Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

“Development” is a term used constantly when talking about children's lives in families, day-care settings, and schools. Although it might seem that there is general agreement about what we mean when we speak of development in children, closer examination reveals major differences, if not confusion, among discussants in their understanding and use of the term. Indeed, many of us have discovered that it is quite easy for a single individual to hold contradictory ideas on this topic. Trying to make sense of this apparent confusion is obviously important for professionals concerned with human development, and not surprisingly, they have expended great effort in creating explicitly formulated accounts of it (e.g., Piaget, 1971 ; Vygotsky, 1978 ; Werner. 1948 ). It is also important for us as laypeople as we employ “cultural models” ( D'Andrade, 1990 ; Holland and Quinn, 1986 ) about development in deciding how to raise children, organize educational systems, and carry out a host of other tasks. The goal of this chapter is to examine a major issue that divides theories of human development into two general categories. After having outlined this division, we shall argue that it may be grounded in values rather than fact or rational argument, and we shall propose that an appropriate theory of communication can lead us out of the untenable position that such a bifurcation produces. ... log in or subscribe to read full text