Chapter 6 - The middle years of childhood. This chapter presents the following content: What is special about middle childhood? Transition to formal schooling, children from Pacific families and the transition to school, coping with pressures to succeed at school: Erikson and beyond,. | Chapter 6 The middle years of childhood What is special about middle childhood? Beginning: traditionally the transition to school End: puberty or move to secondary schooling Childhood is not clearly marked by ages. During this stage children are learning to become members of their societies. It is an important period for progress to maturity and a path to independence. Research on middle childhood has traditionally been done with children from affluent euro-western backgrounds. Transition to formal schooling It is important to have similarities in the child's learning that can transfer from early childhood to school. Teachers and parents have important roles in the transition. Children from Pacific families and the transition to school Sauvao, Mapa and Podmore (2000) studied six families from each country: Cook Islands, Nuie, Samoa, Tokelau, Tonga. Schools did not support Pacific culture and languages in the same way that homes did. Parents wanted schools to focus on literacy, respect, maths and sharing tasks at home. 41% of children in the study reported experiences of bullying. Coping with pressures to succeed at school: Erikson and beyond Erikson: children go through a crisis of 'industry versus inferiority' at primary school. Children make social comparisons between themselves and others. The New Zealand Competent Children project found learning and achievement variances between different cultural groups. Children need to feel good about themselves so they can cope with issues in later life. In Māori culture, a child's self-esteem is the responsibility of the whānau/family. Industry vs inferiority: the child must come to grips with being among peers in a classroom, handling the pressures of the classroom, expectations and progress. Cognitive development in social context Different theorists have different ways of describing the first years of compulsory education. Piaget focused on the physical and social world. Erikson focused on the . | Chapter 6 The middle years of childhood What is special about middle childhood? Beginning: traditionally the transition to school End: puberty or move to secondary schooling Childhood is not clearly marked by ages. During this stage children are learning to become members of their societies. It is an important period for progress to maturity and a path to independence. Research on middle childhood has traditionally been done with children from affluent euro-western backgrounds. Transition to formal schooling It is important to have similarities in the child's learning that can transfer from early childhood to school. Teachers and parents have important roles in the transition. Children from Pacific families and the transition to school Sauvao, Mapa and Podmore (2000) studied six families from each country: Cook Islands, Nuie, Samoa, Tokelau, Tonga. Schools did not support Pacific culture and languages in the same way that homes did. Parents wanted schools to focus on .
