Critically Discuss How Childhood and Youth Research Builds On A Series of Values, Beliefs and Images about Children and Young People.

Children have diverse repertoire of thoughts, feelings and ways of expressing themselves and they have been at the centre of many diverse research disciplines.   For example sociology, cognitive, discursive and behavioural psychology and philosophy.  The nature in which we perceive children has changed dynamically.  These changes are embedded historically, reflect cultural processes, social issues, economics, media and politics (Open University Ek313).  Importantly as the social-cultural world evolves and changes so too does our values, beliefs and images of children change.

This essay will examine the concept of childhood, and how this has changed over time to reflect research in differing theoretical paradigms and frameworks.  In addition it will take account of two views that of the child as product of biology or the child that is predominantly a product of social construction.  …(short extract)