This is part of a two-course sequence designed to provide an introduction to the topic of how schools form a context for children’s development. In this part of the sequence the focus is on early and middle childhood - roughly ages 5- 10 years. A main goal of the course is to advance our understanding of how development in school involves transactional processes that occur between children and the learning opportunities afforded in classroom contexts. The topics of the course are organized in three main sections. In part I we will focus on understanding development as occurring within multiple contexts. We will look in particular at the concept of school adjustment and how it is influenced by the compatibility of practices embodied in different developmental contexts. In part II we will focus on children’s social relationships as contexts for development. Peer, family, and teacher relationships will be considered. In part III we will focus on research that address how students develop with respect to their identities as learners and motivation for school learning. Contrasting theoretical perspectives that highlight the complexity of these issues will be discussed. Readings have been selected that represent different types of social science inquiry and methodological issues will be discussed regularly to highlight the different ways to think about and analyze developmental processes.
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