For the last 5 weeks I have been exploring the world of Childhood and Youth Studies and Child Psychology through the Open University. I offer here to share this journey with you and introduce a little of what I have learned and hope to convey the exciting possibilities that come from enhancing our understanding of these fields. I will endeavour to convey what I have taken to be the most key concepts in this space which have broadened my perspective, but there is so much more valuable information within this module that I would encourage you to explore it for yourself and of course, to reach your own conclusions.
This part of the course is divided into 3 main approaches, Childhood & Youth Studies (CYS), The Psychology of Childhood and Youth (PCY), and Embodied Childhood (EC) and all these areas consider and categorise various stages of childhood development. CYS is a child centred approach to study and relies extensively on interview and observation of children in the environments that are most relevant to them. This includes locations such as their schools, homes and play areas and crucially requires (by invitation) the child’s participation and looks at what is meaningful to them.
CYS looks primarily at the significance of the social construction of childhood, focusing on the differences geographically, culturally & economically. A definition of social constructionism from the reader states it is, “… that ideas, meanings, or categories are shaped by people who share assumptions about the world. Childhood means different things in different societies and cultures…" and across different periods in history”, (Cooper & Tatlow-Golden. 2023, pp. 15). Examples of this are presented by studies in Japan (Hendry, 1986/2017, pp. 165-166) which revealed a focus on the significance of the team and the US (Kussrow, 2004, pp. 81-82) which revealed a far more individualistic and competitive approach to child rearing. CYS is a more recent branch of research and so can bring a fresh lens to the subject without as much of the potential historic biases of the more traditional branches of psychology.
The Psychology of Childhood & Youth (PCY) explores primarily a developmental psychology branch of study and looks at the domains of the mind, the brain and of behaviour. Study approach is more rigid within this frame and starts with a specific question (a theory) which is tested through either a qualitative method (i.e. interviewing for thoughts and feelings) or a quantitative method (measuring a specific variable such as height or weight).
One of the stand out studies for me within this section is coined, “the marshmallow test”. Originally devised by Walter Mischel in the 1960’s it claimed to show the significance of willpower as a child in later life success by observing if the child could resist the temptation of one immediate marshmallow when promised two marshmallows later? What is most interesting is that the findings have been repeatedly challenged but that many subsequent variations of the experiment have yielded valuable learning in other areas, such as whether adults are deemed trustworthy by the child (Kidd, Palmeri and Haslin, 2013) and in terms of cultural differences (Bettina, Lamm and colleagues, 2017).
Embodied Childhood (EC) considers that our bodies, our relationship to them, and how others respond to them are crucial to our lived experiences. It focuses on the significance of the social aspect of our bodies as well as the biological and the key impact of “otherness” which is where differences (such as gender, disability, body shape and size) are made distinct and used to create groups or a sense of something being “normal” or “correct” and other states being undesirable which can result in a number of negative impacts such as self-confidence issues and bullying (Palmer, 2015).
EC also looks at the experience of disciplined bodies where by children are programmed to interact with the world in a specific way and in this module specific focus is made in respect of the school experience. There is critical questioning of the approach that is often taken, “is the child ready for school?) as opposed to considering if the school is ready for the child.
In summary this has been a fascinating and mind opening module and for me personally some of the biggest shifts in my academic understanding have been due to the discussions around social constructionism and the significance of the embodied nature of childhood and its impact to the study of child and young people. The strength of this module is that by considering each of these fields there is the ability to cover the weaknesses within individual fields of study and create a more complete map of the experiences of childhood. There has been so much that I could not cover within this blog that is so important to these fields of study, for example I am particularly sad that I could not find space to discuss “Dandelions and Orchids”, or “The Looking Glass self”!
I hope you will share with me your own reflections as you progress.
Thank you for reading!
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