age group of 5 possess impressive grasping and learning abilities which can be channelized in the right direction to yield the maximum positive output with regard to an effective development. Research studies have typically revealed that the cognitive behavioural trait in the children is a heritable process and relies majorly upon the law of genetic inheritance (Muralidharan et al., 2016). It has also been suggested that the inheritance of the genetic traits are primarily dependent upon the susceptibility of genetic trait to respond at a particular environmental condition. It has been commented in context to the growth and development in the initial years of the childhood that children easily absorb knowledge when the concepts are imparted to the children with the aid of play activities or instructions that are delivered to the children while they engage themselves in acts of play. The play theory serves as an important pedagogical tool in critically accessing the growth and development of the children over the years and especially during the transition phase from infancy to the childhood stage (Burger, 2015). Researchers dealing with pedagogical studies have conveniently studied the theories related to play and classified it under two subheadings, the first being the traditional or the classical theories and the second being the modern theories. While the classical theories mainly aim at channelizing the surplus energy level of the growing child into recreational practice, pre-exercise theory and practice and the recapitulation theory. The modern theories are primarily based upon psychoanalytical theory, Bateson’s meta-communicative theory and practice, arousal modulation theory and cognitive theories (Jones, 2017). The traditional theories are more or less obsolete in comparison to the modern context. Inclusion of digitalised form of play helps in moulding the personality of the children through a practical perspective. Scientists have explored the prevalence of an existing relationship between the play characteristics and the manner in which the social behaviour of the child is moulded. It can be stated here that the social behaviour and the personal expressions exhibited by the children while involving themselves in the play activities make use of the adaptive ability of the child to confer to the social surroundings based on the experience absorbed at the personal level. It has been stated in this regard that engaging in play activities involve a number of factors such as interacting with the peer group, deriving ideas and at the same time adult involvement in dispensing instructions during the activities help in shaping up the overall personality of the children in the initial years (Elango et al., 2015). Inclusion of graphics and the combined effect of audio and visual aid help in arousing the practical senses of the child. Initially not much importance was paid to the process of growth and developmental aspect of a growing child. However with the advancement in the research studies specifically focusing on the evaluation of the cognitive behavioural ability of the children to adjust and confront according to the social surroundings and social environment probed the inclusion of studies to closely monitor the developmental process and correlate it with a developmental theory at each step. A number of theories have been considered in order to closely analyse the level of childhood growth and development in minors belonging to the age group of five and below. Developmental theories such as Freud’s Psychosexual developmental theory necessarily emphasises upon the fact that experiences gained during the childhood contribute extensively in shaping up the adult personality (Burger, 2015). The theory further states that a number of negative experiences gathered during the initial adult phase of the life of a child can lead to the dearth of an unhealthy coping ability to adjust with the norm of the society. It has also been said that the experiences gained at the early childhood level possess the ability to elicit experiences that last a life time. Another popular theory that helps in perceiving the minute details associated with the growth and development of the child over the year right from the childhood to adulthood (Hendersen and Romeo, 2015). This theory further explains that the development of a child spreads widely through eight important developmental aspects that cover all the important transition changes that govern the developmental process of the child. The theory also explains that a number of social conflicts arise across the eight major developmental stages in a child life and it is pivotal for the individuals to deal with these changes and effectively manage conflicts so as to deal with the phases of transition in a comprehensive and better manner (Lind, 2017). It is extremely crucial to note that this theory does not concentrate only on the childhood phase of life but is rather focused across all the vital developmental stages and it is believed that an individual encounters vital incidents that act as turning points in the journey of life and elicits major life experiences and it is pivotal that the individuals learn to tackle these incidences of life effectively in order to sustain themselves as upright adults without conflict issues or negative experiences from the past. The theories concerned with the behavioural development of the child include theories that explain that the particular manner in which a child behaves is dependent upon the influence of the environment. In this context, scientists have further stated that the manner in which a child would carry himself in future and the personality that would be characterised is widely dependent upon the determinants that affect the surrounding environment and the social behaviour of the child with respect to circumstances of the society. This theory is further subdivided into two major categories that include, classical conditioning and operant conditioning. The classical mode of conditioning is based upon behaving in a manner that is coupled with the inbuilt stimulus paired to the introspection of a condition that was advocated by the presence of a neutral stimuli, whereas the operant conditioning makes use of the punishments in order to modify a certain set of behaviour. Piaget’s cognitive Developmental theory explains how the cognitive behavioural set of children affect in shaping up the personality of the child to deal with societal complexities (Collins and Halverson, 2018). It has been commented by the researchers that the intellectual thought process is primarily designed on cognitive ability of the child to deal with the external environment. Further Piaget has classified the ability of the child to attain cognitive skills on the basis of four important developmental stages that can be enlisted as sensorimotor stage, preoperational stage, the concrete operational stage and the formal operational stage. These mentioned developmental stages help in shaping up the ability of the child to face the external world effectively. Bowlby’s attachment theory provides an overview about the attachments that children develop with their respective care providers and it has been studied that the attachment developed with the care givers contribute in shaping the personality of the children. The attachments lead to the development of an essence of protection and motivation that helps in shaping the personality of the child as the child grows and enters adulthood. Bandura’s social learning theory emphasises on the fact that children perceive and tend to catch up on what they witness and hence the environment where they are placed effectively lead to shaping the personality of the children right from their childhood (Britto et al., 2017). Lastly, Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory emphasizes on the fact that learning in an inherent process and children effectively learn from the individuals that they are in constant support with. For instance, children effectively learn and grasp knowledge from the pattern of behaviour exhibited by their peers and immediate care providers (Jones, 2017).
The early views, attitudes and beliefs about childhood are influenced by the theories and ideas revolving the subject. These theories and ideas are informed by both childhood psychologies, developmental biology as well as learning theories (Britto et al., 2017). According to the contemporary understanding, early childhood is the first eight years of the child starting from birth which includes the infancy, kindergarten, pre-school and early school (up to third grade) stages. During this stage a child undergoes rapid physical, cognitive and social-emotional growth, leading towards maturity. At an early age, the child has limited cognitive capabilities and learns through their primary senses (touch, taste, vision, sound and smell) and by interacting with objects around them through the act of playing (Daelmans et al., 2017). The child in the contemporary society is viewed as an individual who lacks experience and understanding of the world, a limited knowledge and is dependent on their families’ to support their needs. It is also believed that during childhood, individuals are more vulnerable and in need for support from their caregivers, which helps them to grow emotionally and psychologically (Stern, 2017). Moreover, according to some authors, children often seem out of place in the social order, as they do not understand the concept of social hierarchy and structure. Other authors view children as the immature citizens on their way to becoming a part of the society. This these views imply that the children are immature incomplete adults, lacking knowledge and understanding of the world and not fully integrated as a part of the society (Kochanska, 2017; Fonagy and Target, 2018).
My personal views of early childhood are also influenced by the social constructs of childhood as well as the psychological theories on childhood. I strongly believe that the child undergoes cognitive development as he/she ages, and that these development are caused due to biological changes (physical and neurological development) that leads to the growth of the brain and development of new neuronal connections which helps the child to slowly develop their knowledge and understanding. I also believe in the view of child as incomplete adults, which implies that children are on the way of maturation and becoming adults. Such views are also supported by the theory of Piaget which implies that children go through cognitive developmental stages that leads to them becoming cognitively mature and grown up (Biddle, 2017). These views, beliefs are further reinforced through the childhood theories, academic researches on early childhood as well as the policies of Singapore on early childhood development. These aspects have been elaborated below:
Understanding of early childhood development has been significantly expounded upon by several theories on childhood development. These theories explain how a child grows through interacting with the environment, other individuals and underlined by biological and psychological growth. Such theories help to understand the learning capabilities of children and design the framework for education delivery. Some of the most important theories that influence this context include:
This theory discusses the stages of cognitive development that a child goes throughout his/her lifespan, starting from birth. According to the theory, there are four stages of cognitive development, namely the sensorimotor stage, preoperational stage, concrete operational stage and formal operational stage (Siegler, 2016; Lind, 2017)). The sensorimotor stage starts from birth and continues upto the age of two, during which develops knowledge and understanding of his/her environment solely through the sensory inputs and interactions (such as playing with objects). The perioperational stage starts from the age of two and continues till the age of six, during which the child undergoes rapid cognitive development and learns how to use language. At this stage they are unable to understand logic and understand the point of view of others and is hence more egocentric. The concrete operational stage starts from the age of seven and continues till the age of eleven, in which the child develops the cognitive abilities to understand logic and mental operations. They can also understand the point of view of others at this stage. The formal operational stage starts from the age of twelve and continues to adolescence and adulthood, where the cognitive processes are developed enough to understand abstract ideas and concepts (Barrouillet, 2015).
From this theory it can be understood that at an early age, a child does not have the cognitive abilities to understand the concepts of technology, until they reach the stage of concrete operations (Elango et al., 2015). This is because using technology often requires the development of understanding of logic and the ability to manipulate information. Children aged 5 years or below would not have the cognitive abilities to properly use technology to support their knowledge and thus might instead be the source of confusion and stress for them (Collins and Halverson, 2018; Palaiologou, 2016). At the same time, it has also been argued upon by pedagogical researchers that in between the age of 1 to 5, children grasp things at a highly accelerated rate. The exposure to the digital world of play helps in enhancing the memorising ability of the child.
The Montessori Theory focuses on the independent learning capabilities of the child. According to the theory, the children have the ability to actively learn from their environment which is supported by their curious nature. The theory also posits that the learning environment plays an important role in the child’s learning process and the teaching strategies should be tailored according to the developmental stages of the child. This has two vital implications (Lillard et al., 2017). The first implication is that the environment of learning should be engaging and stimulating for the child that can draw their curiosity and support their self-learning abilities. The second implication is that the environment should be tailored according to the developmental stage of the child. Furthermore, it should include objects that the child has the ability to use according to their cognitive stage and mental capacity (Montessori, 2018).
Studies have shown that technology can be difficult for children to understand at an early age (5 years and below). Thus according to the Montessori theory, the learning environment should not involve the over use of technologies to support their education as it can confuse the children and adversely affect the learning outcomes (Henderson et al., 2015). However, in this context it can also be said that play activities such as match the picture with the word or identify an object helps in stimulating the thought process of the child and encourages quick and effective learning (Jones, 2017).
Studies on early childhood education have shown that the children at an early age (0 to 5 years) have the capacity to learn through plays. According to authors, the plays helps to address the emotional, intellectual, physical, lingual and social needs of the child, as it allows them to interact with other kids, imitate the actions of others and interacting with their environments accordingly (Burger, 2015). This acts of mimicking and interactions help in the development of their knowledge. Educators can often use games, plays and acts to support such learning processes. Other studies have shown that the interactions also support social development and help the children to learn from each other, thereby also supporting a collaborated or team learning approach. In the recent years suggestion has been made to involve technology in early childhood education, including them into the play activities for pre-school kids. It has been argued by the researchers that inclusion of digital media in play activities can shape better perception abilities of the child. For instance, displaying an image of an elephant and playing the sound of the animal as a background audio would effectively polish the memorising ability of the child. The child would be able to relate much better. And retain the information for a long period of time. However, some authors have pointed out that the usage of technology at such an early age can be disruptive for such young children. Additionally, dependency towards technology can lead to decline in the critical thinking and analytical processes of cognition. According to authors, technologies such as calculators can lead to children not putting much effort to learn about performing calculations by themselves or memorize multiplication tables (Muralidharan et al., 2016; Selwyn, 2016).
Early Childhood Policies in Singapore aims to support a holistic development of the child in early childhood. The policies focuses on the providence of quality education to all the children and transform the early education centre through increase in the number of teachers, developing a National Institute of Early Childhood Development, improve more support from the teachers and employees in the education sector, developing a more structured framework for education delivery (msf.gov.sg,2018; ecda.gov.sg,2018). The Ministry of Education (MOE) of Singapore has implemented the policy of early childhood development to develop the quality of kindergarten education in the country (moe.gov.sg,2018). The main strategies used to achieve that target includes the need for accreditation for childhood educators, providing scholarships and awards to educators to support continuous professional development and the increase in skills and competencies as educators. The policy also implies the maintenance of an effective learning environment that can support quality education during early childhood (msf.gov.sg 2018; ecda.gov.sg,2018). The quality standard could be achieved with the inclusion of digitalised form of play and learning, however restricting the exposure to a specific period of time for the entire day. Policies aimed at promoting welfare also suggest that children below 2 years should not be encouraged to use technology because of their rudimentary sense of understanding and sensibility. Education games at promoting knowledge about good manners and global competence can revolutionise the entire concept of education.
Conclusion:
Hence, to conclude it can be said that the childhood phase forms the most vulnerable stage of life in an individual. It is deeply affected by the external environment and the interaction of the children with their immediate peer group and the care providers. It is extremely important to shape the personality of the children in the correct manner making use of the effective developmental policies and theories aimed at promoting a self-sustaining characteristic trait of the children such that they are able to face any societal circumstances. However on critically reflecting upon the childhood theories it can be said that play activities help in positively shaping the personality traits of children. But on closely evaluating the available literary sources and the child welfare policies aimed for promoting development of the children, it should be said that it is essential to encourage the modern theme of play activities to encourage an accelerated learning process. It should further be stated that the inclusion of technology in governing the play activities of the children elicit a positive influence. This can be inferred on the basis of the robust effect of technology that uses a combination of audio as well as colourful and attractive video to grasp the attention of the children for a long duration of time. However, inclusion of technology leads to negative impacts too. This can be explained with the help of an example, children at the tender age of five years and below do not possess the ability to differentiate between what is right and what is wrong. Inclusion of technological innovation can impede with the learning process and the innocence of the child. It can also be said that technology blocks the imaginative framework of the child. For instance, if a child is narrated a story or reads a tale, the child imagines the story making use of his independent potential imaginative skills, however the inclusion of technological graphics and cinematography while narrating a story hampers the imaginative ability of the child. Also, excessive use of technology makes the child extremely dependent upon the perks that technology has to offer in terms of use of technology to tabulate minor sums and this leads to the degradation of the individual ability of the child to assimilate the imaginative innovation that could facilitate in strengthening the physical as well as mental development of the child. Hence it can be stated that the inclusion of digitalised play things as a substitute to the traditional methods of play would lead to the enhancement of the personality development of the children but care should be taken to supervise the manner in which technology is being handles by the children.
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