Reading guide Week 1. Cultural diversity
What are the commonalities across these three articles?
★ All three articles emphasize cultural diversity and challenge universalist models of development. They
highlight that children's development cannot be understood outside their cultural and social contexts.
These perspectives align with discussions in lectures and other readings that focus on the role of culture
in shaping behavior, cognition, and socialization. In the lecture, the focus was also on the Developmental
Niche, as was mentioned in Super et al.
Rogof et al (2018) The importance of understanding children’s lived experience
The article of Rogoff et al. (2018) criticizes the view that culture and people are separate entities in which culture
influences people as an external factor.
In what way do the authors see culture and the role it plays in child development? Consider the implications for
(conducting) research when studying child development and/or the role of culture in development.
★ Culture is deeply embedded in child development—it is not just an external factor but a core aspect of
learning and growth. Research should move away from treating culture as a variable and instead
explore how children actively participate in and shape their cultural environments. Future studies should
prioritize real-life interactions and contextualized experiences rather than rigid comparisons between
cultural groups.
What is the main (research) question?
★ How should children's development be studied within the context of their everyday lives and
experiences, rather than in isolated laboratory settings. The authors argue that developmental
psychology needs a stronger emphasis on the cultural ecologies in which children develop
In what way is the question answered?
★ The study critiques existing laboratory-based developmental research and promotes a more ecological
and naturalistic approach to studying children's everyday activities. The authors support their argument
with examples from ethnographic studies, cultural comparisons, and observational research
Which theories and key concepts are described?
★ participation theory: individual and context or culture are not viewed as separate entities; instead they
are considered mutually constituting aspects of the process of life
★ Ecocultural Perspective: The importance of children's everyday lived experiences in development.
★ Sociocultural Theory (Vygotsky): Learning and development are shaped by cultural tools and social
interactions. Children learn and develop through interactions with people in their community.
★ Ecological Commitments in Developmental Theories: The idea that developmental research should be
grounded in real-life settings
★ Culture: the ways of life of generations of people in communities (including their ways of thinking and
orienting) that are shared in a community (Rogoff, 2003). Participation includes keen observation of
others as well as contributing to decisions and endeavors with ideas as well as action. Children observe,
contribute to, discuss, and are instructed about cultural practices through everyday interactions with
siblings, peers, parents, and other community members.
What are the main results and or conclusions?
★ The study emphasizes that psychological research often overgeneralizes results from one cultural
setting to another, ignoring cultural diversity.
★ It highlights that research methods should be adapted to the lived experiences of children to get
meaningful results.
★ The authors advocate for a shift from experimental studies to observational, ethnographic, and
community-based research
How is the article related to the theme of the week? The theme of the course? To lectures and other articles?
★ by critiquing the tendency of psychology to treat Western, middle-class experiences as universal. It calls
for more inclusive and culturally responsive research methods
Super et al (1986) The developmental niche
What components are part of the Developmental Niche and how are these interrelated and related to the larger
culture?
★ See theories and key concepts
What is the main (research) question?
, ★ This article introduces a framework called the Developmental Niche to explain how a child's
environment and culture shape their development. The authors argue that child development is not just
about biology or psychology, but also about the cultural world they grow up in.
In what way is the question answered?
three-part framework:
1. Physical and Social Settings of Daily Life
2. Customs and Practices of Child Rearing
3. Psychology of Caregivers
Which theories and key concepts are described?
★ Ecocultural Theory: The role of cultural settings in structuring development.
★ Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory: The idea that child development is influenced by multiple
interacting systems
★ Developmental niche: a theoretical framework for studying cultural regulation of the micro-environment
of the child, and it attempts to describe this environment from the point of view of the child in order to
understand processes of development and attainment of culture
1. Physical and social settings: Where the child grows up (home, school, community) and who
they interact with (family, teachers, peers). (differences based on physical and social context
(ex: babies in kenya slept in bed of mothers while in western american families they slept in a
separate room)
2. Customs and practices of child-rearing: The way parents and communities raise children,
including traditions, discipline, and daily routines.
(customs are not so much the immediate product of individual choice/personal disposition as
they are community wide solutions to recurrent issues in child-rearing)
3. Psychology of the caretakers: The beliefs, values, and expectations that parents and caregivers
have about childhood and development.
➢ Also see lecture 1 for more clear explanation of these three frameworks
What are the main results and or conclusions?
★ Development is not universal but shaped by cultural contexts.
★ Parents and communities create environments that reflect their cultural values.
★ The developmental niche is dynamic and adapts over time
How is the article related to the theme of the week? The theme of the course? To lectures and other articles?
★ This model shows that there is no single “right” way to raise a child. Different cultures have different
practices, and each shapes children in unique ways. It challenges the idea that Western parenting styles
are the “standard” and instead promotes understanding of diverse ways of raising children.
Velez-Agosto (2017) Bronfenbrenner's bioecological theory revision
How is culture conceptualized in relation to behavior?
★ The article critiques Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Model for its limited attention to culture in shaping
behavior. It argues that culture should not be treated as a separate contextual layer but as an integrated
part of all human interactions. Culture actively shapes how individuals engage with their environment
and develop over time.
What are the main flaws of Bronfenbrenner’s model regarding culture?
★ Overemphasis on static environments: The model assumes that environments influence individuals
passively, rather than interacting dynamically with them.
★ Neglect of cultural variability: It does not adequately explain how different cultural contexts shape child
development differently.
★ Lack of emphasis on everyday practices: The model focuses on institutional settings (e.g., schools,
families) but ignores informal cultural learning.
What three theories about culture are proposed to enhance the model?
1. Weisner’s Ecocultural Theory
2. Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory:
3. Rogoff’s Guided Participation:
What modifications do the authors propose for Bronfenbrenner’s model?
★ The authors suggest a more dynamic and culturally embedded approach.
★ Instead of treating culture as a background variable, they propose a "Culturally-Inclusive Bioecological
Model" where:
○ Culture is intertwined with all systems (microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, etc.).
○ Social practices and interactions shape development continuously.
○ The individual plays an active role in shaping and being shaped by culture.
, What is the main (research) question?
★ The article critiques Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Theory, arguing that culture should not be treated
as a separate, macro-level influence but as an integral part of all developmental processes
In what way is the question answered?
★ The authors propose a revision to the bioecological model by moving culture from the macrosystem into
the microsystem. They argue that culture is embedded in everyday practices, relationships, and
institutions
Which theories and key concepts are described?
★ Bioecological Model (Bronfenbrenner): Human development occurs within nested environmental
systems. (micro, meso, exo, macro)
★ Sociocultural Theory (Vygotsky): Learning and development are shaped by cultural tools and social
interactions. Children learn and develop through interactions with people in their community.
★ Ecocultural Theory (Weisner): Culture structures routines and developmental pathways > Children learn
and develop through interactions with people in their community.
★ Transformation of Participation Perspective (Rogoff): Development happens as children become active
participants in their culture’s daily life. Children don’t just learn facts; they learn how to be part of their
community through observation, participation, and guided experiences.
What are the main results and or conclusions?
★ Culture is not a separate, external influence but is found in everyday interactions.
★ The developmental model should be fluid and dynamic rather than hierarchical.
★ The revised model emphasizes cultural microsystems, which shape children's immediate learning
environments
How is the article related to the theme of the week? The theme of the course? To lectures and other articles?
★ This article is directly relevant to cultural diversity as it critiques theories that separate culture from
development. It argues for a more integrated view of culture that acknowledges diverse child-rearing
practices.
Reading guide week 2. Diversity in society
This week’s readings is about diversity in society. The literature talks about cultural majority and minority groups
in a society and how both groups accommodate contact with each other.
Bornstein et al. (2019) Mothers’ parenting knowledge and its sources in five societies
If you look at the model of the Developmental Niche, what niche is parenting knowledge part of? Why is it
important for child development?
★ Parenting knowledge is part of the psychology of caregivers, one of the three subsystems of the
Developmental Niche. It is crucial because it shapes how parents interact with their children, make
decisions about caregiving, and provide an environment that supports development. Knowledgeable
parents can better support their child’s cognitive, emotional, and social development
why is it necessary to establish measurement invariance when doing a cross-society study.
★ Measurement invariance ensures that the questionnaire (KIDI) measures the same construct (parenting
knowledge) across different cultural groups. Without it, differences in scores could reflect cultural biases
or differences in interpretation rather than actual differences in parenting knowledge
What factors are most predictive across countries? What can be concluded from the fact that no predictor is
significant in every country?
★ Maternal age, education, and occupation are significant predictors of parenting knowledge. More
educated mothers and those with professional occupations tend to have higher parenting knowledge. It
suggests that parenting knowledge is influenced by contextual factors specific to each country, such as
cultural norms, social support systems, and access to parenting resources
What is the main (research) question?
★ How does maternal parenting knowledge vary across different societies, and what factors contribute to
these differences?
In what way is the question answered?
★ The study used cross-national data from five different countries and applied statistical analysis (including
measurement invariance) to examine differences and predictors of parenting knowledge.
★ The Knowledge of Infant Development Inventory (KIDI): this is a statistical method to determine whether
data of different groups is really comparable. If there are big differences in the underlying variance in
samples, you cannot properly compare the scores of these groups
Which theories and key concepts are described?
What are the commonalities across these three articles?
★ All three articles emphasize cultural diversity and challenge universalist models of development. They
highlight that children's development cannot be understood outside their cultural and social contexts.
These perspectives align with discussions in lectures and other readings that focus on the role of culture
in shaping behavior, cognition, and socialization. In the lecture, the focus was also on the Developmental
Niche, as was mentioned in Super et al.
Rogof et al (2018) The importance of understanding children’s lived experience
The article of Rogoff et al. (2018) criticizes the view that culture and people are separate entities in which culture
influences people as an external factor.
In what way do the authors see culture and the role it plays in child development? Consider the implications for
(conducting) research when studying child development and/or the role of culture in development.
★ Culture is deeply embedded in child development—it is not just an external factor but a core aspect of
learning and growth. Research should move away from treating culture as a variable and instead
explore how children actively participate in and shape their cultural environments. Future studies should
prioritize real-life interactions and contextualized experiences rather than rigid comparisons between
cultural groups.
What is the main (research) question?
★ How should children's development be studied within the context of their everyday lives and
experiences, rather than in isolated laboratory settings. The authors argue that developmental
psychology needs a stronger emphasis on the cultural ecologies in which children develop
In what way is the question answered?
★ The study critiques existing laboratory-based developmental research and promotes a more ecological
and naturalistic approach to studying children's everyday activities. The authors support their argument
with examples from ethnographic studies, cultural comparisons, and observational research
Which theories and key concepts are described?
★ participation theory: individual and context or culture are not viewed as separate entities; instead they
are considered mutually constituting aspects of the process of life
★ Ecocultural Perspective: The importance of children's everyday lived experiences in development.
★ Sociocultural Theory (Vygotsky): Learning and development are shaped by cultural tools and social
interactions. Children learn and develop through interactions with people in their community.
★ Ecological Commitments in Developmental Theories: The idea that developmental research should be
grounded in real-life settings
★ Culture: the ways of life of generations of people in communities (including their ways of thinking and
orienting) that are shared in a community (Rogoff, 2003). Participation includes keen observation of
others as well as contributing to decisions and endeavors with ideas as well as action. Children observe,
contribute to, discuss, and are instructed about cultural practices through everyday interactions with
siblings, peers, parents, and other community members.
What are the main results and or conclusions?
★ The study emphasizes that psychological research often overgeneralizes results from one cultural
setting to another, ignoring cultural diversity.
★ It highlights that research methods should be adapted to the lived experiences of children to get
meaningful results.
★ The authors advocate for a shift from experimental studies to observational, ethnographic, and
community-based research
How is the article related to the theme of the week? The theme of the course? To lectures and other articles?
★ by critiquing the tendency of psychology to treat Western, middle-class experiences as universal. It calls
for more inclusive and culturally responsive research methods
Super et al (1986) The developmental niche
What components are part of the Developmental Niche and how are these interrelated and related to the larger
culture?
★ See theories and key concepts
What is the main (research) question?
, ★ This article introduces a framework called the Developmental Niche to explain how a child's
environment and culture shape their development. The authors argue that child development is not just
about biology or psychology, but also about the cultural world they grow up in.
In what way is the question answered?
three-part framework:
1. Physical and Social Settings of Daily Life
2. Customs and Practices of Child Rearing
3. Psychology of Caregivers
Which theories and key concepts are described?
★ Ecocultural Theory: The role of cultural settings in structuring development.
★ Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory: The idea that child development is influenced by multiple
interacting systems
★ Developmental niche: a theoretical framework for studying cultural regulation of the micro-environment
of the child, and it attempts to describe this environment from the point of view of the child in order to
understand processes of development and attainment of culture
1. Physical and social settings: Where the child grows up (home, school, community) and who
they interact with (family, teachers, peers). (differences based on physical and social context
(ex: babies in kenya slept in bed of mothers while in western american families they slept in a
separate room)
2. Customs and practices of child-rearing: The way parents and communities raise children,
including traditions, discipline, and daily routines.
(customs are not so much the immediate product of individual choice/personal disposition as
they are community wide solutions to recurrent issues in child-rearing)
3. Psychology of the caretakers: The beliefs, values, and expectations that parents and caregivers
have about childhood and development.
➢ Also see lecture 1 for more clear explanation of these three frameworks
What are the main results and or conclusions?
★ Development is not universal but shaped by cultural contexts.
★ Parents and communities create environments that reflect their cultural values.
★ The developmental niche is dynamic and adapts over time
How is the article related to the theme of the week? The theme of the course? To lectures and other articles?
★ This model shows that there is no single “right” way to raise a child. Different cultures have different
practices, and each shapes children in unique ways. It challenges the idea that Western parenting styles
are the “standard” and instead promotes understanding of diverse ways of raising children.
Velez-Agosto (2017) Bronfenbrenner's bioecological theory revision
How is culture conceptualized in relation to behavior?
★ The article critiques Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Model for its limited attention to culture in shaping
behavior. It argues that culture should not be treated as a separate contextual layer but as an integrated
part of all human interactions. Culture actively shapes how individuals engage with their environment
and develop over time.
What are the main flaws of Bronfenbrenner’s model regarding culture?
★ Overemphasis on static environments: The model assumes that environments influence individuals
passively, rather than interacting dynamically with them.
★ Neglect of cultural variability: It does not adequately explain how different cultural contexts shape child
development differently.
★ Lack of emphasis on everyday practices: The model focuses on institutional settings (e.g., schools,
families) but ignores informal cultural learning.
What three theories about culture are proposed to enhance the model?
1. Weisner’s Ecocultural Theory
2. Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory:
3. Rogoff’s Guided Participation:
What modifications do the authors propose for Bronfenbrenner’s model?
★ The authors suggest a more dynamic and culturally embedded approach.
★ Instead of treating culture as a background variable, they propose a "Culturally-Inclusive Bioecological
Model" where:
○ Culture is intertwined with all systems (microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, etc.).
○ Social practices and interactions shape development continuously.
○ The individual plays an active role in shaping and being shaped by culture.
, What is the main (research) question?
★ The article critiques Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Theory, arguing that culture should not be treated
as a separate, macro-level influence but as an integral part of all developmental processes
In what way is the question answered?
★ The authors propose a revision to the bioecological model by moving culture from the macrosystem into
the microsystem. They argue that culture is embedded in everyday practices, relationships, and
institutions
Which theories and key concepts are described?
★ Bioecological Model (Bronfenbrenner): Human development occurs within nested environmental
systems. (micro, meso, exo, macro)
★ Sociocultural Theory (Vygotsky): Learning and development are shaped by cultural tools and social
interactions. Children learn and develop through interactions with people in their community.
★ Ecocultural Theory (Weisner): Culture structures routines and developmental pathways > Children learn
and develop through interactions with people in their community.
★ Transformation of Participation Perspective (Rogoff): Development happens as children become active
participants in their culture’s daily life. Children don’t just learn facts; they learn how to be part of their
community through observation, participation, and guided experiences.
What are the main results and or conclusions?
★ Culture is not a separate, external influence but is found in everyday interactions.
★ The developmental model should be fluid and dynamic rather than hierarchical.
★ The revised model emphasizes cultural microsystems, which shape children's immediate learning
environments
How is the article related to the theme of the week? The theme of the course? To lectures and other articles?
★ This article is directly relevant to cultural diversity as it critiques theories that separate culture from
development. It argues for a more integrated view of culture that acknowledges diverse child-rearing
practices.
Reading guide week 2. Diversity in society
This week’s readings is about diversity in society. The literature talks about cultural majority and minority groups
in a society and how both groups accommodate contact with each other.
Bornstein et al. (2019) Mothers’ parenting knowledge and its sources in five societies
If you look at the model of the Developmental Niche, what niche is parenting knowledge part of? Why is it
important for child development?
★ Parenting knowledge is part of the psychology of caregivers, one of the three subsystems of the
Developmental Niche. It is crucial because it shapes how parents interact with their children, make
decisions about caregiving, and provide an environment that supports development. Knowledgeable
parents can better support their child’s cognitive, emotional, and social development
why is it necessary to establish measurement invariance when doing a cross-society study.
★ Measurement invariance ensures that the questionnaire (KIDI) measures the same construct (parenting
knowledge) across different cultural groups. Without it, differences in scores could reflect cultural biases
or differences in interpretation rather than actual differences in parenting knowledge
What factors are most predictive across countries? What can be concluded from the fact that no predictor is
significant in every country?
★ Maternal age, education, and occupation are significant predictors of parenting knowledge. More
educated mothers and those with professional occupations tend to have higher parenting knowledge. It
suggests that parenting knowledge is influenced by contextual factors specific to each country, such as
cultural norms, social support systems, and access to parenting resources
What is the main (research) question?
★ How does maternal parenting knowledge vary across different societies, and what factors contribute to
these differences?
In what way is the question answered?
★ The study used cross-national data from five different countries and applied statistical analysis (including
measurement invariance) to examine differences and predictors of parenting knowledge.
★ The Knowledge of Infant Development Inventory (KIDI): this is a statistical method to determine whether
data of different groups is really comparable. If there are big differences in the underlying variance in
samples, you cannot properly compare the scores of these groups
Which theories and key concepts are described?
