Author: Andre Coleman

This is what some people claim. Mankind has lived for thousands of years. As generations grow, we are becoming more and more aware of the harmful effects illness and stress impact on our bodies. Our awareness of the need to take the necessary steps to achieving a healthier lifestyle and prolong our life span is also growing. The number of diseases rising around the world makes it vital that people apprehend the importance of leading and living a healthy life. They believe health is accomplished by eating healthy food and exercising, but this is only one part of the healthy living process. There is more to being healthy and achieving an overall wellness and wellbeing than just eating well and exercising. Different elements assemble the human beings overall health, these elements are referred to as “the six dimensions of health” physical, psychological, spiritual, social, intellectual, and environmental. This report will discuss and define each of the six dimensions to provide adults with an understanding of the dimensions in hope of protecting our children from illnesses and diseases, and providing them with a more stable and a better future.

Background

Why is this report needed? Explain the six dimensions of health (Donatelle, 2006) and use this to explain to the reader why wellness and wellbeing are important in early childhood education and care.

The early childhood years sets the foundation to how children view themselves, each other, and the world around them. Their character which will develop further as they grow older begins in those early years. For this reason it is vital for Early Childhood Professions to understand the six dimensions of health in order to support children’s development in achieving wellness and wellbeing.

Bronfenbrenner believed children are influenced by the ecological system, (the system of relationships that form his or her Environment) particularly the microsystem (the immediate environment, e.g. family or school)Bronfenbrenner, 1998. He mentioned that positive emotional interactions and experiences between caregivers and children are crucial for the development of social and emotional wellbeing in children.

Donatelle, 2006said “The motivation to improve quality of life within the framework of one’s own unique capabilities is crucial to achieving health and wellness”. As children’s services or early childhood settings fit into the microsystem stage of the child, it becomes imperative for us to set the building blocks for children to achieve the optimum wellness and wellbeing. Our interaction and experiences play a key role in their development, but what is wellness and wellbeing?. Donatelle, 2006identified wellness and wellbeing as follow;

Physical heath : the way we function using our bodies, how sharp our sensors are, how fit we are, the ability to catch diseases and disorders and the ability to recuperate from illness and regain health,

Intellectual health: Mentally healthy , the capacity to think with clear judgment, the ability to learn, the ability to grow from experience and the ability to make critical decisions.

Social heath: the ability to socialise and interact well with others, the ability to adjust to situations at different levels

Emotional health: the ability to recognize and express feelings appropriately, the ability to control and balance these feelings with yourself and others. The ability to feel good about yourself, love and trust.

Environmental health: the ability to appreciate the world around you and to recognise the role you play in effecting the environment.

They believe

Spiritual health: the ability to have faith, hope, and belief. The ability to connect with the world around you as one, to love and respect nature and to feel the love and pain of the world.

Discussion

Discuss each dimension of health and explain what is happening or not happening to support children’s wellness and wellbeing in your service.

Wellness is a state of optimal health that is working towards or trying to maximize the individual’s potential to achieve a vibrant state of wellbeing and enjoyment of life. This is a lifetime process of working towards enhancing your physical, intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual, and environmental wellbeing.

When we think of Wellness and Wellbeing, it is good to remember that all aspects of the six dimensions impact each other. Although every dimension is important in its self, it is the balance that gives each individual the optimum wellness and wellbeing. For example if a person focus on his/her physical health and neglects the emotional health, the physical health would deteriorate soon after. Keeping an overall balance and a holistic approach would give us a higher chance in achieving wellness and wellbeing.

Factors that affect our Wellness and wellbeing.

The individual’s attitude and behaviors.

Heredity and family history.

The influence of the people around you, positive and negative.

Health care availability.

Let’s have a closer look at each dimensions and how does the centre cater for the dimension.

Physical health;

Physical health is most visible to us and the easiest to keep an eye on. It would probably be the one dimension we pay more attention on, than any other dimension. If we eat well balanced nutritious food and exercise regularly, minimise the consumption of harmful foods such as alcohol and cigarettes, the chances of us catching diseases are reduced but not eliminated.

Good nutrition is important for child for many reasons. For one thing, proper nutrition is necessary for body growth and development. Without it the brain, nervous system, bones, teeth, muscles, eyes, heart and lungs will not grow and work as they should. Children will also learn, think, play and work with others better if they are eating right.

How can it be achieved?

Exercise least 30 minutes a day.

Eat lots of fruits, vegetables and whole grains,

Replace bad fats with healthy fats, such as those found in olive oil

Visit your dentist regularly

Seek medical attention when required

Maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Centre’s approach to physical health;

The centre aims to:

Facilitate physical development by providing activities which foster fine and gross motor skills.

Provide children with 50% of their recommended dietary intake

Provide a healthy eating environment

Provide children with healthy food habits

Provide water throughout the day

Provided children with a balance of active and quiet activities

The centre focuses on providing children with a balanced nutritious food but fails to promote and link the importance of staying active to the physical health. Very little discussion is provided about health and fitness.

Intellectual health;

Intellectual health is our ability to perceive and process information accurately and the ability learn and Interact with the world around us. To achieve an intellectually healthy life, we must have the wish to learn and to have an interest in what is going on around us. Intellectual health also involves problem solving and creativity.

How can it be achieved?

Keep your mind active with learning

Participate in creative and problem solving activities.

Read the news each day.

Paint and draw.

Build something with your hands.

Work out a crossword puzzle each day, it can help keep our brains on alert.

Centre’s approach to intellectual health;

The centre aims to:

Facilitate intellectual development by providing activities and experiences which allow children to experiment, think and question the world around them and develop their problem solving skills.

Encourage children to develop a positive attitude towards learning, responsibility, self-discipline and self-esteem.

Design activities which allow children to develop their capabilities and interests at their own pace and according to their individual need.

Social health;

.

Socially healthy people engage, interact, and co-operate well with each other. That includes friends, family, co-workers and other groups. Being comfortable with oneself as well as others at different levels and maintaining relationships.

How can it be achieved?

Learn ways to relate with others.

Practice communication skills.

Try to be the kind to your friends or partner.

Be considerate and mindful of others.

Centre’s approach to Social health;

The centre aims to:

Facilitate personal and social development by group experiences with peers, friendly interactions with adults and activities which promote their sense of independence.

Develop programs which enhance children’s social and emotional skills

Emotional health;

The ability to understanding our feelings and emotions and finding vigorous ways of expressing them .Emotional wellness is one of the most important aspects of the six dimensions. It should be one of our main focus points of life in order to accomplish wellbeing. In order to be healthy or have good physical health you must have a good foundation of emotional wellness. You can notice this in your everyday life, by just noticing how having a “good day” or a “bad day” effects you physically.

How can it be achieved?

Learn to recognize your limitations.

Practice different ideas to create healthy relationships with others.

Maintain a sense of point of view.

Learn to deal with emotions such as sadness, anger, or frustration.

Centre’s approach to emotional health;

The centre aims to:

To help children recognise their feelings and emotions.

Encourage children to express feelings and emotions appropriately.

I don’t believe the centre is doing enough to cater for the emotional wellbeing in children. I think a lot more can be done to facilitate positive emotional development. (Refer to recommendation).

Environmental health;

Environmental health is to appreciate and respect the natural environment around you and do whatever you can to protect it.

How can it be achieved?

Better understanding of the environment

finding ways to minimise the waste going to the landfills such as donating clothes and donate computers and mobile phones to organisation.

Recycling

Centre’s approach to environmental health;

The centre aims to:

Promote the understanding and importance of recycling and energy saving.

Reuse material for children’s activities.

Promote environmental education in children’s everyday learning experiences

Role model the positive environmental approaches in daily routines such as reducing energy output and the use of water.

Spiritual health;

The ability to know that life is meaningful and has a purpose. Our morals, values and ethical believes guide us to making decisions and the direction to life.

How can it be achieved?

Take some time to discover your morals and believes.

Try to stick to your believes during difficult times.

Believe in yourself

Centre’s approach to spiritual health;

The centre aims to:

Families are encouraged to share their culture, language and home experiences.
Promote each child’s culture and language, and facilitate experiences whenever possible
Provide an environment that is anti bias and caters for the child’s cultural, family and linguistic diversity.
Promote equality by maximising the educational outcomes for all children, regardless of their gender, cultural backgrounds or socio-economics.
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In the present day and age television has begun support a significant role in contributing to the overall well-being of children. Since the advent of television, its technology and capability to entice the mind of a child has grown exponentially through numerous shows directly targeted for children. With the average time of television consumption growing, the television effect on a child is greater than ever. Intermittently incorporated with television programs, advertisements play a vital role in increasing the overall effect television plays on a child.

Studies have shown that the negative effects of television have outnumbered the positive effects that may be present. The common positive perception of television being that it acts as a learning mechanism and as an educational necessity for some. When in reality, television not only negatively affects the cognitive development of the child’s mental faculties, but also severely degrades the health and physicality of a growing child, through ill practices of nutrition, proper exercise and physical activity. Along with a violent tendencies and premature activities children are being exposed to sensitive content. With the amount of time spent on consuming television outweighing all other activities besides sleep, today’s children are inevitably leading themselves to a path of self-degradation.

Although some effects of television might be beneficial to children by providing several varieties of an educational and learning aspect, all forms of television and advertisements negatively affect the cognitive development of their mental faculties and the disintegration of their overall health and physicality through the incessant barrage of mindless programming and brainwashing advertisements. With intervention by a parents or a figure of authority the damage to a child growth can be greatly restricted.

Through the decades of broadcasted television, children have grown fond of their television sets and cherish it more than their common childhood activities. This outcome has been viewed by society as a negative effect on their children through the onslaught as foolish entertainment disguised as children’s programming. Studies have been conducted to prove otherwise. It has been linked that the repetitions of shows allow children to learn and retain information more effortlessly. Santomero, with the University of Massachusetts Department of Physiology stated that, “Almost any theory of comprehension would predict that children’s comprehension of a television program improves with repetition” (Santomero 630). An educational episode of Blue’s Clues was shown to 3-5 year olds for five consecutive days, recording their educational and entertainment values. Results that followed showed that with each consecutive repetition of the episode overall comprehension of the educational content improved. As a result repetition is a useful strategy for enhancing learning and program involvement in young children. Proving to be one of the useful tools, alongside many others that a child may obtain through television viewing.

With the advances in television, children are now capable of learning new material through the usage of alternative resources. Television is a key mechanism in conveying new information to children rather than less effective conventional methods. Studies have shown that children more readily retain information through television, rather than information conveyed through conventional methods such as printed information. Physiologist Walma van der Molen, with the US: American Psychological association claims:

A media comparison study of the transmission of television and print news information to children was undertaken by comparing children’s recall of news stories presented either audio visually or in print. Children learn most about the news in out-of-school situations, especially via television and to a lesser extent via newspapersaˆ¦. The present study; however, may have implications for the contribution of television and print to children’s learning both in and outside of schoolaˆ¦. Given that televised and printed news information is used in instruction, it is of interest to investigate from which medium children learn most. (Walma van der Molen 82)

This study examines that children absorb more information through television, due to its interactive characteristics compared to information conveyed through print media. The resources of television provide children with a lower proficiency in reading with the opportunity to expand their knowledge through different and more innovative resources. Allowing children to not be restrained by their reading capabilities, and giving them the chance to use new and existing methods for learning. Not all aspects of television have a negative effect on young children. Children learn and interact from using television as an instrument for learning rather than an instrument of mindless programming. By doing so, not only can children use television as a learning mechanism, but they can also have fun by engaging with television.

Although it is pretty clear some benefits surrounding the viewing of television by children exist, the negative effects outweigh the positive. The problematic issues regarding television have been growing at a substantial rate ever since its advent. Authors, Shea, Harvey-Berino, and Johnson with the Department of Nutrition and Food, at the University of Vermont state that, “On average, Americans watch television for 4 hours and 45 minutes daily. Americans spend more time watching television that participating in any other activity besides work and sleep” (Shea, Harvey-Berino, Johnson). With the average time of television consumed at an already all-time high and growing, the reproductions are immense.

Research has been linked to the influences television viewing has on the dietary quality of children:

Epidemiological studies have shown repeatedly that rates of obesity are associated with both increased media use and poor diet quality in children and adults. Such studies have also shown that hours of television watched are associated with an increased intake of nutrient-poor, energy dense foods and greater overall energy intakeaˆ¦. In particular, it seems that diet quality is affected by the amount of television a child watches. (Shea, Harvey-Berino, Johnson 165)

With the obesity rate substantially increasing in the United States, researchers were faced with the task of looking at secondary behaviors such as; television viewing, diet and obesity in children. The countless hours of television that children are encompassed by have been linked to their degrading health levels, ultimately resulting in obesity. The amount of television that is being watched children are making poor decisions regarding the foods they consume. By taking in nutrient poor and energy dense foods, children have molded themselves into unhealthy eaters, even in today’s society of larger disproportionate kids.

With the intervention to reduce the viewing of television within children, it has been proven to lead to a decrease in meals eaten in front of the television: “The results showed that children in the intervention group, who participated in the lessons taught over the course of 2 years, significantly reduced their television viewing by 3.1 hours per week” (Shea, Harvey-Berino, Johnson 168). By reducing the intake of television a child can restrain him or herself from eating poor and unhealthy foods, thus preventing morbid obesity; although, there are more aspects to television that may affect the health of a young child.

Advertisements play a key role in contributing to the overall destruction of a child’s health. With countless amounts of brainwashing advertisements being aired on prime time television, children are inevitably consumed by their convincing messaging. Today’s television advertisements present children with an incessant barrage of unhealthy food promotions that can only lead to one road, unhealthy eating behaviors and morbid obesity. Physiologist Terence Dovey claims that:

The ability to recognize the food adverts significantly correlated with the amount of food eaten after exposure to themaˆ¦. The consumption of all the food offered increased post food advert with the exception of the low-fat savory snack. These data demonstrate obese children’s heightened alertness to food related cues. Moreover, exposure to such cues induce increased food intake in all children. As suggested the relationship between TV viewing and childhood obesity appears not merely a matter of excessive [inactive] activity. Exposure to food adverts promotes consumption. (Dovey 221)

Through extensive experiments conducted on the effects of food advertisements on children, it can clearly be depicted that advertisements of unhealthy foods lead to the increase in a child’s unhealthy food intake. With television advertisements being greatly influenced by unhealthy and nutrient poor foods, children have no other alternative but to stuff their faces with sweet and fatty foods that are known to be harmful for them. Due to the negative effect of television advertisements on food, the lasting effect on a child’s health is indescribable, and inevitably leads to obesity and greater illnesses.

The effects of television and television advertisements on children today have been directly linked to the overall health degradation; however, the negative effects continue to cultivate. The effects of television on a child don’t stop at their health, but continues to escalate on their mental cognitive faculties. Studies have been conducted to provide research explaining the effects of prolonged exposure to entertainment television. In a recent study professors Ennemoser, and Schneider of the Department of Psychology at the University of Wurzburg, conducted a 4 year study regarding the relations between television viewing and reading abilities:

aˆ¦relations between entertainment program viewing and reading performance were generally negative. Children who were classified as heavy viewers (average viewing time per day = 117 min) showed lower progress in reading over time as compared to medium and light viewers (average viewing times per day 69 and 35 min, respectively). (Ennemoser, Schneider 349)

Not only is television playing a vital role in contributing to children’s health problems, but now it is also affecting their mental and cognitive development. The prolonged exposer to television has been growing exponentially as more shows are created and targeted for children.

By way of children consuming more television as time goes on, it is inevitable that their brains and mental abilities will slowly deteriorate, “Neuroscientists have shown that environmental experiences significantly shape the developing brain because of the plasticity of its neuronal connectivity. Thus, repeated exposure to any stimulus in a child’s environment may forcibly impact mental and emotional growth, either by setting up particular circuitry (“habits of mind”) or by depriving the brain of other experiences” (Healy). Preemptive action must be taken to allow today’s children to mature and still be able to pass a reading literacy test for their specific age group; otherwise there is no hope for the future generations.

It is known that many of today’s children begin to watch television soon after birth, and a significant time each day is apportioned for that activity. Television is plays such a vital role in children’s lives today, that it is almost impossible to break free even though the effects are detrimental for a child’s mental development. Playing a key part in language development, television keeps children away from important aspects of day to day life that help develop their vocabulary. In an article in the Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, authors Garvis, and Pendergast state:

Links between delayed language development and television viewing have also been found. A United States study found that young children aged two-48 months had language development delayed when the television was on. During television viewing, adult interactions with the child also decreased. Adults spoke less to children, with fewer examples of turn-taking responses and vocalisations. (Garvis and Pendergast 24)

By enticing a child with television, their only source of knowledge comes from that almost magical box. They lose their connection to the real world and everyone else that is in it. Because many children are focused on their television shows, they forget to interact with the people around them, varying from parents to siblings and friends. As an outcome they forget how to socialize and build their language and vocabulary skills that are relatively imperative to a child’s mental development. Activism with the people around you is the only way a child can grow his or her vocabulary:

Research also reveals that children under two years learn vocabulary better from real-life experience than from equivalent video presentation A similar study suggests that television models are less effective than live ones preserving discrimination of found speech sounds (phonemes) in young children vocalisations (Garvis, Pendergast 24).

Television that is consuming the lives of children has created this unbalance in a child’s active role with the people that surround them. Being active in real life experiences enable kids to effectively practice and learn language, speech, and vocabulary by simply being active. The key here is to break free of the television’s hand and become independent to allow a child’s mind to fully develop as their ages grow. Otherwise the prolong exposure would inevitably lead to severe learning disabilities for a child’s education.

Playing a large role in determining that television has consequentially negative effect on a child’s mental cognitive development, it also plays a part in contributing to mental behavior and growth. With the variety of television shows that are being aired in prime television today, it is practically impossible to monitor every moment of a child’s television viewing. Violence is present in many of today’s television shows that children may have prolonged viewing too. Violent television has proven to set an underlying tone is a child’s mental behavior development, as authors Garvis, and Pendergast state:

It is argued that young children seeing violence on television leads to responses such as the desensitization to the emotional effects of violence, a lack of empathy with victims of violence, an increased tendency to aggression, and the perception of the world as scary (RACP 2004). According to Young Media Australia (2007), exposure to violent content increases the risk that children may develop a violent mental script that is likely to be gendered (male as the hero/perpetrator and female as the victim). (Garvis, Pendergast 24)

The present violence prone television that is sweeping the television market has been growing, and children have been greatly affected by this. The outcome is nothing short of appalling. Young children are being exposed to sensitive materials before they reach their respected ages for the content at hand, which ultimately leads to an unstable reaction to violence, and aggression. The exposure to violent and aggressive television, children learn and pick up certain violent aspects that they react to, in order to become violent themselves. This is why the monitoring of what young children watch is of great importance, for the prevention of a violent nature that would commonly emerge in children today.

With the arise of sexual content that’s commonly present in television today, children are exposed to a higher context of sexual material. The growth of sexual content that’s present in today’s television shows is off the charts in most cases. Even in shows targeted for kids on television networks such as, Disney Channel, and Nickelodeon. The exposure to the high content of sexual activity leaves a prolong effect on children as they get older enough to become sexually active. Authors Hust, Wong and Chen in their article from the Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media state:

Concern about violent and sexual content that children view is based on the

belief that media content has a strong impact on children’s attitudes and behaviors. Violence on television received the most attention in media effects research. Evidence shows that violent content might contribute mostly to behavioral effects, but also to cognitive and emotional effects. The great number of sexual messages on television also sparked concerns about television’s potential influence on youths’ sexual health. Exposure to sexual television content was linked to teens’ initiation of sexual behavior an teens’ involvement with casual sexual relationships. (Hust, Wong, Chen 382)

Although many studies have linked television to child violence, which is contributing to mainly behavioral effects, the presence of sexual content is also quite great. By embedding sexual content in a child’s mind by repeated exposure at a young age, TV enables a child to grown up into his or her adolescent years and become more sexually active as a direct result to an elongated period of sexual content exposure on television. TV Persuading an innocent child that it is acceptable to be sexually active at a young age, inevitably leading to possible STD’s, and unexpected pregnancy.

Although it has been seen that several effects of television are beneficial to a child by engaging them in a new aspect of education and learning, all contexts of television and advertisements negativity degrade the cognitive development of a child’s mental faculties, along with their overall health, with the persistent bombardment of “mindless” programing and brainwashing advertisements. Television could be and, is a useful too for educational development among young children. With its ability to convey information and language through a friendly concept enables kids to participate and become active in the learning process. But the negative effects outweigh the positive, with television being more and more affective in children’s lives its reach has grown exponentially. Its negative effects on a child’s health and overall physical abilities have been linked television. Not only does television have a prolong effect on a child’s health but it also hinders a child’s ability to learn by limiting their exposure to other sources of material. And the violence present in children inevitably affects the behavioral attitudes of children today.

Work Cited

Angela Santomero, et al. “Effects Of Repeated Exposures To A Single Episode Of The Television Program Blue’s Clues On The Viewing Behaviors And Comprehension Of Preschool Children.” Journal of Educational Psychology 91.4 (1999): 630-637. Web. 5 Nov. 2012.

Ennemoser, Marco, and Wolfgang Schneider. “Relations Of Television Viewing And Reading: Findings From A 4-Year Longitudinal Study.” Journal Of Educational Psychology 99.2 (2007): 349-368. Web. 21 Nov. 2012.

Garvis, Susanne, and Donna Pendergast. “Warning-Television Viewing May Harm Your Child’s Health: Parent Perceptions Of Early Childhood Viewing Habits.” Australasian Journal of Early Childhood 36.4 (2011): 22-28. Academic Search Premier. Web. 23 Nov. 2012.

Healy, Jane M., Ph.D. “Understanding TV’s Effects on the Developing Brain.” Understanding TV’s Effects on the Developing Brain. American Academy of Pediatrics, May 1998. Web. 1 Dec. 2012.

Hust, Stacey J. T., W. Joann Wong, and Yi-Chun Yvonnes Chen. “FCP And Mediation Styles: Factors Associated With Parents’ Intentions To Let Their Children Watch Violent, Sexual And Family-Oriented Television Content.” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media 55.3 (2011): 380-399. Academic Search Premier. Web. 27 Nov. 2012.

Robert Kubey, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. “Television Addition Is No Mere Metaphor”. Common Culture. 7th ed. Ed. Michael Petracca and Madeleine Sorapure. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson, 2010. 123-131. Print.

Shea, BE, JR Harvey-Berino, and RK Johnson. “Watching Television: How Does It Influence The Dietary Quality Of Children?.” Nutrition Bulletin 35.2 (2010): 165-171. CINAHL Plus with Full Text. Web. 5 Nov. 2012.

Steven Johnson. “Watching TV Makes You Smarter”. Common Culture. 7th ed. Ed. Michael Petracca and Madeleine Sorapure. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson, 2010. 131-144. Print.

Terence M. Dovey, et al. “Effect Of Television Advertisements For Foods On Food Consumption In Children.” Appetite 42.2 (2004): 221. Academic Search Premier. Web. 19 Nov. 2012.

Walma van der Molen, Juliette H., and Tom H. A. van der Voort. “Children’s Recall Of Television And Print News: A Media Comparison Study.” Journal of Educational Psychology 89.1 (1997): 82-91. Web. 5 Nov. 2012.

INTRODUCTION:

In this topic I have focussed on the Child labour problem in worst form in India, in India though Child Rights recognised and even many legislations passed to deal with the children rights but the children rights are continuously in one or other form violated. The topic try to expose abuse of children rights of those children who are working in hazardous work places like mines, firework industries and other informal (registered or unregistered small mines and quarries) and other sectors. In this topic I tried focus on the worst situation that children facing in the above sectors that the magnitude of the problem and conditions of the children are disclosed. The topic further discussed the role of the Government and Non Governmental Organisations eradicating this social disorder.

India continuously facing the child labour problem, in India child labour is a socio, economic and political problem. As a developing nation India facing this problem and it is hampering the growth of the nation in many ways. India’s one of the main goals is to put end to child labour. There is a huge exploitation in the marginalised groups in other terms poor among poor is more or less vulnerable sections. And if we talk about child they are more vulnerable, childhood of these exploited sections are wiped, these tender buds are muscled to take burden of unwanted. Childs are many ways are exploiting like child trafficking, child prostitution, and child labour and child slavery. India is the example for the child labour curse. Since independence, India has dedicated itself to be against child labour. Article 24 of the Indian constitution clearly states, “No child below the age of fourteen years shall be employed to work in any factory or mine or employed in any hazardous employment” [1] . Article 39(e) directs State policy such “that the health and strength of the workers… and the tender age of children are not forced by economic necessity to enter avocations unsuited to their age or strength” [2] . These two Articles illustrates that India has constantly had goals of taking concern of its children and ensuring the protection of workers. In regard to child labour the Indian government enacted the Child Labour Act in 1986. The purpose of this act is to “prohibit the employment of children who have not completed their 14th year in specified hazardous occupations and processes” [3] .

Children life is miserable under fourteen who has to earn for their families and they have to work with great pain for little amount. Poverty and illiteracy are main causes in these segregated sections causing exploitation. Families who are below poverty line do not have think about the any other issue of the society rather to how the day will go on every day. The governments have taken measures but they are lacking in implementation, there is a huge resentment in the civil society the application levels are very low in developing countries and they always try to escape in one or other ways give their accountability to international Agencies. India as signatory of international covenants trying to strengthen to its local and national laws to eradicate the problem. India is signatory to ILO forced labour convention, ILO abolition of forced labour convention and UN convention of the right of the child. As per the International labour organisation report 12.6 million [4] children are working in different sectors in India as per the census data on the child labour. NGOs and other social activist working remarkably to bring awareness in the society. Many activities holding awareness programmes in the society trying pull out the society from the plague of child labour. Judiciary also taking very stringent stand over the child labour issues. International covenant on convention on rights of the child recognises that children should be having special care and assistance to grow. Not only is that committee on the rights of the child the body of experts who monitors the implementation of convention by the state parties. The child must be spruced well in the decisive years of his life. He must receive education, acquire knowledge of man and materials and blossom in such an atmosphere that on reaching age, he is found to be a man with a mission, a man who matters so for as the society is concerned.

The child rights violated in the form of child slavery or bonded labour, child trafficking, child prostitution and pornography, child soldiers, domestic child servants, hazardous child labour. As the topic mainly dealing with child labour, the children are exploiting as labour in mainly following categories field of work cultivation; agricultural labour; livestock, forestry, fishing, plantation; mining and quarrying; manufacturing, processing, servicing and repairs; construction; trade and commerce; transport, storage, and communication; and other services. Not only the above categories children used as labour, children are used to manufacturing explosives like making matches, crackers, gem polishing, paper bag making, manufacturing sport goods, handicrafts, carpet weaving, gas stations, silk cultivation, glass and brass manufacturing, leather tanning etc, these are the examples of worst form of child labouring these all are some examples that we can understand that in many forms child can be abused and his rights are violated in everyday life. The topic mainly enlightening on child labour who works in mining and quarrying and Agriculture sectors in hazardous and other informal industries.

Historical background of child labour laws in India:

Before discussing further lets summarise the child labour laws and change in the course of developing nation. Any child under the age specified by law worldwide works full time, mentally or physically to earn for own survival or adding to family income, that interrupts child’s social development and education is called “child labour”. After set up of the International Labour Organisation, in 1919 under the League of Nations there is clear consciousness to set up international guidelines by which the employment of children under a certain age could be regulated in industrial undertakings. And suggested a minimum age of 12 be to work. British India adopted the same Sir Thomas Holland had introduced in the legislative assembly. Though there were many furores by the members, it is the starting of the recognition of child care at work. We can say that the International Labour Organisation is playing a vital role in eradicating the child labour from industrial exploitation. “A Royal Commission on Labour came to be established in 1929 to inquire into various matters relating to labour in this country. The report came to be finalised in 1931. It brought to light many inequities and shocking conditions under which children worked. The Commission had examined to conditions of child labour in different industries and had found that children had been obliged to work any number of hours per day as required by their masters. It was also found that they were subject to corporal punishment. The Commission had felt great concern at the placing of children by parents to employers in return for small sums of money; and as this system was found to be indefensible it recommended that any bond placing a child should be regarded as void. The recommendations of the Commission came to be discussed in the Legislative Assembly and the “Children (Pleading of Labour) Act, 1933? came to be passed, which may be said to be the first statutory enactment dealing with child labour. Many statutes came to be passed thereafter. As on today, the following legislative enactments are in force prohibiting through various provisions of employment of child labours in different occupations”.

“Factories Act, 1948” prohibit that no child under the age 14 allowed to work in factories. “Plantation of Labour Act, 1951” prohibits children under the age 12 in the field of plantation. “Merchant shipping Act, 1951” disallows who under age fifteen to carried or engaged to sea to work in any ship though there are some exemptions for who carrying family business and home trade with some restrictions. “Mines Act, 1952” in this act prohibits any child to take part in any mining operations; there is total ban on child to take work in the mines in below the grounds or in open cast work. “Motor Transport workers Act, 1961” bars no child be allowed to take any work in motor transport undertakings. “Apprentice Act, 1961” prescribes the qualification to become apprentice that person shall not qualify unless he crosses the age fourteen. “Beedi and Cigar Workers (Conditions of Employment) Act, 1966” prohibits of employment in the concerned industries. “Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986. (Act 61 of 1986)”. These regulations clearly show that legislatives have firmly considered necessary prohibition on Child labour. Though strong legislations in India there are many loopholes and ineffective administration authorities who splitting the wound continuously. Children rights are open to abuse in social, economic and political background of the society.

Worst form of child labour some Illustrations:

In many industries have been in the process of exploitation like match and firework industries, glass and bangle industries, stone quarrying industries etc., There are no registration industries who dealing with these kind of work in such places high hazardous situations where children were to take work quarries cutting stones brushing them loading and unloading not even shelters to take rest in all the seasons they have to work for more than 6 to 8 hours daily for meagre amount. Many diseases they have to face like bronchitis, lung and respiratory problems. The children are, as bonded labours have to work for little money or for sake of their family earnings.

Child labour mostly exploited by informal industries like small mining and quarrying industries, here the large range of work activities and practices take place, like excavating, cutting, panning, processing, breaking, blending, carrying, transporting and marketing. Here one illustration is important to give that how the child workers are working and how they are in miserable conditions. That is in Sivakasi, Tamilnadu state, India it is known as home of Match and firework industries. The region is mostly located with these industries. There are around more than 450 match and firework manufacturers are located. But the exact number of child workers in this industry is difficult to work, but as per the official report Office of the Registrar General, District Profile 1991- Tamil Nadu (1991) more than thirty thousand child between ages six to fourteen in these manufacturing units [5] . But some other sources and social activists opine the number is much more than the statistics report. Children had had to work in dangerous and hazardous units many Non Governmental Organisations, media, and labour unions continuously drawing attention of the same to government and Merchant association. But their efforts put in to vain in many ways due to negligible administrative authorities, under the power politics of Merchants association. Due to fire accidents in these industries damage is very horrible; in reported news in one accident 23 children were born alive. There are many shivering and terrified incidents took place in these mining industries. Human right activist and Advocate Sri M.C. Mehta filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court of India vide W.P.465/1986 [6] the Supreme court said that this is the example of worst offender who violating the prohibition of employing child in hazardous industries. Court constituted a committee for analyse and recommendations after considering the recommendations of the committee court directed that employment of children in match and firework factories is shall not be permitted. Children who are working in hazardous employment is violated the spirit of the constitution. The Supreme Court directed that the children employed in the match factories for packing purposes must work in separate premises for packing. Employers should not be permitted to take work from the children for more than six hours a day. The employers and State Govt. should provide proper transport facilities for travelling of the children from their homes to their work places and back. Facilities for recreation, socialisation and education should be provided either in the factory or close to the factory. Employers should make arrangements for providing basic diets for the children and in case they fail to do so, the Government may be directed to provide for basic diet – one meal a day programme of the State of Tamilnadu for school children may be extended to the child worker. A National Commission for children’s welfare should be set up to prepare a scheme for child labour abolition in a phased manner. Such a Commission should be to this Hon’ble Court directly and should report to this Hon’ble Court at periodical intervals about the progress.

The court decision quite surprising one many other issues that not dealt in this case when there is clear prohibition court try to segregate work in to two different sectors like packaging and processing and working child allowed to packaging section difficult to understand the court view. The most difficult side of these decisions is that they did not afford relief for children employed outside of the enumerated hazardous industries

But it show that how the miserable situations the child worker face reflects. The root cause is very simple but very strong one extreme poor condition of the families of those children, more than 75 percentage families eking their livelihood in those groups of society. These people exposed to extreme hazardous conditions no adequate measurements will take place even the prescribed laws are there. Violations are common, health conditions of the children are neglected every minute and day. Though there are many issues have to deal this is the first step towards protection of the child labour rights.

This is only one situation where brought in to light where in many other industries like mines, quarrying, glass and bangle etc like many informal industries means non registered industries, are exploiting the childhood of the nation which is intolerable.

In quarrying industries child labour situation is unjustifiable and inhuman small children between age 6 to 14 who are working where there is no monitoring and census record shows of their exploitation but it is true that they are openly curbing the child rights every day. Child labour in the quarrying industries works for more than 10 hours a day they are used to cut the stones in different sizes, load and unload the stones. Children are illegally forced to mining works, the mining contractors engage them in digging, breaking stones, filtering, load and unload, dumping, transporting, and processing activities. In iron ore mining child labour used to make a basin of iron ore child has to hammer and fill one basin of ore hardly he earns three pence in a day a child makes 5 to t basin of iron ore earning below 50 pence a day. Every iron basin the child filled up tells the story the magnitude of the problem that they are facing. In these industries very less or no safety equipments and no prescribed pay system even. In the working areas are always open to susceptible to accidents, injuries, and chronic mining leads to severe health problems. Children who engaged in granite industries faces the similar problem they used for collecting kerosene from mine tailing and in the washer pits from their bare hands handling toxic waste. In other hand the contractors, mine owners, traders and all other merchandisers escaping from the accountability easily though they are blatantly violating the child labour laws. The shift to privatisation and open market economy after India’s new economic policies has led to pushing women and children into the informal labour force, especially in sectors like mining where deregulation of laws for attracting foreign direct investment and private investments have led to mechanisation and retrenchment of workers and have diluted the legal protections towards labourers and marginalized sections. This calls for urgent investigation of all the mines in the country. Hospet-Bellary mining industry in Karnataka is the example of such conditions 3 big mines ranging over 83 hectors, and 6 big mines in bellary regions and 37 other mines spread over the region. These mines excavate iron ore, manganese, gold, quartz, granite and decorative stones. Fact finding team who reported about the child labour violations is shocking shameful to the nation. In these mines Activity takes place with drawing out the ore, breaking the raw ore rocks into small stones and shingles and into fine powder. The mining area has vast extraction site stretching in acres. These areas consist of extraction sites, stone crushing units, stockyards, dump yards, weighing and permit yards, motor vehicle yards, and wagon laoding points across the railway line. These mines in Bellary district are on the hills stretching almost 180 km. The labour that works are migrant workers and mostly form Scheduled cast (Dalits) and tribes these poor labour were engaged by middle persons to work in the mines. In these mines to work the whole family of the poor labour migrates and whole family except old live at work place and work in the mines. In the work area again child labour divided girl labour work with women in breaking the ore into stones. When a heap of lumps is gathered girl children take them to process sieving the lump into iron ore powder. If a boy labour then he goes with men digging and loading and unloading work. And the wages depends on the child labour capability. In these mining areas labour are mostly woman and children more than half of the labour these sections only works. This situation is not only the iron ore mines, in the District Bellary and Hose pet and its surrounding areas children are engaged in granite mines. In these mines kerosene is used to cut the granite and children are used to constrict and strain kerosene tanks and children have to spend hours together dipped their waist in the kerosene tanks. How bizarre to hear and hazardous but this is the daily routine life for them who working in the granite mines in Hosepet, Bellary, Karnataka. From the surround villages of these mines children brought to work, some go to school and some don’t, some children who are the sole earners for their families who used to work in the mines. Children are usually got in to expose to accidents and health problems apart from that the children are at high risk to trafficking and sexual harassment. Usually the mines are open cast form and children labour have to work open without any shelter whatever the weather may be, they do not use any safety equipments, even no drinking water facilities available all the labour have to walk a stretch of 2 to 5 kms. No toilets are provided woman and young children has to do their natural calls openly in humiliation conditions. Conditions in the mines are so pathetic, even after the work to wash or bath there is no water facility, and more over labour have to eat with their dirty hands, though the open site dust falls in their vessels. The mine sites are with full of mosquitoes and insects where the children and woman stay and live. Due contaminated and polluted atmosphere children and people who working in the mines usually get sick, while due to meagre amount of wages labour reluctant to go for medication, due to this mining labour developing chronic illness like tuberculosis, siliceous, cancer, respiratory problems and other disorders they are effecting from. These labour work as casual labours and as a curse they cannot use public health services, and they have to go private doctors treatment, and there wages go for medicines and only for temporary relief. These are the merciful conditions of the child labour in the mines industries, traders, owners of these mines very rarely respond on any severe issues raised on. Children rights are apparently abusing by these industries with no accountability and irresponsible authorities helpless with inadequate infrastructure. Many social activists and NGOs like HAQ [7] (means right in Urdu) ( centre for child rights), Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Save the child movement) [8] organisations, M.V. Foundation a voluntary organisation, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, reacted and have taken some initiations to bring out the truth of the child labour conditions in these mines, and submitted report to Karnataka government, acting upon the report Government of Karnataka appointed high level of committee for recommendations. My main concern about the child labour and abuse of their rights, though there are many Acts and regulations land Apex court directions regarding the Child labour, like Mines Act, 1952 prohibits totally children to take any form of work who are below fourteen years. Who are to be blamed for the cycle of exploitation of women and child labour the society, the government, implementation body, parents, judiciary, traders, media we have to move forward in the civilisation society, we have to take collective responsibility, and try to correct every part of the section of society and with the cooperation with each of the institution we have to up lift the children rights. It’s now nation’s duty to eradicate child labour abuses in all forms the above are only the worst form of abuse the child labour rights. In many other organised and unorganised, formal and informal, registered and unregistered industries these rights of children are violated every day.

Agriculture sector is where child rights abused extensively, Agriculture is the main source in Indian economy, and in this field child labour is in the form of boned labour. Bonded labour in the farm sector arise when people who do not have any source of land to cultivate or those tenant farmers or small farmers takes loan from the landlords or other sources in return they offer their labour else their children as bonded labour until paid off. Who are considered to be in training to become adult bonded labourers, graze cattle and assist bonded adults. This system is widespread throughout the central India and south India. Bonded children are sometimes subjected to physical punishment and suffer from a high incidence of severe malnutrition, vitamin deficiency, anaemia, tuberculosis, and skin and parasitic diseases. They have no time for either leisure or education – over 90 percent of bonded labourers in India, many of whom became bonded as children, have never had the opportunity to go to school.

Children working in Zari (embroidery work on dresses) Industries in Delhi, Delhi as National capital it are destination and transit point for the traffickers. Children from the different places from other States trafficked here for exploitation, they are converted as sex workers or labour in domestic works and zari industries. Fashion and export make Delhi an important business hub. Due to demand of the work contractors engage children as cheap labour to get more marginal benefit. Traffickers lure poor families promising for good earning to send children. Nearby villages people send their children for work attracting by agents. Children are forced to work long hours as up to 20 hours a stretch despite the consequences of their age and ability and of course with total ignoring of their physical and mental requirements. If they refuse to work they were beaten up badly. While working in the embroidery children every so often cut their fingers very badly. They have to work in confined rooms, and at last children paid only 30 rupees a week (around 40 pence). And some children are trafficked to brick kilns where they have to work with adults making bricks. The families who effected with trafficking are mostly Muslim minorities. Social activists and child right defenders many times rescued these children but many times these children are re-trafficked.

Developing countries always struggle with inadequate economic growth; child labour is one of the results due to inadequate economic growth. In one sense economic development, poverty and child labour are interlinked with each other. As a developing country child labour problem haunting India but this problem is not much is to eradicate in concern with economic growth policies. India must do more to combat child labour, primarily if the causes of child labour include caste discrimination, little or no educational opportunities for

Young people and misconceptions about children’s work. Children working in the “hidden sectors”, particularly those in domestic work and prostitution, have become vulnerable to sexual abuse. This makes them more susceptible to unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS [9] .

Active participation Cooperation of NGOs like Bachpan Bachao Andolan (save the child), Haq centre for the right of the child, international programme of elimination of child labour(IPEC), Global march against child labour, UNICEF India, M.V. Foundation, social activists, human right activists are remarkably working towards eradication of child labour problem. Many organisations working on child rights, they are focussed mainly in the tribal and urban informal child labours, and marginalised labour. Educating not only children their families, mobilising them to understand and bring awareness on their rights, exploitation. Social organisations try to bring fact findings of like situations in light and where enforcement authorities fail to do so, even after many fact finding reports submitted to concern administrative authorities if fail to take actions, bringing the inaction of those authorities filing public interest litigation in Supreme Court of India.

Government role:

India as large democratic country and as member of United Nation Committed to eradicate all social evils which violates Human Rights. And as party to International covenants and one of the main member of International Labour Organisation, as developing country India has many millennium Goals. Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is an international monitoring body monitors implementation of the convention on the rights of the child by state parties. Under this convention every state party has to submit their periodical report to the committee. 53rd session of the committee of right of the child will be help in Geneva January 2010. India as a developing nation and high birth rates and population child labour problem is identified as Socio, Economic and political problem and it is linked with poverty and illiteracy inextricably. Gurupadaswamy Committee [10] is the first committee on child labour problem constituted in way back 1974, the committee have suggested many recommendations to the government. The committee rightly opined that as long as the poverty and illiteracy continues in the society it is very hard to eradicate the child labour problem. On base of the recommendations of the committee “The child labour (prohibition and regulation) Act, 1986” was enacted. The Act prohibits employment of children in certain specified hazardous occupations and processes and regulates the working conditions in others. To deal with the child labour problem Government of India has taken “National Child Labour Projects” [11] these projects are the main rehabilitation schemes for the child labour. The main concept of the project is to open at district level rehabilitation centres and schools through National project societies for the child labour. In these centres make available to children with vocational training, providing supplementary nutrition and non formal education, providing health care through trained doctors. Children are withdrawn from work and mainstreamed to schools. With the help of international programme of elimination of child labour programme an organisation of international labour organisation the main objectives of the programme to mobilising the society and bringing the awareness in the society in the process of elimination of child labour. “The Ministry of Labour, Government of India and US, Deptt. Of Labour have developed a project under ILO-IPEC for Prevention & Elimination of Child Labour in identified Hazardous Sectors” [12] . The main objectives of these projects is to identify the children who are working in hazardous employment, it also insists a detailed survey to be conducted to identify these children. The second aim is those identified children from the age group 8-14 working in hazardous employment withdrawing them from the such employment and providing them rehabilitation facilities and education. These projects not only encourage children to withdraw from employment, these projects recognise the family of the dependent children and assure to provide viable income sources. These projects also insist social education and awareness programmes. In the tribal areas Government of India started Girijana Vikas Kendras and Vidya Vikas Kendras these institutions educate and mobilise them to eradicate child labour. The right of children to Free and compulsory education Act, 2009, is enacted by the parliament of India amending the constitution of India, inserting Article 21-A, providing free and compulsory education for the children off age group 6 to 14 as Fundamental Right. Not only that it provides specific reservation in private schools 25% seats for poor families, without any hassle.

Conclusions:

Thus child labour is still a burning problem in India and we must be ready and, more importantly, willing to combat this evil which is spreading its wings larger day by day. However, the government is trying but without the concern of the people, this problem cannot be eradicated. The recently conducted surveys are decisive that laws enforcements leaves lot to be desired. On the other hand if a child or his/her parents are unaware of the rights they are privileged with, it makes the task harder. If the family is poor and illiteracy resides in the houses, it becomes a very difficult matter, if not impossible, to eradicate this problem solely by the government itself. Therefore, if the society and the government work together hand in hand, it would be an able effort to regulate and eradicate this problem from our country and make it a better country of our dream. The Latin Maxim “boni judicis est ampliare juridictionem”(meaning law must keep pace with the society to retain its relevance, for if the society moves but law remains static, it shall be had for both. ) must be followed practically. “Children are our assets.” The common people should consider this quote and the

He is experiencing many different changes in his body that are influencing his development during the early adolescent stage. This stage can be one of the most challenging times in a child’s life. Biologically, Luz is developing at a healthy rate of growth, which means he experiencing rapid spurts of growth in height and weight. This begins in boys around age twelve, along with other biological changes such as puberty (Ashford & LeCroy, 2010).

Psychological Influences

Luz is experiencing psychological challenges that an indicator of emotional unrest and instability. He has become withdrawn from the other kids and non-interactive in class. The Adolescent years are characterized by cognitive development and information processing. Luz’s mental actions during this development phase is has developed into a formal operational patterns. This age is governed by global evaluation of one’s self, which has caused Luz to evaluate himself in relation to his peers. Adolescents gain new levels of awareness of themselves, and others as they mature and develop cognitive growth (Ashford & LeCroy, 2010). Luz’s shyness is a way to avoid rejection among his peers because he has become increasingly self-conscious to how he may appear to others. Luz sees himself differently from the other kids, and his weak self concept is psychologically damaging to his academic achievements. Although Luz is a bright child and has always done well in school, his grades have fallen due to the psychological issues he is undergoing in his adolescent development.

Social influences

In the middle childhood stage of development, children prefer to spend more time with their peer groups in more formal social gatherings. At this age there are distinct roles that govern the children through rigid social rules. Children learn to regulate their emotions to fit into specifics group and to avoid rejection (Ashford & LeCroy, 2010). Luz, however is not able to join these social groups due to his family’s financial situation and has not been able to participate in after school programs that could enhance his social acceptance. His social groups are confined to his brothers and grandparents in the afternoon. This has been extremely damaging to Luz on different levels. When Luz is put under the care of the older brothers, it can cause conflict between them, because they may not want to take this responsibility at their ages. When put under the care of his grandparents, it can cause him to feel as though he is being treated like a “baby.” Luz’s conflicting feelings, without an adequate social group, has caused him to feel insecure and to turn his negative feelings inward and made him withdrawn.

Cultural influences

Luz’s cultural background plays a vital role in his integration into social settings. Because Luz’s father and mother come from immigrant families, Luz has been raised by a distinct set of values and traditions from other countries. Since Luz’s mother emigrated from Mexico as a small child with her parents, her culture is most likely deeply rooted in the family microsystem. Although, Luz’s father’s family emigrated from Columbia, he was born in the United States and therefore may have integrated more to the surrounding culture. Every culture has rules for rearing children, some view leaving a thirteen year old unattended as inappropriate (Rogoff, 2003). Luz’s culture obviously holds to this view. This is contrary to American culture where children are left alone for long periods from early ages (Cole & Rodman, 1987). This difference may be a catalyst for Luz’s inferiority issues. He may not feel trusted, causing him to feel as though he is incapable of caring properly for himself, decreasing his confidence, and causing him to withdraw from the other kids at school.

Jose Gonzalez, Later Adolescence Developmental Stage – 19 years of age
Biological Influences

Jose is a healthy young adult male. He is at the peak of his physical development at nineteen years old, as body performance is the strongest during the early 20s (Ashford & LeCroy, 2010). This feeling of maximum physical potential has empowered Jose to assert his rights against his parent’s wishes and make harmful decisions for his future economic earnings.

Psychological influences

As an emerging adult, Jose is experiencing identity confusion (Ashford & LeCroy, 2010). Jose dropped out of school in tenth grade against the wishes of his parents and has been unable to transition to an adult lifestyle as defined through social and economic factors (Ashford & LeCroy, 2010). He is now nineteen and still has no positive career choices available, working only in low wages positions for short periods of time. Studies show that students from racial-ethnic minority groups have a higher dropout rate. It is also, known that students from lower socioeconomic environments have a higher dropout rate (McNeal Jr., 1995). The psychological connection between the Jose’s having to drop out of sports was likely a strong factor in his decision to drop out of school. Jose was a star athlete in school and most likely had dreams of playing professional sports. These kinds of dreams are instrumental in the psychological growth of a later adolescent development. According to Levinson, dreams give focus and high self-worth even if the dreams begin unrealistically (Ashford & LeCroy, 2010). Jose’s spirit was crushed and because of this, he exhibited poor decision making. Jose is making an effort to become independent from his parents yet psychologically this has been a problem, because he is still financially and emotionally dependent upon them. This kind of dependency can lead to problems developing intimate relationships with women (Ashford & LeCroy, 2010).

Social Influences

Jose is working to become independent in his later adolescent development years. He is in the process of coming to terms with his identity as an emerging young adult. He asserted his right to independence when he defied his parents and dropped out of school. This is common behavior for later adolescents, it is the time that young adults focus on strengthening their inner identity, and clarifies their values separate from their parents for the purpose of developing intimacy with others. During this stage of development, intimacy becomes a primary issue in their life. Later Adolescents begin to become concerned about commitment issues and career choices that will help them establish goals for a future family (Ashford & LeCroy, 2010). Jose continued loss of low wages jobs has disrupted his development maturity and has been a social handicap, because he has not been able to build long term work relationships.

Cultural Influences

Jose’s decisions are a result of his family’s culture. Although Jose’s father graduated from high school, his mother did not. In the Latino culture, a high school diploma is not as valued among its people, however in the United States, high school graduation among Latino students, has risen ten percent in ten years. The national rate is now seventy eight percent of Latinos students will graduate from high school (Garcia, 2013). Therefore it can be assumed that Jose’s decision was dependent more upon his own family’s culture than the American Latino culture which is in changing around him. Other cultural influences that are prevalent, is the historic system of Latino family’s dependence upon each other for support. Jose most likely feels responsible to help out with the household expenses since his family is struggling to make ends meet. The Latino culture is strongly enriched the philosophy that family members should help each other in any way possible (Osher et al., 2011).

Luz and Jose Gonzalez’s strengths

Luz and Jose both have strengths they should focus on to increase their developmental processes.

Jose is the oldest of three sons, has a sense of strong family values. He has gone to work to lighten the load off his financially struggling parents and is available to take care of the younger siblings when possible. He is sacrificial and supportive and should be commended because these are self-less character traits that are honorable in all cultures and are strengths for a healthy development into adulthood. He is young and physically fit and capable of doing many different jobs. He has had many different employment experiences and has been able to eliminate specific areas that he is not interested in for a career.

Luz is the youngest of the three brothers, and has a great deal of support from his older siblings. He is very intelligent and has potential to graduate with honors and gain scholarships to go to college. He is self- reflective and never disruptive in school. Hector is in good health and growing physically at a reasonable rate in proportion to his peers.

Luz and Jose Gonzalez’s Weaknesses

Jose being the oldest feels an undue amount of responsibility for his age, causing him to feel stress and anxiety in a difficult economic family situation. The largest hazard to Jose’s healthy development is the fact that he dropped out of high school. This limits his ability to find adequate employment (Garcia, 2013).

Luz’s position in the family can be noted as a hazard in the family structure, as younger children often emulate behavior of the older and his older siblings have and are making poor choices (Bank & Kahn, 2003). He also has more people seeking to control his behavior, which can lead to frustration and intimidation. He has become withdrawn, exhibiting insecurities and dissatisfaction with himself. He is at an age where belonging to social groups is vital, and he has no outlet to participate, due to his family’s financial situation. His grades are also falling due to his lack of interest in school and growing emotional instability. Immediate intervention is necessary for the healthy development of Luz to the next stage of growth.

Inferred family background or current family functioning Influences
Marital issues

Jorge and Maria are in a deeply stressful financial situation, these types of pressures often cause problems in marriages. Many couples site financial problems as the reason they divorced (Wolcott & Hughes, 1999). Both partners are tired from long hours of work. Maria works at a low wage job with no health insurance or retirement benefits, causing a great deal of insecurity for the health of their family. They struggled to get Hector glasses and he needs medication for his recently diagnosed ADD but there are no resources. The parents were forced to have their son stop playing sports because of the cost, instilling guilt and feelings of failure. There may also be some residual effects from previous years that Jorge did not have a steady job. It is important for the social worker to explore these issues to verify that there are no marital conflicts that should be resolved for the good of the adhesiveness of the family structure.

Parenting issues

Jorge and Maria Gonzalez have been married for twenty years with similar cultures but also very different experiences. They both have strong ideas about what is best for their children and there have been conflict within the family when Jose went against their wishes and quit school. This is an indicator that Jorge and Maria need to improve their parenting skills. Although they did not want their son to quit school they obviously gave into his demands, because it would require the parent’s signature. Jorge and Maria should have explored the deeper reasons for why Jose wanted to drop out of school. They also should learn skills to help their other sons learn to cope with the stresses they feel at school before they follow in their older brother’s footsteps, through motivational techniques. Both parents should determine to affirm their children while demonstrating power and authority (Ashford & LeCroy, 2010).

In-law issues

The Gonzalez family is a close operating unit and there is no doubt that each member is highly dependent upon the others, whether financially or emotionally Maria may be very dependent upon her extended family more than she should, relying upon them almost daily. In-law issues can be a cause of a great deal of conflict with a home. There should be clear boundaries set in place.

Formal Organizations that can help the Gonzalez family

The purpose of this research project is to investigate whether gender stereotypes existing in todays society affects childrens choices in play. The research will focus mainly on children around the ages of 2 – 3 years as this is when gender identity and the adopting of gender specific behaviour begins to show (Hughes, 2010). For many years society has been full of gender stereotypes and children have regularly learnt to adopt to gender specific roles as a result of this (REF). The research will also explore whether bringing children up in their set genders will have any effects on their later development.

Aims and objectives

The aim of this research is to discover whether gender stereotyping has an effect on the choices children make in their play, particularly looking at toy selection and areas the children gather in, in an early years setting. A discussion of how gender identity is formed and as to how gender roles are learnt and adopted by children will be a main focus in this study. The research will also explore how children being steered towards playing and behaving gender specific can hinder their development and what practitioners can do to avoid this.

Rationale

Past research that I have done has widened my understandings of how many children in settings adopt gender specific behaviour, for example not to cry if you’re a boy and to be innocent and pretty if you’re a girl. After doing placement in an early years setting and experiencing children playing in traditional ways for example boys with cars and girls steered towards playing with dolls and dressing up, I am extremely interested in finding out why children play in this way and as to what kind of an effect playing to a specific gender can have on children’s later/overall development. Although many of us believe in giving children as many opportunities and policy is in place to make sure this happens we still subconsciously treat boys and girls differently (REF). Therefore gender stereotyping appears to create many barriers to children receiving all the opportunities to play equal and personally I believe that this will have significant effects on their later life choices.

Research Questions

I will centre my research around these four main research areas:

How do children develop gender role behaviour?
What is the policy context around equality for girls and boys?
Does gender stereotyping hinder children’s overall development?
How can practitioners support inclusive practice for both sexes in the early years setting?
2. Literature Review 1,500

There has been extensive research carried out on gender stereotyping in children and many ideas have been formed as to how children develop gender specific roles. However before we begin looking into this topic it is fundamental that we define what is meant by gender.

How do children develop a gender role behaviour

There are many ways in which it is said children learn and adopt gender specific roles such as, paretns, peers, media, literature and practitioner interaction.. ‘there is much discussion on whether it is nature or nurture side’. According to Yellend (1998), gender development is a systematic process beginning at birth and frequently reshaped thoughtout life depending on the sex of the child.

There are many studies which have been carried out with the social learning perspective in mind which propose that parents contribute to sex-typed behaviours in children and are a great influence to shaping their child’s sex role development (Golombok, 2004). This is done through the different types of toys they buy and the way in which they respond to their children for example a positive response would be given to a girl playing with domestic type toys and likewise a boy playing with cars (Bee, Boyd, 2010).

Socialisation – Parents are key to gender roles as imitation is a vital part of young children’s lives and they learn many things through imitation especially around the ages of 2 – 3 years( REF) it has been said that children learn their gender roles by coping their same sex parent e.g. girl watching her mum do the cooking will then maybe assume that that is a role to be carried out by the female. Family are key when it comes to toy selection as they are generally the first people who buy for their children/grandsonsaˆ¦aˆ¦adults selection of toys for their children/grandson are likely to be gender specific as society is so full of stereotypes we automatically separate boys and girls toys as it has become a subconscious motive?

Many magazines will have toys under ‘toys for girls’ and toys for boys’ having product such as dolls for girls and trucks, cars..for boys

Peers can then continue the already existent believes children have about what should be played with if a girl or boy.

Interaction with practitioners also contributes, use words such as pretty, boys discouraged from crying (touch gender).

What is the policy context around equality for girls and boys?
The equality act 2012
EYFS/ECM will have wrote something on opportunism
Each setting will incorporate many policies within their setting
The Early Years Foundation Stage, unique child states that children ‘inclusive practice’.
Does gender stereotyping hinder children’s overall development?
Does gender stereotyping have an effect on childrens academic achievents and later career choices?

It is likely that traditional gender roles (stereotypes) will continue to limit both boys and girls academic opportunities – little girls discouraged from leaderships tasks, and maths steered towards nurturing roles

“persistent adult beliefs about ‘typical’ behaviour for boys or girls affect children’s experiences” (Lindon, 2012, pg. 7).

The ways in which children careers choices are relayed to children can be subtle but consistent, sending a clear message about the academic domains in which girls and boys are supposed to excel, for example giels are steered away from maths.

Can be shown through the later academic achievements of children eg, girls do better in english?

How can practitioners support inclusive practice for both sexes in the early years setting

It is important that children receive as many opportunites as possible in the early years

Hard cause we are so used to it we do it subconsciously

Follow policy

Gender neutral environment

Challenging stereotypical thoughts within your setting. If a boy tells a girl she can’t be a doctor, ask him why, and show him pictures of female doctors. If a girl tells a boy he can’t be a ballet dancer have resources to hand that show a different story

Role play is a great way to show gender equality

Showing pictures of women firefighters, women builders etc.

3. Methodology
3.1 Sample

The sample type I have chosen is a convenience sample, which refers to the “collection of information from members of the population who are conveniently available to provide it” (Sekaran & Bougie, 2010, pg.276). Therefore I have chosen to interview practitioners in early years settings in the Northumberland area, I have chosen this area as firstly I know the area which means I will save on time as I won’t have to find my way around a new place and secondly I have visited these settings before meaning they are easy accessible.

3.2 Research method – Interviews

I have chosen to use face to face interviews for my research. Interviews are a method whereby one person asks questions of an individual with the expectation of getting answers to a particular question (Mukherji & Albon, 2010). Interviews are the best suited method for my research due to the in depth collection of data, allowing for exploration of issues (O’Leary, 2010). I will be carrying out a semi structured interviews meaning I will be able to explore around the topic and not just collect responses to set questions. Interviews are a research method that provides us with qualitative data (REF). I have chosen a method that collects qualitative data rather than quantitative as the topic I have chosen to research requires in depth understandings and practitioners opinions and not just simple yes and no responses.

3.2(iii) Semi-structured approach

There are many types of interviews however I have chosen to use semi structured interviews, often called a ‘conversation with a purpose’ (REF). Semi structured interviews are where the interviewer has a checklist of topics and questions to explore however the way in which these are explored will vary dependant on the flow of conversation with each individual (Holmes, 2005). By using this type of interview I will be able to explore around the topic as there will be area for on the spot questions.

The role of the interviewer is important to know to conduct an effective piece of research. The interviewer will probe the interviewee however will know when they need to be quiet (REF). The interviewer knows the areas he or she wants to cover with the interviewee, but allows the interviewee the options to take different paths and explore different thoughts and feelings.

All interviews will be recorded and transcribed verbatim and this will contribute to the reliability of the research (Royse, 2008). After having transcribing the data I will analyse the data through content or discourse.

3.2(i) Advantages of method

Interviews are an excellent qualitative research method meaning they allow for in depth rich data to be collected about key themes (REF). One to one interviews allow for a rapport to be developed between the interviewer and the interviewee (Matthews & Ross, 2010). This could potentially lead to more information being expressed as the participant is likely to feel comfortable and therefore this gives reliable/valid data.

Face to face interviews have traditionally been seen as the most effective method in regards to the response rate (Vaus, 2002 aˆ¦) The response rate is always achieved as interviews are scheduled meaning answers are gurantueed

Another advantage of using interviews is the way in which the interviewer is able to observe the interviewees facial expressions and body language which in turn will give the interviewer a clearer indication of the interviewees true feelings. This will add to the validity of the research.

3.2(ii) Disadvantages of method

Although there are many advantages of using the research method interviews there are also many disadvantages. Firstly interviews are time consuming, scheduling the interview, conducting the interview, and transcribing recordings takes up a lot of time (May, 2011). Secondly the interviewers presence can have a great deal of an effect on the participant, factors such as tone of voice, the way a question may be rephrased, voicing an opinion, inadequate note taking, even the gender and appearance of the interviewer may lead to errors and bias (Fontana & Frey, 2000).

Thirdly achieving reliability is challenging because each interview is unique in some way (Conway,Jako & Goodman, 1995). This can be because there are differences between the way each interview is conducted, difference in the way questions are asked due to there not being standardised responses, and the data collected.

Fontana, A. & Frey, J. H. (2000) ‘The interview: from structured questions to negotiated text’ iin N.K. Denzin and Y.S. Lincoln (eds), Handbook of Qualitative Reasearch. 2nd ed. London: SAGE

Conway, J. M., Jako, R. A., & Goodman, D. (1995). A meta- analysis of interrater and internal consistency reliability of selection interviews. Journal of Applied Psychology, 80, 565-579.

4 Ethical considerations

Before carrying out any research it is crucial that ethical considerations are taken into account (May, 2011). Informed consent is essential, and should ensure that the participants are fully informed prior to participation and are aware that their involvement is completely voluntary (McLaughlin, 2007). Therefore in advance to carrying out the research it is vital that I receive informed consent from all participants, this will be achieved by obtaining a signed consent form from each participant (See Appendix). It is fundamental that participants know who is doing the research, the aims and objectives, what is being asked of them, how the data will be used and what steps will be taken to ensure confidentiality (Walliman, 2011). Another ethical consideration to consider is confidentiality, thus meaning we are obliged to protect the participant’s identity (Silverman, 2011). Information will be treated with respect and the participants would remain anonymous; both of which are extremely important to the ethics base (Hobart, Frankel, 2004, GSCC, 2002) Therefore all participants’ names will be changed so as to protect them; participants will be informed of this.

All participants have the right to withdraw themselves and their results fromthe research.

Interviews will be recorded so that they can be transcribed, this means the data will be kept for some time (Matthews & Ross, 2010) therefore it is important that this data is klept in a secure place. (data protection)

Beneficence is another ethical issue that will be key in this study. Beneficence relates to the

Non – maleficence, the principle of’ not doing harm’aˆ¦must be applied to all participants

Although my research would have benefited from me carrying out observations of children in their early year’s environment unfortunately due to the University ethics statement I am prohibited from doing this and therefore unable to observe children in their environment as part of my research.

Research Methods for Business: A Skill Building Approach

Uma Sekaran, Roger Bougie

5, illustrated

John Wiley & Sons, 2010

Surveys in Social Research

Social Research Today Series

Research methods/Sociology

David A. De Vaus

5, illustrated, reprint

Routledge, 2002

The focus of this research was gendered toys and the perceptions children and their parents hold about these types of toys, it aimed to investigate childrens reasoning about gendered toys and looked to establish if a link exists between the perceptions of parents and the toy preferences of children. Gendered toys can be described as being toys which are generally thought of as being suitable for one gender over the other, for example wheeled toys for males and dolls for females (Pleil and Williams, 2008; Francis, 2010). Throughout this research the term gender typical toys will be used to describe toys which are traditionally considered most appropriate for the sex choosing them, the term gender atypical is used to describe toys traditionally thought of as being suitable for a child of the opposite gender to the sex of the child selecting them. This subject is especially significant today, as it appears that the manufacturing and marketing of toys is more gender stereotyped now than previously; with the vast majority of toy stores having aisles, or even entire floors dedicated to a specific gender (Francis, 2010). Therefore, today’s children are being exposed to gender stereotyped toys to a greater degree than their counterparts would have been in the past (Francis, 2010).

Looking at research which sought parent’s experiences of what toys their children preferred has demonstrated that young children vary vastly when it comes to their choice of toys and that they have very clear opinions of what toys are most suited to each gender (Pleil and Williams, 2008). Furthermore, research has demonstrated that children develop mental schemas of objects, which are gender stereotyped from a very young age (Ruble, Martin and Berenbaum, 2006). The gender stereotypes and gender stereotypical behaviour that forms during early childhood are an interesting and important issue, as it has been established that these gender notions can influence a child’s career choices as adults (Cherney and Dempsey, 2010; Francis, 2010). Furthermore, toy choice in itself is an important issue research has shown that toys teach children vital life skills, however, these skills vary depending on which gender the toy is stereotypically aimed at (Fagot and Leinbach, 1983; Francis, 2010). It has been argued that the toys stereotypically aimed each gender foster totally different social and cognitive skills, with boys toys developing problem-solving skills whilst girls toys develop nurturing and caring skills (Cherney and London, 2006; Francis, 2010). Therefore, the toys children play with, along with children’s gender stereotypical views of them are important and valid issues to research as the impact is long term and has implications in adulthood.

There are several theoretical perspectives on how children come to acquire gender stereotypes and gendered behaviours. The social cognitive theory of gender development postulates that children learn gender norms and gendered behaviours through observing their environment and the people within it; children observe the behaviours of people in their environment and replicate them. Gendered behaviours are reinforced through the reward and punishment of behaviour, considered appropriate or inappropriate by others that the child experiences (Bussey and Bandura, 1999). Therefore, according to this standpoint the concept of gender and the acquisition of gendered behaviour is a socially constructed phenomenon. However, research conducted on Verve and Rhesus monkeys has established that young primates display the same gendered behaviours observed in their human counterparts (Alexander and Hines, 2002; Hassett, Siebert and Wallen 2008). This research suggests that gender stereotypical toy preferences may be a reflection of the biological differences between males and females rather than being a direct result of socialisation (Pleil and Williams, 2008). Therefore, according to this standpoint gendered behaviour is as a result of biological differences between the sexes. Despite this evidence, suggesting that children may be biologically predisposed to being gender stereotypical in their toy preferences, this paper is underpinned by the hypothesis that children’s social interactions, especially with their parents, are influential on their perception and choice when it comes to toys.

The overarching approach of this research was a case study, employing document analysis, questionnaire and interview techniques of data collection. The central research question for this study was “How do children and their parents perceive and reason about gendered toys and what, if any, connection exists between these perceptions in relation to children’s toy preferences”. Four aims were identified and addressed by formulating four research questions, in order to answer the central research question. These research questions were:

What are children’s toy preferences and how, if at all, are these preferences interrelated to the gender of the child?

How do children reason about their toy choice when deciding which toys they wish to play with?

What are parental perceptions of the suitability of gendered toys?

How, if at all, are parental perceptions of toys interlinked with toy choice and the reasoning behind toy choice, of children?

Chapter 2: Review of the Literature
Introduction

This review will examine issues relating to the perspectives held by children and parents on gendered toys. Firstly it will examine children’s toy preferences, exploring the gender dimorphic nature, which research has uncovered regarding children’s toy choices. Then the review will then explore the reasoning behind children’s toy choices, parental perspectives on the suitability of toys in relation to gender and finally the influence of parents on children’s perspective and choice.

2.1: Children’s Toy Preferences and Gender

It has been put forward that the vast majority of experiments designed to assess children’s toy preferences were not true reflections of what children would choose in real life (Down, 1983). Down (1983) argues that prior experiments were too restrictive, only offering a very limited choice between small selections of typically male or female toys, which rarely offered a gender neutral choice. In his own research Down assessed elementary school aged children’s toy preferences by utilising children’s letters to Santa Claus, allowing for an unrestricted, ecologically valid method of ascertaining children’s preferences in a real life, naturalistic way. Down found that many of the toys selected by the children were not traditionally gendered toys, rather they were toys which could be considered gender neutral; girls were found to be especially likely to request gender neutral toys whilst boys requested gender typical and gender neutral toys in equal measure. Nevertheless, Down’s research also demonstrated that boys and girls both prefer gender typical toys over gender atypical toys, a notion which has been supported through the findings of subsequence research (Carter and Levy, 1988; Martin, Eisenbud and Rose, 1995; Cherney et al, 2003).

Recent research which, like Down’s work offered a holistic insight into children’s toy preferences, was conducted by Cherney and London (2006). The child participants in this study were asked to list their favourite toys, the participants were free to choose whatever toys they wished. Considerable differences were found in the favourite toys that were chosen based on the child’s gender, replicating the previous finding of Down; both boys and girls preferred gender typical over gender atypical toys. They also discovered that whilst boy’s preferences became slightly more masculine as the child aged, that in contrast girl’s toy preference became less feminine with age.

More recently it has been discovered that even the youngest children, infants aged between 3 and 8 months, appear to show a preference for gender typical toys. Alexander, Wilcox and Woods (2009) investigated whether infants display a preference for gender typical toys, this was ascertained using eye-tracking technology to measure the time the infants spent focused on either a truck or a doll. It was found that girl infants showed a preference for the doll, whilst the boy infants spent more time focused on the truck. The research of Alexander, Wilcox and Woods, supports the notion of a biological foundation for gendered preferences of toys. The notion of a biological underpinning for children’s gender-based preferences has been highlighted through research conducted with infant monkeys (Alexander and Hines, 2002; Hassett, Siebert and Wallen 2008), as these preferences are being observed at an age before it is commonly accepted that children have established gender identity and gender typical behaviour.

However, it cannot be ignored that some of the research discussed above (Alexander and Hines, 2002; Hassett, Siebert and Wallen, 2008 and Alexander, Wilcox and Wood, 2009), is guilty of the very criticism put forward by Down (1983). These studies only offered the participants a choice between limited arrays of gendered toys with none offering participants a gender neutral option. Therefore, it could be argued that these studies do not demonstrate well-rounded picture of children’s toy preferences and therefore the validity of these findings could be called into question. Nevertheless, the findings of these studies, when considered alongside the more well-rounded research discussed above (Down, 1983; Cherney and London, 2006) clearly show that children, of both the human and primate variety, demonstrate a marked preference for gender typical over gender atypical toys, therefore providing a valid and important insight into children’s toy preference and the difference between the preferences of girls and boys.

2.2: Children’s Reasoning Regarding Toy Preference and Suitability

Through previous research, several key factors have emerged that influence a child’s reasoning about whom toys are suitable for. Several studies have found that children’s reasoning about who else would enjoy playing with a particular toy is often egocentric. It has been found that when a child likes a particular toy they often reason that other children of their own gender would also like the toy and conversely children of the opposite gender would not like it (Carter and Levy, 1988; Martin, Eisenbud and Rose, 1995; Cherney, Harper and Winter, 2006). These studies show that young children often used egocentric reasoning when thinking about what other children would like, they conclude that what they enjoy others of their own sex would also enjoy and those of the opposite sex would not.

However, Martin, Eisenbud and Rose (1995) established that when toys are labelled as being for a certain gender, it is highly influential on children’s reasoning about who would enjoy that toy. They presented children with attractive, but unfamiliar toys and asked them to rate the toys appeal to themselves and other children, the results were concurrent with the previous research of Carter and Levy (1988), the children’s reasoning was egocentric; they concluded that what they liked other children of their gender would like. However, when they presented the children with another set of toys, applying gender labelling to them, they uncovered a very different reaction. The children used the gender labels to reason about their own and others preference for that toy, even with a very attractive toy, if it was labelled for the opposite gender the children were less favourable towards that toy and reasoned that other children of their own gender wouldn’t like it either. Therefore, this research clearly demonstrates the power of gender labels to influence children’s reasoning and preferences when choosing what toys they themselves would enjoy as well as when considering what other children would enjoy.

Another common influence on children’s gender-based reasoning uncovered by recent research conducted by Cherney and Dempsey (2010) is gender association; children would habitually reason that a toy was most suitable for a particular gender based on the gender of the toy itself. An example of this was when a swimming pool, a toy deemed to be gender neutral, was classified as being a ‘girl’s toy’ because it featured Dora the Explorer whom is herself a girl. Furthermore, this research has also identified toy colour as being another factor which influences children’s reasoning and toy preferences. Using gender ambiguous and neutral toys, this research aimed to establish how young children classify toys with less notable gender typical features, finding that colour was commonly cited as a reason for the classification of toys by gender (Cherney and Dempsey, 2010). This finding could be due to the increasing trend seen in recent years for toy manufacturers to commonly market the same toy, which is often a gender neutral toy such as a camera, in gender typical colours. With the pink option being marketed at girls and the blue version marketed at boys.

The studies outlined above demonstrate that children’s reasoning about toy preferences and suitability is influenced by a number of factors and is often egocentric. However the common thread running throughout all these studies is that outside influences, such a gender labels and colour greatly influences the toys children like. The personal, egocentric reasoning employed by children in the absence of outside influences, coupled with the change in children’s reasoning that comes with outside influences clearly shows that children are highly aware of societal and cultural ‘norms’ and it would appear that, on the whole, children tend to conform to these gender ‘norms’ when it comes to the toys they considered to be most appealing.

2.3: Parental Perceptions of Gendered Toys and Their Suitability

During the late 1970s an observational study was conducted, which investigated how parents praise and punish children’s behaviour, it was found that the types of behaviours parents praise or punish differ for boys and girls. The study discovered that boys were punished when they played with gender atypical toys and praised when they played with gender typical toys, it also found that girls were punished for rough and tumble play (Fagot, 1978). Therefore, it would seem from this research that parents have clear views on what toys and play styles are suitable for either sex and that they actively discourage their children from engaging in play or using toys traditionally stereotyped as belonging to the opposite sex. This finding was supported by later research, investigating parental participation in children’s play (Roopnarine, 1986), which discovered parents most often participated when their children were playing with toys traditionally considered appropriate for their gender. Therefore, these studies (Fagot, 1978; Roopnarine, 1986) suggest that parents, either directly through punishment or indirectly through their lack of participation, encourage their children to prefer gender typical toys and reject gender atypical ones.

However, more recently a study conducted by Wood et al (2002) investigating parental views of gender stereotyped toys found that traditional gender categorisation of toys did not reflect the parents views on toy suitability. This study found that many toys traditionally considered to be either male or female, were categorised as being gender neutral by the parents. The physical features of the toys used in this study were controlled to limit factors, such as colour, from influencing gender categorisation. Therefore, the parents must have made their decision based on something outside of the physical features of the toys; the researchers believed this could be due to a shift in recent times of the typical gender role stereotypes (Wood et al, 2002). Nevertheless, this study discovered that parents believed gendered toys to be most desirable to the gender the toy is traditionally assigned to. This research also observed parents and children at play to ascertain which toys were utilised most often by each gender. While observing boys and parents typically masculine toys were played with the most, a finding consistent with previous studies however, when observing girls and parents there was more flexibility, playing with feminine and neutral toys equally which deviates from previous studies. Therefore the shift in how parents categorised toys uncovered by this research did not reflect in their real life play situations with their children (Wood et al, 2002).

The findings of these studies (Fagot, 1978; Roopnarine, 1986) suggest that parents have differing views on what toys and activities are suitable for children based on their gender, and that they reinforce these views through their behaviour when interacting with their child. However, more recent findings (Wood et al, 2002) suggest that parents view of traditionally gender stereotyped toys is evolving and that modern parents are reinterpreting the traditional roles of gendered toys. Nevertheless, despite this shift in how parents are categorising children’s toys, Wood et al (2002) still found that parents believed stereotypically gendered toys to be most desirable to the gender typically associated to them, showing that there is still a gender division in children toys.

2.4: Parental Influence on Children’s Toy Choices and Reasoning

It has been argued by Mischel (1966) that children learn gendered behaviours prior to realising that they belong to a particular gender, this occurs through a process of modelling and reinforcement by adults. Furthermore, as previously discussed the praise and punishment delivered by parents differs depending on the sex of the child, with girls and boys both being praised for gender typical behaviour and punished for gender atypical behaviour (Fagot, 1978). These two pieces of literature suggest that children learn gender labelling and gendered behaviours through the social interactions they experience in their early lives. This standpoint on children’s acquisition of gender labels and gendered behaviour is called social learning theory and opposes the cognitive-developmental theory of children acquisition of gendered behaviours as proposed by Kohlberg (1966). The cognitive-developmental theory argues that children develop an awareness of their own gender before developing an understanding of the typical behaviour associated with each gender (Kohlberg, 1966). Through the lens of the social learning theorist gendered behaviours are viewed as being a precursor of the gender development process, whereas cognitive-developmental theorists sees gender development as being a causal factor in children acquiring gendered behaviours (Weinraub et al, 1984). Therefore from a social learning perspective parents, as young children’s primary socialiser, have a massive potential to influence the existence of gender behaviour in their child and therefore may influence the types of toys children choose to play with.

Research conducted investigating young children’s gender identity, toy choices and family characteristics has found that parents do hold an influence over their child’s toy choice (Weinraub et al, 1984). However, this influence was not universal for mothers and fathers. The study found that in the case of mothers it is their occupation, not their sex-typed personality traits, which affect children’s development of gender labelling and therefore their toy choices. On the other hand, the study found that in the case of fathers, sex-typed personality traits strongly influenced the development of gender labels in children, and their toy preferences, especially in the case of boys (Weinraub et al, 1984). However, another study conducted shortly after found that contrary to previous research suggesting fathers as being the primary force supporting the development of children learning gender labels, that mothers and fathers were equally involved (Roopnarine, 1986). The results of these studies (Weinraub et al, 1984; Roopnarine, 1986) demonstrate that parents, especially fathers of boys, can influence the gender labels that children develop, and in turn the choices children make about toys and support the hypothesis proposed by social-learning theorists.

Chapter Three: Methodology
3.1: Research Methods

The overarching research design of this research was that of the case study. This design was chosen as it enables real life participants to be examined in a real life situation, allowing for an in-depth insight into the phenomenon being investigated (Cohen et al, 2011). The phenomenon this research project examined was gendered toys; it investigated how children and their parents perceive and reason about such toys and aimed to establish whether there is a link between the perceptions of parents and the preferences of children. A further benefit of the case study approach is that it allows findings to be presented in a clear and concise manner, enabling the reader to have a clearer understanding of the ideas being presented (Cohen et al, 2011).

Case studies have been defined as being the study of a single instance within a bounded system, for example a school, class, community (Adelman et al, 1980; Creswell, 1994 cited in Cohen et al, 2011). However, it has been put forward that such a tight definition is not an appropriate definition of the case study approach. Yin (2009) argues that the line between the phenomenon being investigated and the context where it is being investigating is not clear-cut; therefore it is important contextualise case studies by employing strategies such as rich descriptions and details. Nevertheless, this case study did investigate a phenomenon within a bounded system, focusing on families from within a community whose children all attend the same school. The case study approach was chosen for this research as the approach is particularly useful in establishing cause and effect, and the aim of this research was to establish if parental perceptions influence children choices. In addition, case studies allow the effects of a phenomenon to be observed within a real life perspective, allowing for a better understanding of how the context of a situation influences both cause and effect (Cohen et al, 2011).

Case studies are excellent for providing both the researcher and the reader with an in-depth and rich understanding of the phenomenon being investigated. Nevertheless, as a case study is usually focused upon a fairly narrow line of inquiry, focused on a specific phenomenon or a single setting, it does have its limitations. A major, often cited limitation is the lack of generality; finding and conclusion drawn by a case study cannot be applied to a wider context than that within which it was conducted (Robert-Holmes, 2011). It is therefore of upmost importance that researchers conducting case studies do not attempt to make claims applying the knowledge obtained through a case study universally.

This research employed three data collection methods within its case study research design, these were, questionnaires, documentary research and an interview. Three methods of data collection were employed in order to provide the study with triangulation. Triangulation is the process of employing two or more methods of data collection when researching an aspect of human behaviour, allowing the researcher to obtain a more comprehensive picture of the behaviour they are investigating (Cohen et al, 2011; Robert-Holmes, 2011). Triangulation is important as it provides the research with validity, which in turn makes the conclusions drawn by research more believable to the reader (Mukherji & Albon, 2009). An overview of these methods and their benefits and limitations, will follow.

Questionnaires can be a useful tool for gathering data for research as they quickly collect large quantities of data, and due to the standardised nature of the questionnaire the data collected is easily comparable (Willan, 2010; Robert-Holmes, 2011). However, it must be noted that questionnaire data lacks the depth and breadth of interview data, which offers a more in-depth insight of people’s thoughts, beliefs and attitudes (Robert-Holmes, 2011). Whilst questionnaires can be very useful, being easy to distribute and a comparatively cheap and quick method of collecting large quantities of data, they can prove problematic as getting responses back can often be challenging (Willan, 2010; Robert-Holmes, 2011). Furthermore, the formulation of a questionnaire can be difficult to get right requiring careful consideration; it is especially easy for questionnaires to lack clarity, be ambiguous and to be leading to its participants (Willan, 2010). Therefore, special consideration needs to be taken to ensure the questions are formulated in a way to ensure the necessary data is collected, whilst making sure that the questionnaire itself is not overly long or complicated. An overly long or complex questionnaire can put off potential participants, which in turn may result in a low response rate which then effects the breadth of the data collected (Oppenheim, 1992; Foody, 1993). For this reason, the questions for this projects questionnaire were designed to be clear and concise furthermore, unnecessary questions were omitted from the questionnaire in an attempt to maximise participation.

Documentary research can provide an insight into human social activity, briefly speaking a document can be describes as being a record of an event or a process, which is produced by an individual or group (Cohen et al, 2011). Documentary research can help researchers understand current practices; however through analysing historical documentation researchers can use this method to investigate how historical perceptions have influenced current thinking (Willan, 2010; Cohen et al, 2011). Documentary evidence can come in many different formats and is not merely the analysis of written documents, such as policy documents and letters; documentary evidence can be obtained from various multimedia sources such as radio, films and emails (Willan, 2010; Cohen et al, 2011). The documents analysed by this research were collages of favourite toys produced autonomously by the child participants; it was used to provide a current picture of the children’s toy preferences obtained with minimal adult influence. However, documents do not provide information automatically, they require careful analysis and interpretation to reveal the information contained within them. Therefore, the worth of data obtained through documentary analysis is highly variable, depending on how able the person analysing it is to fully understanding its meaning (Cohen et al, 2011).

The final method of data collection employed by this study was the semi-structured interview, employing the use of an interview guide which, while listing areas to be discussed was not a fixed, premeditated interview schedule as would be used in a structured interview (Robert-Holmes, 2011). The semi-structured technique was selected over the structured technique as it provides a good degree exploration whilst minimising the potential to wander from the intended area of discussion (Willan, 2010; Robert-Holmes, 2011). Semi-structured interviews centre firmly on the participant and their beliefs and opinions, rather than the researcher, which is the case in a structured interview; there is far more scope for the participant to influence the course the interview takes. When conducting a semi-structured interview the researcher acts as a facilitator encouraging the participants to vocalise their opinions about the matter being discussed (Robert-Holmes, 2011).

The interviews for this study were conducted as a group in the children’s school environment, additionally the researcher was known to these children from their role as a volunteer in the class. These measures were taken to ensure that the children felt as comfortable as possible, as feeling intimidated or uncomfortable by the situation could potentially affect the success of the interview (Robert-Holmes, 2011). Furthermore, it was felt that building a good rapport with the children, through volunteering in their classroom before commencing the data collection was imperative. This was because children are generally not used to unfamiliar adults asking them about their thoughts, feelings or experiences, therefore good researcher-child relationships are fundamental for successfully interviewing children (Folque, 2010).

3.2: Ethical Considerations

Before data collection commenced a letter explaining the aims and data collection methods of this research was presented to both the school and the parents of the children participating in the research. This was to ensure that all parties involved were aware of how and why the research was being conducted; a Criminal Records Bureau enhanced disclosure certificate was also shown to the school and made available for the parents to view to demonstrate that the research was being conducted by a suitable adult.

Through giving participants transparent information on the aims and data collection methods of the research allowed the adult participants to give their informed consent to participate on the research. Parents were asked for their permission for the children to participate, additionally the children were briefed on their part in the research and it was made clear to all parties that their participation was in no way compulsory and that they were free to withdraw at any point. Copies of the letters sent to the school and parents, along with the ethical approval form for this research can be found in the appendices (See Appendix 2 and 3).

Chapter Four: Results
4.1 Analysing Children’s Toy Collages
Introduction

In order to collect information about the toy preferences of the children participating the document analysis method of data collection was used, the documentary evidenced analysed was collages created by the children of their favourite toys. Full details of this method can be found in the methodology chapter of this research project (See 3.1).

Aims

The aim of using document analysis was to ascertain the children’s toy preferences in a naturalistic and unbiased way. It allowed the children to complete a collage of their favourite toys autonomously, with minimal outside influences. This information was required to determine to what extent, if at all, children prefer gender stereotypical toys.

Procedures

In total 31 families of Year 2 children at a West Midlands primary school were contacted with details the research and asked if they would be interested in participating. In total 10 families expressed an interest in taking part, giving a response rate of 32.2 %, 4 families were then selected to participate. The families selected were of white British background and from intact family units. These families were chosen because of the commonality of their backgrounds, in order to minimise variables due to ethnicity, culture and family dynamics. The sample group consisted of four children; 2 boys and 2 girls aged between 6 and 7years old.

The children were provided with a toy catalogue, featuring a wide range of different types of toys. The children were also provided with a choice of coloured paper, scissors and glue. Adults were on hand to assist the children with cutting out and sticking if this was needed.

The activity was child led but supervised by adults, this was to minimise adult influence on the children’s choices whilst ensuring the activity was safe. The activity was conducted in the children’s school environment, to ensure the children felt comfortable in order to minimise any negative effect on either the participants or the data collected (see 3.1). The children were told that they could browse through the catalogue, cut out the toys which they favoured and use them to make their collage. The children were also informed that if they could not find a toy they l

Fred Froebel was a German Educationalist who is best known for his work on the importance of play and as the “inventor of kindergarten.” Froebel believed that a child’s educational environment is important in helping a child reach his or her full potential. Froebel also stressed the importance of developmentally appropriate activities, free play, and the involvement of parents in the growth of a child educationally and socially. He provided the theoretical basis for early childhood education.

Many practices used in the classroom today involve free self activity, creativity, social participation, and motor expression, which are the four main components in Froebel’s philosophy of education. Unlike many educators before him, who believed that children should be taught to become productive members of society as soon as possible, Froebel believed that a child should be taught what is appropriate for their developmental level and ability. Froebel envisioned a small world, know as kindergarten, where children could play with others their own age and experience their first taste of independence. It was Froebel’s belief that through play, or free self-activity, those children could engage with others through movement and externalize their imaginative powers and thoughts. Children could think of an activity, plan it out, and then act it out. Froebel believed that the idea and concept of fee self-activity, thinking, planning, then acting, could carry a child from one educational level to another.

To help children grow from one educational level to another, Froebel designed stimulating instructional materials which he called “gifts and occupations.” Froebel’s “gifts” included such items as cubes, spheres, and cylinders. These objects could help children understand the concepts of dimensions, shape, size, and their relationships. Froebel felt that children should learn by doing. The “occupations” were items such as paint, clay, or other materials where children could make what they want. For Froebel, this was a way that children could show what was going on in their minds. Froebel believed that children should not be rushed through the educational process but, that they should be able to grow and develop and their own pace. They should not be molded into what society wants them to be. Froebel believed that through free self-activity and the use of instructional materials, children would begin to understand themselves and the world around them.

Froebel believed that an important part of a child’s education was their parents. Parents were, and still are; the child’s first educator’s and provides the most consistent form of education in a child’s life. The child understands the nature of the home and how it works. Naturally, the child will act this out during free play. It was important for Froebel to provide a family setting within the school. Children could engage socially in a non-threatening environment. Thus, children could express themselves freely and develop social skills that will help them as they move from one education level to another and every day in their lives.

Froebel provided the theoretical basis for early childhood education. At the time, his ideas and theories were revolutionary. He tried to get others to see the importance of his theories and pushed for adding kindergarten to a child’s formal education. He saw limited success in his lifetime but, his theories and practices are apparent in any early childhood classroom today. Early childhood practices and classrooms are designed around Froebel’s ideas and theories of free self-activity, creativity, social interaction, and motor expression.

John Pestalozzi

John Pestalozzi was a writer, philanthropist, and educator who greatly influenced the development of the educational system in Europe and America. Teachers from all over the world would travel to observe and study his methods. Pestalozzi was influenced by Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Like Rousseau, he believed in the “natural goodness” of people, the corruption of society, individual differences, and one’s readiness to learn. Pestalozzi centered his educational philosophy around love. He stressed the impotance of children’s feelings, self-respect, and their emotional security. Pestalozzi’s contributions to education include his educational philosophy and instructional method, sensory learning through object lessons, and his use of activities, excursions, and nature studies.

Pestalozzi envisioned schools that were “homelike.” He believed that a learning environment where children felt emotionally secure, was the setting for successful learning. Pestalozzi worked with orphans. He believed that everyone had a right to a good education and worked to provide them with a school that would meet their educational and emotional needs. Pestalozzi also believed that instructions should follow the general process of human conceptualization that begins with sensation. He designed object lessons where children observed the shape, size, and weight of an object and, named it after their experience with it. He designed a series of elaborate object lessons that ranged from simple to abstract. During these lessons he included materials from nature such as, plants and animals. Pestalozzi’s object lessons encouraged the entrance of natural science and geography into the elementary classroom, and was the most popular and widely used ideas of Pestalozzi. These ideas also encouraged what we now call field trips, nature walks, and even dissecting animals in science class.

Pestalozzi emphasized children’s interest and needs. His influence can be found today in child-centered classrooms, child permissiveness, and hands-on learning activities in the classroom. He also viewed the child as a whole, focusing on their mental, physical, and psychological development. Pestalozzi’s greatest contribution to education is philosophy of natural education that emphasized a child’s dignity and the importance of actively engaging children in the learning process through sensory experiences.

In this assignment I will cover what safe guarding means and what legislations have been put into place to support children young people and families. I will also discuss the different types of abuse that children can be affected by. I will also relate to different theories that are linked to child abuse. Safeguarding children legislation and procedures was put into place to avoid child abuse. .

Safeguarding is a multi-disciplinary team that work together to reduce the risk of children who don’t receive basic child protection, safeguarding aims to prevent the lack of children’s health and development.it also safeguards children from maltreatment and ensures children have a safe, effective environment at home.

The safeguarding legislation was bought into place in order to protect children from getting abused. The legislation protects children from the following,

Protecting children from mistreatment

Preventing impairment of children’s health and development

Ensures children are growing up in conditions with provision of safe an effective care.

The following means that every child should have the above in order for them fulfil everything they want. On the other hand not all children have the opportunity as they get abused and neglected.

16% of children (1 in 6) experience serious maltreatment by parents, of whom one third experience more than one type of maltreatment. Cawson (2002). This quote shows that not all children have a good life as they are mistreated by parents. There are numerous types of child abuse physical, emotional, sexual and neglect.

Physical harm is when an adult intentionally harms a child is physical abuse. This can include hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning, and slapping. Emotional abuse takes place through verbal cruelty for example continuous verbal attacks sexual abuse is when a child is forced in sexual activity they may not want do.

“The Persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s health or development.” Neglect is when the child’s needs are not met for example adequate foods, water, shelter. If these needs are not persistently met children are being neglected. Abraham Maslow also states that the physiological needs to be met in order for a child to move to the next stage of the hierarchy.

Child abuse is seen differently within the broad frame work there are different types of action, or inactions that could be measured abusive in their consequences for children. What others may consider as child abuse you may not consider as abuse. Children with repeated, hard to explain, injuries can be affected very seriously. The impact it has on children can be physical, psychological, behavioural and societal consequences. For example damage to a child’s growing brain, can obligate to psychological effects such as cognitive delays and emotional difficulties.

Child abuse affects a child in many ways as it has a major affect in their life and results in affecting their emotional feelings. There are many theories that link to why child abuse or neglect could take place in a child’s life. One of the theories which could link to child abuse could be attachment this is where the child seeks attention from the mother the things this could involve would be crying, or any other way of attraction.

Statistics show that “Approximately 50,500 children in the UK are known to be at risk of abuse right now”. This has been identified by the NSPCC. Research indicates that this is around 50,500 get neglected or abused.

http://www.nspcc.org.uk/Inform/research/statistics/prevalence_and_incidence_of_child_abuse_and_neglect_wda48740.html 10/11/2012

After the victoria climb’e incident and baby p the government has put a lot of legislations in place in order for them to tackle child abuse, as child abuse has become very common. Below are a few of the legislations which i will look at in depth,

Safeguarding Children 2008

Children Act 2004

Every Child Matters 2003

Common Assessment Framework 2006/7

Working Together To Safeguard Children 2007

These legislations are used by all practitioners to work together and ensure every child is safe and loved for. Safeguarding has to be met by all practitioners to prevent any child from abuse or neglect. On the other hand there is a difference between safe guarding as child protection. Child protection is when multi agencies are obligatory to keep the children when they are at harm and to safeguard them.

The following people can take action school teachers, school nurse, if it is not an education setting then police, social services and other organisations such as the NSPCC can take responsibility.

Safeguarding children is very important in all settings to ensure children are in a safe environment. When working with children all staff have to undertake a CRB check to guarantee that all staff have a clear history and have no offences. If CRB checks are not carried out children could be at risk. All schools have safeguarding procedures in place in order for all the children to be in a safe environment.

The common assessment framework was introduced after Lord Laming was appointed in April 2001 to chair a self-governing constitutional Investigation into the circumstances leading to and surrounding the death of Victoria Climbie. Victoria had been physically ill-treated by her great aunt Victoria and suffered many injuries. The common assessment framework was put into place in order to assess all children and young people to support earlier intervention, to develop communication amongst practitioners. The reason why victoria’s case was not dealt with appropriately was because agencies were not working together. This would not result now as all agencies work together and work as multi-disciplinary teams. This will benefit practitioner as well as keep the child. On the other hand the CAF has its positives and negatives. As they share information it is easier for practitioners to resolve the problem quickly.

The CAF is to be used for children who have additional needs in one or more of three areas:

Their development and growth

Extra learning requirements

Family and environmental problems and any precise needs of the parent/ carer.

Working together to safeguard children was also put in place after the death of victoria Climbie. This legislation focuses on all settings to work together to safeguard children. It also allows families and children to access services that are available to them if they need any help or support.

ECM stands for Every Child Matters. It’s a green paper which means that it is not yet legislation and hasn’t become a white paper. The reason for ECM is to get rid of inequality and improve the life of children that aren’t well off. This green paper is a follow on from the paper that Laming produced after Victoria Climbie’s death. Cheminais (2008) writes that there are five outcomes for Every Child Matters. These are be healthy, stay safe, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution and achieve economic wellbeing. By being healthy the child should be physically, emotionally and mentally well. They should have a healthy was of living. An example of this would be eating healthy and exercising. It is not only the child’s responsibility to keep themselves healthy but also their parents and anyone that works with them. Staying safe is about being safe from bullying or any harm and injury. This also means having a steady home environment. To enjoy and achieve is to have fun whilst learning and not be doing something that makes them feel uncomfortable, rather be doing something that makes them happy. Making a positive contribution is to be supportive of others but also to have your own opinions. To have confidence and have a positive attitude on the outlook of life. Economics is to do with finance and money. The child should be supported by parents and their home should not have a low income. The child should also be able to have access to good materials and be prepared to work and go in to higher education if they want. Throughout all these five outcomes the child should be supported and guided with the help of parents and other people that care for the child. However this puts more pressure on teachers as they have to take more responsibility. Some teachers do say that their job is to teach the children and not be another parent type figure to them.

The role of the teacher is to realise when a child is uncomfortable and to find out why. To notice any abuse or neglect. Practitioners should work with other agencies and share information so that the issue at hand can be dealt with. Teachers must observe the way children play. Smith (2008, p50) writes about the signs of recognising child abuse and neglect. The signs can be the child using toys to act out sexual experiences, drawings of abuse, being afraid of a person or not wanting to go home. The child might develop aggressive behaviour or the opposite, hostile, withdrawn behaviour. They also might have bruising or unexplained injuries and when asked, the child might give a shaky answer or tell a lie. The parent may also lie when brought in to discuss the child. Disguised compliance is another way the parents might make the services and teachers think that things are getting better or are resolved. They will go along with what the authorities say and after a while return to how it was before. The parent or parents only do this as a way of putting up and act.

There are techniques in which disclosures of abuse must be dealt with and responded to. Dare and O’Donovan (2000) write that when a child discloses in you, you must be calm about it. You shouldn’t be shocked or keep asking the child what happened. This will only make them not want to say anything. You must reassure them but also let them know that what they have told you can’t be kept confidential. The named member of staff must be told about what has been disclosed in you. The practitioner must know how to record information and where it is kept. The practitioner must also keep in control of their emotions. They will have to deal with parents and the child. Kids First (2009, online) describe how to make a report when calling the social services. Basic details must be given such as the name, age and address of the child as well as their parent or guardians name. The state of the child, for example if any abuse has taken place and if there are injuries. Where the child is being kept while the report is being made and if possible say if any harmful substances or objects are being kept at the child’s home or anything that could put the child at risk.

The points that were in the introduction have been discusses as well as being expanded on. There have been references throughout from both books and online to support the points that were made in this assignment.

References Safeguarding

Online

http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/caf

parliament.uk. 2003. House of Commons. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200203/cmselect/cmhealth/570/570.pdf. [Accessed 10 November 12].

Medical news today. 2012. What Is Child Abuse? What Is Child Neglect?. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/241532.php. [Accessed 11 November 12].

Melinda Smith and Jeanne Segal,. 2012. HelpGuide. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.helpguide.org/mental/child_abuse_physical_emotional_sexual_neglect.htm. [Accessed 07 November 12].

Neglect quote
Books

Damien Fitzgerald, (2007). Working Together in Children’s Services. 1 Edition. Routledge

Jennie Lindon, (2003). Child Protection.2nd Edition. Hodder Education.

Barbara Lindon, (2003). Contemporary Child Care Policy and Practice. Edition. Palgrave

The focus of this review will concentrate on addressing the issues and concepts surrounding the subject of Outdoor Provision in the Early Years setting. The review will begin by looking at the current literature supporting the suggestion that play has been identified as an essential part of early childhood education, touching on recent educational literature as well as a look at past theorist’s views and how this has affected early years practice to the present day. The review will then follow on from this with the main body of the essay discussing the literature and research on the outdoor environment within the early years setting focusing on the positive and negative areas surrounding the topic. In order to accomplish this, the review will analyse and synthesise current educational literature surrounding the main issues and ideas on the outdoors. In relation to the outdoors, the review will also touch upon issues raised regarding the relationship between the outdoor environment and boys’ attainment and the importance of equal opportunities within early years settings. The review will conclude with reference to all of the findings from recent educational literature relating to the outdoors and the issues and ideas surrounding it.

“Play is the highest expression of human development in childhood, for it alone is the free expression of what is in a child’s soul”(Fredrich Froebel n/d)

Introduction

It has been continually reported and researched, that we expect too much too soon from our young children today. Early Years Practitioners are under pressure from government statistics and league tables to conform to a formal style of teaching too early, but how do we resist top down curriculum pressure? The time given to childhood is continually being eroded as children are rushed towards the adult world. “Rather than being receivers of information, young children need to enjoy the experience of discovery, so that they can apply knowledge, concepts and skills, and take calculated risks in a structured rather than a directed environment. In all activities children need to play.” (Warden 1999).

Have we forgotten about the importance of childhood, the importance of ‘Play’? Surely it is impossible to stop children from playing? Such a strong natural drive must have a function.

“The disappearance of childhood is a contemporary phenomenon arising from a disappearing understanding of the true needs of early childhood” (Lynne Oldfield, 2001: 5)

‘Play’ has always been a topic under debate among educators and not only in the present day, as there are also vast amounts of research from past educational theorists that both support and challenge the idea. Someone once wrote that “defining play is like looking for crocks of gold at the end of a rainbow”, which seems like an appropriate definition. Play has been defined in various different ways by different theorists and throughout history philosophers and theorists have watched and questioned ‘play’. As far back as the 18th century Froebel was highly aware of the role of environmental influences in determining the full realisation of the child’s potential and his respect for children’s play was profound; “Playing is the self education of the child” (Froebel 1815).

Also in the 18th century Rousseau’s work had its emphasis on freedom for children which was later criticised for encouraging parents to allow their children to be noisy, undisciplined and unkempt. His writing was said to be responsible for this ‘provoking, obstinate, insolent, impudent, arrogant generation’.

Almost 300 years later this sounds all too familiar. By letting our children ‘play’ are we creating destructive members of the community or are we helping them to become independent, confident and capable learners? Susan Isaac’s theory would definitely agree with the latter of the two statements, in the 1920’s and 30’s. Isaacs developed both a curriculum and a means of understanding young children’s development based on her observations of their play. She wrote that, “Play is a means of living and of understanding life”. Neuroscientist, Susan Greenfield, (1996) also lends support to this view when she writes, “Play is fun with serious consequences”. The early years writer, Tina Bruce, also defines play as “something involving choice and firsthand experience”. ( Tina Bruce 2001) .

Although research about play based learning has been rife since the 17th century, it is only within the last few years that the government has recognised its importance and incorporated it into the curriculum as an essential part of early years, “Playing allows children to develop a sense of well being; develops their emotional responses and improves their interpersonal skills. It involves exploration and creativity, helping children think in a flexible manner, developing the creative process, language skills and learning and problem skills.” (DCSF, 2008).

Government documentation has not only highlighted the importance of a play based curriculum but also the importance of the outdoor environment. It states that all settings should provide “continuous outdoor provision for all children” (EFYS 2008). It is here that we move on to the importance of the outdoors as an extension to the ‘play’ within the early years. ‘Young children should be outdoors as much as indoors and need a well-designed, well-organised and integrated indoor-outdoor environment, preferably with indoors and outdoors available simultaneously’ (The Shared Vision & Values for Outdoor Play in the Early Years, 2004)

Drake looks at the work of other early years professionals and she identifies the outside area as a “valuable resource” that should be viewed as “an extension of the whole setting in which all other areas of provision can be set upaˆ¦” (Drake 2001:3). Later these findings were also supported by Helen Bilton in an early years education lecture where she stated, “The outdoor area is a complete learning environment, which caters for all children’s needs – cognitive, linguistic, emotional, social and physical. It should be available every day alongside the indoor class and throughout the year”. (Helen Bilton 2010). Claire Warden is also of the same opinion as the author of ‘Nurture through Nature’, uniting together play and the outdoors: “Play is the means through which children find stimulation, well being and happiness, and is the means through which they grow physically, intellectually and emotionally. Play is the most important thing for children to do outside and the most relevant way of offering learning outdoors.”(Warden 2008)

The outdoor environment

In Sept 2008 the EYFS was introduced as a government policy document which stated, “A rich and varied environment supports children’s learning and development. It gives them confidence to explore and learn in secure and safe, yet challenging indoor and outdoor spaces” (EYFS Commitment 3:3).

The debate about the outdoors and its importance within the early years has been discussed widely and is rarely out of the media. Not only has this been identified as an essential part of childhood education since the 18th Century but there had also been extensive research and literature produced to confirm its value and not just of opinion, but scientific research. The debate is not any more about whether or not the outdoors has a positive effect on childhood as this question has already been answered in abundance, but we still have to question how and why does it have a positive effect on children’s early years education and what are the potential benefits for learning outdoors – ‘Nurture through Nature?’.

What better way to get a good perspective of the benefits of the outdoors than to ask the children themselves? Young children are spending increasing amounts of time in educational settings which then places a big responsibility on the early year’s practitioners and the learning opportunities they provide, but what do children think about the outdoor environment? In conjunction with the ‘Every Child Matters’ document which maintains an emphasis on listening to children, a research project, ‘Mosaic’ was initiated to find out. It was found through observations that children thought that their outdoor environment was very important. In surveys with young children, particularly those carried out to inform the development of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework, being outdoors always comes out at the top of their priorities and favorite things in nursery.

The special nature of the outdoors seems to fulfill the way young children want to play, learn and develop in so many ways. Perhaps this is why children love to be outside so much! It certainly gives a strong rationale and justification for developing rich outdoor provision and providing as much access to it as possible.

Creating environments to support boys learning

The importance of the outdoor environment in the early years has already been firmly recognised, but some aspects of it in particular seem to support boys more in their natural learning styles. One of the issues raised within the early years over the last few years has been the underachievement of boys compared to girls. There have been various reasons addressed and researched but something which comes up frequently in current literature is the question “Are we planning the correct environments to support boy’s styles of learning?” As a result of this apparent lack of achievement, research had been undertaken to find out the ways in which boys learn and there has been strong evidence to suggest that learning and playing in the outdoor environment will help in raising boy’s attainment.

Bilton supports the view by stating, “Boy’s brains develop in a different sequence to girls and this could have some bearing on teaching and learning. Boys develop concepts of movement and space first so it makes sense for teaching and learning to take place in an environment such as the outdoors” (Bilton 2002:73). Boys are no less able than girls, so it seems to fall at the feet of the professionals in the early years. Are practitioners knowledgeable enough about the differing gender learning styles to offer a fair and accessible curriculum to all children? In the early years foundation stage booklet it states that, “All children, irrespective of ethnicity, culture or religion, home language, family background, learning difficulties or disabilities, gender or ability should have the opportunity to experience a challenging and enjoyable programme of learning and development .”(EYFS Statutory Guidance 2008)

Contrary to the government statutory guidelines, boys were still underachieving which sparked a new government research document to be produced, ‘Confident, Capable and Creative: Supporting boy’s achievements’. This document supports the ideas that the problem lies at the feet of the professionals in proving the incorrect type of learning opportunities, “Are we planning experiences for boys that build on their interests and value their strengths as active learners and problem solvers or are we simply expecting them to be compliant, passive recipients of new skills and knowledge” (DCSF 2007). This was also recognised by Ofsted in 2007 when it was published: “Ofsted has specifically highlighted the need to make early years provision more boy friendly and help them to achieve more rapidly by providing activities for learning that engages them.” (Ofsted 2007).

The importance of the outdoors is therefore even more crucial when looking at the future of our boy’s attainment. Are boys developing a negative image of themselves as learners because professionals are providing the wrong learning opportunities?

So what does the outdoor environment give to boys that the inside environment does not? Helen Bilton has researched boys and the outdoors significantly and she writes that, “The outdoor environment could play a central role in helping boys. They are more interested in movement, exploration and action and this type of activity occurs for the most part in the outdoor area”. (Bilton 2002: 73) Smith et al.(2003) outlines the psychological perspective on gender which concurs with Bilton’s views on boys that even though boys and girls share interests there is evidence of clear play preferences by 3 or 4 years old. “Boys are more likely to enjoy play that is more active and need more space”. (Smith et al 2003). As the outdoors is a perfect place for facilitating activities which encourage movement and multi sensory experiences it tends to support boys natural learning styles. Resources and equipment that encourage children to solve problems and overcome challenges through exploration seems to be the ideal method for engaging the interests of boys. To support these views Sarah Gharremani writes’ “Research shows the outdoors may be able to provide for boys the activities and experiences that will help them achieve”. (Nursery World 2009)

Although the research mostly supports the benefits of the outdoors for boys some research has shown that it can have a negative effect on the learning environment. (McNaughton 2000) argues that, “During free play boys regularly use physical power to control spaces. Although this seems to be part of learning what it means to be a boy, this kind of behaviour can have negative consequences for girls”. The difficulty lies in being able to control the behaviour of boys in the outdoor environment and the danger lies in the possibility of adults and children seeing the outdoor environment as being ‘boys’ territory. Not only this, but there also lies the danger of reinforcing stereotypes to very young children and maybe conveying the message that active and explorative play is for boys and not for the equally curious and creative girls.

What is the role of the practitioner outdoors?

“We believe that every young person should experience the world beyond the classroom as an essential part of learning and personal development and that these experiences make a unique contribution to young children lives.” (DfES 2005: 11)

Even though the government policy documents are constantly informing us that children are required to have access to an outdoor learning environment, it is not always as simple as just providing an outdoor area. Issues that have surfaced have been the confusion surrounding the role of the practitioner in the outside environment. Although the ‘Effective Provision of Preschool Education’ (EPPE) research identifies the outdoors as being a great place for practitioners to engage with children in ‘sustain shared thinking’. “Sustained thinking occurs when two or more individuals ‘work together’ in an intellectual way to solve a problem, clarify a concept, evaluate an activity etc. Both parties must contribute to the thinking and it must develop and extend the understanding.” (Siraj-Blatchford et al 2004). The counter argument is that the outdoor environment is supposed to provide children with the opportunity for private space and opportunity to just ‘be’ a child. Questions are raised about how practitioners are trained for the role of the adult in the outdoor environment and whether or not we are providing children with the correct sort of learning opportunities or do we comprise children’s learning with our actions?

Working in both indoor and outdoor environments practitioners are required to provide a balance between child initiated activities and adult directed roles but not all practitioners find it easy to convert to a complete ‘child initiated’ play when looking at the outdoors.”Adult interaction is the hardest aspect to teach in training, knowing when to be near, to offer space, or a challenge, seems to come from within a sensitive, knowledgeable adult” (Warden 2007:18) When teachers are used to working with a pre-determined curriculum, is it a simple task to ask teachers to allow the children to lead their own learning or does this type of teaching require training and more understanding? A paper written by Maynard also questions this idea when she writes “any assumption that all teachers will find it easy to ‘let go’ and allow children to take the lead in their learning is both simplistic and overly optimistic” (Maynard 2007:207) The findings of the foundation stage pilot phase verified these doubts to be correct as they found that practitioners were unclear as to what exactly is meant by the term ‘active learning’, ‘outdoor classroom’ and even ‘play’.

The role of the practitioner is so important to the success of the outdoor environment that if managed incorrectly it could have adverse effects on the setting. This view is also demonstrated when Jan White writes “Practitioner attitudes, understanding and commitment, comfort, confidence and competence are all crucial aspects of successful outdoor provision. Practitioners having a good understanding of their role outside contributes significantly to sharing children’s pleasure in being outside.” (Jan White 2008: 9)

It is essential therefore that adults understand the benefits and potential the outdoors has on the learning and development of young people. If practitioners do not have the understanding and enthusiasm then this will have a negative effect on the leaning potentials, it is only when outdoor play is seen as a crucial part of early years education that it will be well provided for and in turn be successful. As McMillan(1930) argues, the success of children’s learning rests with the teacher. These findings were supported by theorist Bruner (1987 cited in Bilton 2008) as he talks about the interactionist approach which places a responsibility on adults to make sure children have a partnership role. “The staff role therefore involves bringing the children, environment and curriculum together.” (Bruner 1987) The presence of the adult is therefore essential as Vygotskys work on ‘the zone of proximal development’ also supports “a child on the edge of learning a new concept can benefit from interaction with a teacher”.

“We as adults can therefore effect children’s development to its detriment or to good effect” (Bilton 2010)

Importance of Risk taking

Another issue surrounding the debate about the outdoor environment which gets discussed a lot is the concern of the potential risks of this type of environment. Is it important for practitioners to give children the opportunity to take risks and make their own mistakes and learn from them or is it our job to protect them from anything that may be seen as a potential risk? (Gill cited in Bilton 2007:10) argues that “childhood is becoming undermined by risk aversion” and this echo’s a sentiment expressed by (Cunningham 2006) that adults are interfering too much with childhood. We need to give our children the opportunity to experience risk and self regulate their own safely or how else are they going to learn these skills? The royal society for the prevention of accidents (RoSPA) argues that children need challenges, “It is essential to their healthy growth and development. Children need to learn about risk, about their own capabilities and to develop the mechanism for judging it in controlled settings.” (Cook and Heseltine 1999:4)

The outdoor environment seems to be the perfect place to allow children the freedom to partake in potential ‘risk taking’ play. Although literature around this subject is rarely seen as taking a positive attitude towards it, there have been research projects which have shown the “potential links between children’s physical risk taking behaviour, the later development of risk management strategies and positive dispositions to learning” have been suggested (Smith 1998 Stephenson 2003). Practitioners expect children to make all of the right choices in so many different areas of life e.g. when to be kind, when to share etc. So why do we feel the need to take away the opportunity to make decisions about danger and risk? Can four year olds make such informed decisions about their lives? Can over protection from risk inhibit development?

It is argued that taking risks can have a positive effect on the learning development of young children. Many current researchers (Ball 2002: Gill 2007: Hughes 2001) argue for the developmental benefits of risk in the outdoors through play. Ball notes that because the future benefits of play and risk in play cannot be measured with our theoretical models, they are not appropriately considered. But is it not risk that provides children with the opportunity to learn the important skills needed in adulthood?

If we are to use the outdoor environment as a ‘classroom’ to enrich the learning experience, surely we cannot put barriers on experiences which will help children to grow and develop. By providing access to the outdoor environment you can in hand provide children with the opportunity to take risks, but with the rising ‘culture of fear’, it proves a more difficult task than once thought. Numerous writers have claimed that there needs to be more recognition placed on the positive outcomes of risky activities such as the development of self-esteem and self- confidence. (Lindon 1999: Stephenson 2003)

One element of outdoor education which emphasises its ability to fulfill these elements of child development is ‘the forest school approach’, an approach which started originally in Scandinavia but shows more evidence of the benefits of the outdoors and risk taking. What makes ‘forest school’ unique is its emphasis on learning outside in the ever changing environment and the ability to let children take risks and to access risks for themselves. Not only does this environment provide children with opportunity to develop skills in risk evaluation but also build up self-esteem and confidence when encountering situations and tasks which are new and unexplored. Although Dewey (1938,78) states that, “children need teachers to decide what is safe and also developmentally safe for them”, this is contradicted by a lot of research showing that if we give children the independence of their own learning and development they will become creative and confident learners in the future. Many theorists and researchers have agreed with this point and even though there maybe some negatives of providing children with risks, the benefits seem to outweigh the negatives. “It is only when the environment that we set up for children enables them to be adventurous and show physical and social courage that children can begin to understand themselves and others,” (Ouvry 2005)

Conclusion

Opinions and debates on the outdoor environment are vast and plenty with researchers and theorists studying every aspect of how and why the outdoor environment is a positive element of children’s early education. Having reviewed various sources of information it can be concluded that the outdoors has a significant impact on boys and their learning development. By understanding more about the ways that boys learn we are able to see that the elements of the outdoor environment can support the development of boys in order for them to achieve well and improve their attainment.

It would appear that a grey area in need of attention is the role of the adult in an outdoor environment. The evidence and research favors the suggestion that practitioners are there for the children as a scaffold to their learning rather than getting heavily involved in any learning activities. Although this seems to be something which a lot of practitioners are unsure of, if settings are going to be able to provide an outdoor environment to its full potential, then a better understanding of the elements that work best are in need of being put in place. A better understanding on how to be a supportive adult in the outdoor environment needs to be clarified and then practitioners will be able to provide the best possible learning experiences for young children.

Risk taking is always something which will come under great scrutiny as children’s safely is always of up most importance. However, a better understanding of the benefits of allowing children to take risks and make their own choices needs to be addressed. Unfortunately we are at risk of protecting our children from meeting any real opportunities for risk or challenge which will in turn affect their emotional and physical development. The over whelming evidence is that risk taking contributes to the personal traits and abilities of children and by not allowing them the opportunities to do this we are ultimately stemming their development. “The biggest ‘risk’ in the environment of young children is when there is no risk, because this unavoidably leads to risk adverse, inexperienced and unconfident young children.” (Judith Horvath 2010: 23)

Throughout this review various aspects of children’s play has been discussed, but the one thing that seems to be echoed throughout the review is the importance of play and outdoor education. There seems to be something which the outdoor environment can provide children with that we cannot mirror in our indoor environment. Something that nature and space can give our children that we cannot replicate. Children seem to be instinctively drawn towards the outdoors. Could it be that they already have the knowledge of what this environment can provide? An environment which is a natural learning environment where children feel settled and capable. An environment where children are able to gain confidence in what they can do as well as feeling the benefits of being healthy and active. An environment which provides many opportunities to experience risk, exploration and adventure. An environment which provides a connection between the nurturing aspects of nature and human beings.

Children learn through their senses, so it is of no surprise that “nature can fully engage children in a way that is wonderful to behold.”(Warden 2007: 8)

“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing”. (George Bernard Shaw 1925)

References
Books

Bilton, H. (2010) Outdoor learning in the Early Years: Management and Innovation Third Edition Oxon: Routledge

Bruce,T. (2005) Early Childhood education, 3rd edition London:Hodder Arnold

DCSF (2008) Design for play: A guide to creating successful play spaces London: DCSF Publications

DCSF (2008) Practice Guidance for the Early Years Foundation Stage Nottingham:DCSF

DCSF (2008) The Early Years Foundation Stage: Setting the standards for learning, development and care for children from birth to five Nottingham:DCSF

DfES (2004) Every Child Matters:Change for children London: DfES

Drake,J. (2004) Planning Childrens play and learning in the foundation stage London:David Fulton

Garrick, R. (2009) Playing Outdoors in the Early Years London: Continuum International

Gill, T. (2008) Space orientated childrens policy: Creating child friendly communities to improve children well being, Children and Society

Gleave, J (2008) Risk and Play: A literature review London: Playday

Isaacs, S. (1932) The Nursery years: The mind of the child from birth to six years. London: Routledge

Mooney, C.G. (2000) Theories of Childhood:An Introduction to Dewey, Montessori, Erikson, Piaget and Vygotsky: Red Leaf Press

Ofsted (2003) The education of six year old in England London: Ofsted

Ofsted (2008) Early Years leading to excellence (online)

Ouvry, M (2003) Exercising muscles and minds: outdoor play and the early years curriculum:National Children’s Bureau

Siraj,Blachford, J. (2003) Supporting information communication technology in the early years Bunckingham:Open University

White, J. (2009) Playing and Learning Outdoors:Making Provision for high quality experiences in the outdoor environment Oxon: Routledge

Warden, C. (2007)Nurture through Nature London: Mind stretchers

Warden, C. (2007) The potential of a puddle London: Mind stretchers

Journals and Magazines

Early Years Educator (2010) Taking acceptable risks Volume 12 No 7 pp.21-23

Early Years Educator (2009) Boys will be boys Volume 11 No 7 pp. 27- 30

Gill, H. (2007) Wild woods or urban jungle: playing it safe or freedom to roam. Education 3-13, November 2007, vol. 35, no. 4, p. 321-332, ISSN: 0300-4279. Hope-Gill, Austin-Rebecca, Dismore-Harriet, Hammond-Sue, Whyte-Terry.

Gleave, J. (2008) Risk and Play: A literature Review London: Playday

Hyne, S. (2003) Play as a vehicle for learning in the foundation stage. Paper presented at the British Educational Research Association Annual Student Conference, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, 10 September 2003. 2003, pp. 18.

Maynard, T. (2007) Encounters with forest school and Foucault:A risky business, in education 3-13 pp.379-91

Maynard, T. (2007) Learning in the outdoor environment: a missed opportunity, Early Years, 27 pp.255-65

Siraj,Blachford, J.(2004) Researching pedagogy in English pre schools, British educational Journal 30 pp.713-30

Waite, S. (2007) Memories are made of this: some reflections on outdoor learning and recall. Education 3-13, November 2007, vol. 35, no. 4, p. 333-347,

Waller, T. (2007) The Trampoline Tree and the Swamp Monster with 18 heads: outdoor play in the Foundation Stage and Foundation Phase. Education 3-13, November 2007, vol. 35, no. 4, p. 393-407, ISSN: 0300-4279.

Waters, J. (2007) Supporting the development of risk-taking behaviours in the early years: an exploratory study. Education 3-13, November 2007, vol. 35, no. 4, p. 365-377, ISSN: 0300-4279.

Feral children, wild child, gazelle boy, undomesticated; these are all names that have been given to children throughout the decades defined as A child who is raised without human contact, often raised by wild animals as a result of being abandoned. This is indeed a fact in history that these children exist. There are so many stories, examples and cases of feral children raised by animals in history. Examples like Victor The Wild Boy , Kamala and Amala sisters raised by a wolf, and Robert who was raised by monkeys in Uganda. It is incredible that these children were able to survive. How did they manage to stay alive, and at what cost to their humanity? Are they ever able to gain what they did not learn when integrated back into society? This is a cruel way to treat a little child, either with abuse or even just negligence to care for the child. Today feral children could be defined as any human child suffering from sensory deprivation and can be caused by their own parents. Today they can be children who have grown up with very little contact or none at all.

Feral Children explore the boundaries of environmental factors on human beings, how they develop to become what society deems to be a respectable human and the overall influences of nature versus nurture paralleled to unconditional love and the surrounding of other humans.

Many cases of feral children have occurred over several centuries. These children were isolated for so long and to a point where they do not know English or have not even seen another human being. Tales of children living and surviving in the wild, brought up by animals are almost too unbelievable to be true. Feral children are kids who have been confined with little to no human contact. Sometimes they live and survive on their own, or they have been raised by animals. Many cases prove that these feral children are not just some made up tale, but real life children living without any speech or knowledge of what is happening to them. There are many effects that occur to these children from being cut off from the real world. They include learning animal behaviours and possibly never learning to speak. Some of the children became super fast runners at times on all fours, some even covered with hair. Feral children s senses were often more developed than those of children living with humans, particularly their sense of smell and hearing. Various children found in the wild could adapt easily to changes in temperature and tolerate more pain. You may need to site some of this information, where did you get the facts?

Many people believe that these stories of children raised by animals are just that, stories made up by writers and people with vivid imaginations. This is not true; there are many documented cases of these children. In January of 1799, a young boy with no clothes on was spotted outside a small town of France, near Aveyron. This boy was named Victor, and was around the age of eleven or twelve. Victor behaved like an animal, he ate rotten food with pleasure, he was incapable of distinguishing hot from cold, and he spent much of his time rocking back and forth like a caged animal

He lived with a scientist named Dr. Jean-Marc Gaspard Itard. He was dedicated to the education of the young boy trying to get him to be able to speak. Victor made little progress in all these areas and was only able to perform small tasks, such as setting a table. Eventually scientists lost funding for Victor and he was sent to live with a housekeeper. Victor died at the age of 40 in 1828.

In a more modern version of feral children is the story of the Romulus and Remus, two young girls who were discovered under the care of a she-wolf in 1920, in Godamuri, India. In order to get to the girls the wolf defended the two girls like they were her own babies, but the wolf was killed because it was attacking the men trying to save the two girls. The two girls were Kamala who was aged eight and Amala aged only 18 months old. The two girls would sleep all day and wake up at night, remained only on all fours, liked eating raw meat, and would bite or growl at people bothering them. They worked with these girls for a long time to try and find out as much as possible about feral children. Amala only lived for a year until she died but Kamala lived for nine more years until she passed away of illness. Kamala did learn a small vocabulary and eventually learned how to walk up right, but still had a good sense of sight in the dark and of raw meats at a great distance.

A feral child does not have to be a story about a lost child raised by an animal. Many cases of abused or forgotten children have come up over time. Stories such as kids being found tied to toilets or locked in a basement, some kids forced to live in a dog house because their parents are too drunk to remember them. Genie was a 13 year old girl when police took custody of her on November 25th, 1970. Genie was found only because her mother had applied for welfare and prior to this no one knew she even existed. She would be strapped to a toilet in an empty room where her parents kept her. Also was forced to sleep in a sleeping bag that was way to small for her, genie now has deformed legs because of this. She was kept in such isolation that she couldn t talk or understand people. She could only make small grunts or moans if she needed something, she could also mumble the words no more .

She was kept in her room for 10 years because her father thought she was mentally challenged as a baby. Genie had very limited socialization and she was abused for making noise which stunted her ability to communicate. They formed a group of scientists and social workers to help Genie have a normal life; this was later called The Genie Project. They worked with Genie for many years with little progress. Eventually they lost funding for her and she had to be sent to live in many foster homes were she was abused again. She currently lives in California with her foster parents.

Another case of this kind of abuse emerged from the Ukrainians, a girl named Oxona Malaya who was found living in a farm kennel. Oxana s parents were both alcoholics and did not care for her well being. This is the reason why she decided to sleep in the kennel with the dogs at such a young age. For six years she was raised by dogs, not having any human contact. Oxona would walk on all fours, bark at people, and pant like a normal dog would. Oxana did not know what a mirror was and showed no recognition of the reflected image of her. This lack of self-awareness makes her, in some respects, more like an animal than a human. These two cases show people what abusing a child can do to then. As She was growing up and learning how to speak, they discovered in a brain scan that Oxana was mentally challenged because of her time spent with the dogs, if she was just raised like a normal girl she could of a had a normal childhood growing up, instead she has to live in a foster home.

This is the reason why most children are abandoned or forgotten about, because parents do not want to have a mentally challenged child. She could have lived a normal life if her parents just cared a little more to pay more attention, but now she has to grow up learning how to talk and walk like a normal human being.

In a small village in Uganda in 1982 a little boy named John Sebunnya was found living in a tree with monkeys. He ran away from home at the age three because of the abuse he took from his parents, also his parents didn t bother looking for where John ran away. He tells his story to this day of what happened in the little English he knows. Many different councilors and scientists have sat down with him asking about his time living with the monkeys. Different aspects of his story stick out to scientists that make them wonder if this was just a case of the monkeys tolerating the boy. They would just let him eat whatever was left and never cleaned him as they would other monkeys. When it came to cleaning time for the monkeys, they would never clean John, and he said that he would just watch as they pulled bugs from each other s fur. This information made scientists think that the monkeys didn t actually take care of John but just accepted him in the group. Throughout our history, our society has tested the theory of nature vs. nurture. Some scientists believe that we are predisposed according to our genetics on how we behave. This is known as the nature theory. Other scientists believe that we behave in a certain way because of how we are taught. This is known as the nurture theory.

One topic sociologists have studied is feral children to help explain these theories. They have found that children raised by animals acquired the instincts and behaviors of the species that raised them. The study of these feral children and children who are raised or kept in extreme isolation makes it hard not to support the nurture theory or statement. These cases prove the importance of education in our society and

They show that human beings not only can be educated, but must be educated to become a human being at all. Everything that a child knows or learns must be taught; except for normal body functions like breathing or reflexes. Abilities that determine a child s success in school do not happen automatically they must be developed or nurtured . Children also learn how to be friendly, thankful, honest, trustful and respectful. All these skills must be learned and fostered. Psychologists and Scientists have studied feral children to help them gain insight into human socialization and development. By helping these children with human like abilities due to what they were going through as children. When feral children are discovered and returned to society, they often remain significantly developmentally delayed. Researchers are still trying to answer the question whether these children were already delayed or their abnormalities occurred because of their isolation in the wild. So what makes us human? Is it society or is it instilled within us? Babies do grow into adults physically, but our social beliefs and ideas are not transferred in our DNA. Even though our bodies may grow, if we are isolated we become little more than an animal. In order for children to develop into well rounded human beings, they must be surrounded by people that care for them and people that will teach them language and how to walk. Through the stories of the feral children whether true or not, it leaves us wondering what makes us human? Feral children are human biologically but their emotions are limited to what they learned in the wild. These children will now never know right from wrong, or even what their own name is, but it goes to show the little attention a child gets makes a big impact on that child in the future. Children need love and protection from other human beings in order to grow up and develop into a human being themselves. The young age these children get lost at or when there forgotten is the age the child s brain is growing, when they learn speech and ability to walk. It shows us how important it is for children to have the influence of another human to learn and love from. The nurture you give a child as a baby is what gives that child human like behaviors, nurturing a child can last a life time.