Lecture 8/31/99-Mueller & Haschke
Understanding Preschool Patterns Across Countries
In analyzing and understanding pre-school programs in three different countries (as demonstrated in the video) we will examine parts of the the cultures in which the children live.
Definition: Culture
Culture is the knowledge, language, values, customs and material objects that are passed from person to person and from one generation to the next in a human group or society. (Kendall, D.
1999, p. 37)
“It is culture that distinguishes human beings from any other animal. It is culture that provides the framework for living and interacting in a society. It is culture wherein humans learn what to do, what to use, what to know, what to speak, what to wear, what to change or not change, and what to believe (Mueller, 1990, p. 19).”
Notes about culture:
* may be either material or non-material; ideal or real
(material = physical creations; non-material = more abstract; reflects the ideas, values and beliefs of a society)
(ideal culture refers to the values and standards of behavior that people in a society profess to hold; real culture refers to the values and standards of behavior that people actually follow.)
* grows out of a common group experience
* can be a stabilizing force for society
* can provide a sense of continuity
* can be a force that generates discord, conflict and even violence
* provides a blue-print for a society (definition of society: “people who share
the same geographical territory and are subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations within a specific culture, “ Kendall, l999)
* provides the techniques to teach newcomers the beliefs, values and rules of behavior; this process is called
SOCIALIZATION.Socialization is the lifelong, complex process of becoming a social being who can adapt to new situations at different stages of the life cycle; it involves both the process of transmitting a culture (which enables a society’s traditions to continue), and acquiring a self-concept, which fosters a sense of identity and feelings about the self. (Mueller, l990)
Note: Preschool education plays a significant role in childhood socialization: it aids children’s acquiring language skills, forming the core of personality, and learning central norms and values.
For the class: reflecting on “HOW .”
*OBSERVING OTHERS
*COPYING THEIR BEHAVIOR
* LOOKING AT PICTURE BOOKS
* REWARDS AND Punishments
*ETC.
MAJOR COMPONENTS OF CULTURE
1. SYMBOLS: ANYTHING THAT MEANINGFULLY REPRESENTS SOMETHING ELSE.
2 LANGUAGE: A SET OF SYMBOLS THAT EXPRESSES IDEAS, ENABLING PEOPLE TO THINK AND COMMUNICATE WITH ONE ANOTHER
3. NORMS: ESTABLISHED RULES OF BEHAVIOR OR STANDARDS OF CONDUCT
types of norms:
FOLKWAYS (informal norms or everyday customs that may be violated without serious consequences
MORES (INCLUDES TABOOS)(strongly held norms with moral and ethical connotations; the word “moral” has the same origin; the singular “mos” is rarely used; violations are often viewed as outrageous)
Taboos are mores so strong that their violation is considered to be extremely offensive and often unmentionable
LAWS (INCLUDES STATEWAYS)
(formal, standardized norms that have been enacted by legislatures and enforced by formal sanctions--to be effective laws are based upon folkways and mores; Stateways are laws not based upon folkways and mores)
INSTITUTIONS
(a cluster of folkways and moreways centered upon fulfilling an important social task) Major social institutions: family, education, religion, economics, political
4. VALUES: COLLECTIVE IDEAS ABOUT WHAT IS RIGHT OR WRONG, GOOD OR BAD, AND DESIRABLE OR UNDESIRABLE IN A PARTICULAR CULTURE (WILLIAMS, R. 1970 , P. 27)
10 CORE VALUES IN THE U. S. A. :
(FROM WILLIAMS, 1970)
1. Individualism
2. Achievement and success
3. Activity and work
4. Science and Technology
5. Progress and material comfort
6. Efficiency and practically
7. Equality
8. Morality and humanitarianism
9. Freedom and liberty
l0. Nationalism and Patriotism
SOME QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER IN VIEWING THE VIDEO:
1. ARE ANY AMERICAN CORE VALUES VISIBLY ABSENT OR PRESENT IN THESE PRE-SCHOOLS ? LIST SOME.
2. WHAT AMERICAN VALUES ARE CONTRADICTED IN THESE SCHOOLS?
3. IDENTIFY SOME FOLKWAYS AND MORES.
4. WHAT ARE SOME IMPORTANT SYMBOLS IN THE SCHOOLS AND
THEIR ACTIVITIES?
5 WHAT ARE SOME MAJOR SOCIALIZING AGENTS?