Institutions make new forms of acting possible: Signing executive orders, scoring goals, and officiating weddings are only possible because of the U.S. government, the rules of soccer, and the institution of marriage. Thus, when an individual occupies a particular social role (president, soccer player, and officiator), they acquire new ways of…

Child development for a cohort of urban Aboriginal children was assessed at three time points: 12 months, 3 years and 4.5 years. This paper reports developmental findings and explores the impact of child, family, home and community variables over time. Overall, child development at 4.5 years was significantly below the standardised mean. Female…

Discusses the influence of external environments on the functioning of families as contexts for child development. Describes studies on the interaction of genetics and environment, on relationships between the family and hospital care, day care, peers, schools, parental employment and support networks, the community, and major transition life…

This study gathered information on the extent to which children participate in the mature routines of their community, and the extent to which elders participate in child-centered activities. Subjects were children ranging in age from 30 to 45 months from the four societies of: (1) Mayan Indians living in a rural Guatemalan town; (2) the Efe…

In developing an ecological theory of teaching, the classroom is viewed as a sociological unit. The unit of interest was the teacher-student learning group. The basic question explored was: What is the relationship between human interactions and the physical and social context of the group. Teams of scholars met in seminars, each member bringing…

A 5-year Canadian study examined community factors that influence child development. Surveys of 13 communities found the most important family factors to be family income and mother's education. The most important community factors were social support, neighborhood safety, residential stability, and use of resources. Efforts should focus on…

The construction of gender is a systematic process that begins at birth and is continually shaped, molded, and reshaped throughout life. This book examines practices with young children with respect to the construction of gender and the expectations of society, schools, and families. The book is organized into two parts. The first part considers…

Understanding the Early Years (UEY) is a national research initiative. It provides communities with information to enable them to make informed decisions about the best policies and most appropriate programs for families with young children. It seeks to provide information about the influence of community factors on children's early development…

In part, this focus is a result of substantial research demonstrating strong links between early social competence and later life adjustment and healthy development. The close connection between prosocial skills and a wide variety of future developmental outcomes provides a compelling rationale to examine what factors are associated with…