Developmental pathways through middle childhood : rethinking context and diversity as resources

Reams have been published about development in infancy and adolescence, but middle childhood has been strangely ignored.

This book studies successful pathways through middle childhood and investigates how myriad and diverse environmental contexts (economic, culture, history, politics, and social) influence child and family development.

The text reflects and acknowledges the demographic changes that have taken place in the U.S. over the past 50 years and understands how contemporary children's life options differ and how their own actions and those of people around them can shape their pathways--for better and for worse.

Thus, the author's developed a set of models and measures of evolving systems that interact over time, and using these they've prepared a set of cases that trace how children and families shape and are affected by their individual, relational, institutional, and cultural experiences. Developmental Pathways Through Middle Childhood: Rethinking Context and Diversity as Resources: advances knowledge about an important period of development that has been under researched; highlights an interdisciplinary approach which appeals to social scientists; samples children and families from different parts of the U.S. with diverse backgrounds; and uses an approach different from others emphasized in the past.

The book appeals to researchers, educators, and policy makers.