How Other Children Learn: What Five Traditional Societies Tell Us about Parenting and Children's Learning

Groves How Other Children Learn examines children's learning and parenting in five traditional societies, such as the Aka hunter-gatherers of Africa, the Quechua of highland Peru, the Navajo of the U.S. Southwest, the village Arabs of the Levant, and the Hindu villagers of India, to gain comparative insights into middle-class Americans child-related values and practices. It concludes with two summary chapters that draw on anthropologists' findings and offer examples from the five societies.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 278 pages
Publication date: 01 March 2023
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

To gain a comprehensive understanding of middle-class American values and practices related to children, Groves' How Other Children Learn delves into the realm of children's learning and parenting within five traditional societies. These societies, untouched by "modern" urban and industrial values, are characterized by their close connection to nature and limited exposure to formal classroom education. The five societies under examination are the Aka hunter-gatherers of Africa, the Quechua of highland Peru, the Navajo of the U.S. Southwest, the village Arabs of the Levant, and the Hindu villagers of India. Each society is presented with its own chapter, providing an overview of its background and context. Subsequently, the book delves into the mindsets and strategies of adults concerning children's learning and socialization for adulthood.

To conclude, the book offers two summary chapters that draw upon anthropologists' findings about numerous traditional societies. The first chapter highlights why children in traditional societies willingly embrace family responsibilities and offers practical insights for American parents to achieve similar outcomes. The second chapter contrasts our middle-class patterns of child-rearing with the traditional societies' approaches, emphasizing how they foster children's learning and development to become valuable contributors to their families and communities.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781475871180