MIGRATION & CULTURE
PART 1 – CONCEPTUALIZATION OF THE NOTION OF CULTURE IN
EDUCATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS
1 The role of culture in (child) development: the
developmental niche
There is an analytic focus on the role of culture in development and parenting. The
central premise is an ecological perspective on development. They see cultural and
social context as a central determinant of individual developmental
trajectories, behavioral patterns and meaning-making.
Older generations introduce younger generations into an understanding of the
world. they guide them to become a competent actor in this world. What people
understand as competent depends on a specific cultural world.
1.1 Developmental trajectories in children belonging to ethnic
minority groups
There was a theoretical shift within the developmental research. Science in the 20 th
century was focused on a comparative perspective:
Comparative paradigm:
» comparing child development in minority groups majority groups
» etic perspective of white, middle class populations were seen as the
universal measure that could be used to evaluate the development
» cultural characteristics were explanatory variables for differential
developmental patterns
» deficit perspective (tekort)
The comparative perspective was challenged in the years 1980-1990 and shifted into
a new cultural paradigm.
Cultural difference paradigm:
» cultural specificity of notions of child development & parenting
» ‘emic’ perspective – meaning & parameters within cultural community
» variation in developmental paths & parenting practices
» analysis of development & parenting from within an understanding of cultural
meaning systems
If we assume that the cultural ecology shapes a child development, then there is a
difference in each cultural ecology.
1.1.1Developmental niche-model: ecocultural perspective
Cultural ecology: work cycles & health, demography, physical safety, labor
division, play, level of community heterogeneity different forms and meanings
within different cultural contexts.
PART 1 – CONCEPTUALIZATION OF THE NOTION OF CULTURE IN
EDUCATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS
1 The role of culture in (child) development: the
developmental niche
There is an analytic focus on the role of culture in development and parenting. The
central premise is an ecological perspective on development. They see cultural and
social context as a central determinant of individual developmental
trajectories, behavioral patterns and meaning-making.
Older generations introduce younger generations into an understanding of the
world. they guide them to become a competent actor in this world. What people
understand as competent depends on a specific cultural world.
1.1 Developmental trajectories in children belonging to ethnic
minority groups
There was a theoretical shift within the developmental research. Science in the 20 th
century was focused on a comparative perspective:
Comparative paradigm:
» comparing child development in minority groups majority groups
» etic perspective of white, middle class populations were seen as the
universal measure that could be used to evaluate the development
» cultural characteristics were explanatory variables for differential
developmental patterns
» deficit perspective (tekort)
The comparative perspective was challenged in the years 1980-1990 and shifted into
a new cultural paradigm.
Cultural difference paradigm:
» cultural specificity of notions of child development & parenting
» ‘emic’ perspective – meaning & parameters within cultural community
» variation in developmental paths & parenting practices
» analysis of development & parenting from within an understanding of cultural
meaning systems
If we assume that the cultural ecology shapes a child development, then there is a
difference in each cultural ecology.
1.1.1Developmental niche-model: ecocultural perspective
Cultural ecology: work cycles & health, demography, physical safety, labor
division, play, level of community heterogeneity different forms and meanings
within different cultural contexts.
