Miel, Alice Children's Soci

131 Pages·2007·3.45 MB·English

DOCUMENT RESUME
ED 075 071
PS 006 405
Ambrose, Edna; Miel, Alice
TITLE
Children's Social Learning: Implications of research
and Expert Study.
Association for Supervision and Curriculum
INSTITUTION
Development, Washington, D.C.
PUB BATE
58
NOTE
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Association for Supervision and Curriculum
Development, NEA, 1201 Sixteenth Street, N.W.,
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DESCRIPTORS
*Adjustment (to Environment) ;
Books; *Cultural
Awareness; Curriculum Development; *Democratic
Values; Interaction; Personality Development;
Resea'rch Reviews (Publications); Social Attitudes;'
Social Development; Social Environment;
*Socialization; Social Values
ABSTRACT
This book, designed as an aid for teachers and
curriculum developers, reports the findings of a study of children's
social learnings and the ways they are acquired. Topics covered
are
a perspective on social learning--definition of social learnings,
(1)
a view of social learnings, social learnings for democratic living,
social learnings related to living in today's world, interrelation of
healthy personality development and social learnings, the school's
role in fostering democratic social learnings;
interrelationships
(2)
of environment and social learnings--individual-environment
interaction, selective interaction, interpersonal environment and
negative social learnings, interpersonal environment and positive
social learnings, sentiments in the environment, environments of
socioeconomic groups, language development;
a school environment
(3)
which facilitates selection of democratic social learnings--a
propitious environment, a climate which supports democratic
interaction, an environment which builds good feelings, an
environment which affords needed identifications, an environment
structured for selected interaction; and
social learning and
(4)
needed research--fostering positive social learnings, need for
research, experimentation and study. A bibliography of books,
pamphlets, periodicals, and a newspaper article is provided.
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LCM
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Children's
w
C.:
Social
Learnin
IMPLICATIONS OF RESEARCH AND EXPERT
STUDY
Edna Ambrose
Alice Miel
Assistant Professor of Education
Professor of Education
University of Utah
Teachers College, Columbia Univ.
Salt Lake City
New York
,
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
A department of the National Education Association
1201 Sixteenth Street, N.W., Washington 6, D.
C.
Copyright 1958 by the
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, NEA
1201. Sixteenth Street, N.W., Washington, D. C. 20036
Price: $2.25
Contents
v
rfOrn-tire
association
JANE\iIiANSETH
vi
Foreword
EDNA ANIBROSE and ALICE MIEL
T. A Perspective on Social Learning
1
2
Definition of Social Learnings
2
A View of Social Learnings
Social Learnings for Democratic Living
6
Social Learnings Related to Living
in Today's World
12
Interrelation of Healthy Personality
16
Development and Social Learnings
The School's Role in Fostering
23
Democratic Social Learnings
26
II. Interrelationships of Environment and Social Learnings.
Individual-Environment Interaction
26
80
Selective Interaction
Interpersonal Environment and
Negative Social Learnings
33
Interpersonal Environment
42
and Positive Social Learnings
47
Sentiments in the Environment
50
Environments of Socioeconomic Groups
54
Language Development
ill
III, A School Environment. Which Facilitates
Selection of Democratic Social ',earnings
58
A Propitious Environment
5S
A Climate Which Supports Democratic Interaction...
63
An Environment Which Builds Good Feelings
72
An Environment Which Affords
Needed Identifications
84
An Environment Structured for Selected Interaction..
92
IV. Social Learning and Needed Research
103
Fostering Positive Social Learnings
103
Need for Research, Experimentation and Study
105
Bibliography
110
A. Books and Pamphlets
110
B. Periodicals
115
C. Newspaper
120
iv
From the Association
PREPARING children for a democratic way of life is
no easy task. Teachers and curriculum workers are constantly seeking
better ways of helping children acquire the learnings they need
to
help maintain and advance the democratic
way of life in a rapidly
changing and interdependent world.
There is seldom a dearth of opinion about
ways of educating chil-
dren. However, findings of research and thoughtful study by
recog-
nized authorities in social education
are not always easily available
to many. of the persons whose responsibility is to provide good learn-
ing experiences for children. It was to help
meet a need for sound
findings in this area that the Association invited Edna Ambrose and
Alice Miel to make a study of children's social
learnings and how
these are acquired. This booklet is
a report of their findings.
An analysis of the process through which children acquire social
learnings is reported. Findings from controlled research,
action re-
search, and thoughtful study by recognized authorities
are among the
sources from which implications for teaching are derived. The authors
viewed the school's role as that of fostering
in children the develop-
meht of healthy personality and of the intellectual and
emotional
qualities which enable them to act in accordance with
democratic
values and the demands placed
upon citizens of a democracy. For
teachers and other curriculum leaders interested
in the improvement
of social education, this publication will
serve as a useful guide.
All members of the Association are especially
indebted to Edna
Ambrose and Alice Miel for their careful, painstaking
research that
was done on this subject and for the writing of this booklet.
Rodney Tillman, Executive Secretary, ASCD, read the original
man-
uscript and gave helpful suggestions. Robert R. Leeper,
Editor and
Associate Secretary, ASCD, edited the final manuscript and
was in
charge of its publication. Florence 0. Skuce, Editorial
Assistant, NEA
Publications Division, guided technical production of the
booklet.
Ruth P. Ely, Editorial Assistant, ASCD, secured permissions to
quote.
Cover design and title page are by Kenneth Frye, Head, Art
Unit,
NEA Publications Division.
JANE 7EANSETH, President
June 1958
For the Executive Committee
Foreword
TEACHERS have many questions about social educa-
tion. This study was commissioned by the Association for
Supervision
and Curriculum Development in the hope that
research findings would
give sound answers to many of these ouestions.
Preliminary searches
of these findings
soon made three facts apparent.
First, the task of surveying research proved
to be so extensive that
this work had to be limited to
one school level. A decision to focus
upon the elementary school was influenced by the experience and
interest of Dr. Ambrose, the person who accepted the
major responsi-
bility for research and writing.
Second, a careful attempt
was made to identify the practical prob-
lems teachers face in the
area of social education. Considerable time
was spent in gathering questions relating to this
area from teachers
studying at Teachers College, Columbia University,
and at the Uni-
versity of Tennessee. A subsequent review of
research findings for
answers to such questions revealed so little pertinent material that this
approach was then abandoned
as unrewarding.
Third, many questions from teachers seemed
to be dictated by
meager insight or by prior, more or less arbitrary decisions
as to what
to teach in social studies and how to teach it. It
was reasoned that
better and more basic questions could and should
be asked. These
better questions could be discovered only by
going back of current
conceptions and practices in elementary school social
studies to the
social learning necessary for the perpetuation and
advancement of
democracy. It was reasoned further that
once the process of demo-
cratic socialization is analyzed carefully educators
can plan for more
effective learning opportunities not only in social studies
but through-
out the entire curriculum.
At this point, a study of personality development,
socialization and
learning was undertaken in an attempt to determine
how children
acquire their social learnings, procedures which
facilitate or impede
the process, and implications for
a school program designed to help
children acquire democratic social learnings. The
scope of the study
was expanded to include materials reporting the significant insights
of scholars who project research-based knowledge
in their fields of
inquiry into theories and hypotheses for practice.
vi
Securing direction for improving social education required the, utili-
zation of insights and studies drawn from several disciplines. Ob-
viously, it would have been both foolhardy and unscientific to
pre-
sume to verify all the implications for .social education derived from
various disciplines. No attempt was made to do so. Research-based
hypotheses and theories were accepted as presented by experts in
various fields. An individual was considered an expert if he had spent
much of his life studying in a particular field and if he was .recognized
by many others as being deliberate, accurate and perceptive in his
work. The search was limited to miltcfials which had appeared in pub-
lished form since 1940.
As the study progressed, the conviction grew that social learning
within the school depends upon the immediate and expanded environ-
ment in which children interact bot :. before and during their school
wars. The findings are organized in accordance with that conviction.
The report begins with an analysis of social learnings sorely needed
for democratic living today, an examination of the interrelationships
between the components of healthy personality development and those
important social ]earnings, and a statement of the school's role in
furthering such ]earnings of children.
In the second chapter the findings of research and expert opinion
are
utilized to present the interrelationships of environment and social
learning. Emphasis here is placed upon the children's interpersonal
environments outside the school.
The third chapter is devoted to an examination of the school
en-
vironment which favors the development of social learnings needed
for democratic living. General implications for the school's program
(,f social education are presented.
A brief summary and proposals for further research, experimenta-
tion and study conclude the report.
Many teachers and colleagues contributed to this publication by
directing the writers to pertinent studies and offering constructive
suggestions for the development and organization of the contents.
Because of the uniqueness of their contributions, some persons
merit special recognitions.
Thelma Adair, Grace Champion, Martha Hanson, Frank Levy,
Arthur Saydrnan, Clayton Seeley and Robert Shadick who located
ninny of the research materials which were used in the initial phases
of the study.
Arno Bellack and the late Ruth Cunningham who, through their
insightful analysis of proposals presented to them, emphasized the
vii
need for developing a theoretical framework within which
to present
the implications which research offers for social education.
Peggy Brogan, Robert McManus and Wanda Robertson, who
spent
a great deal of time conferring with the writers and offer d invaluable
suggestions for organizing and completing the writing.
To all who contributed in any
way, the writers acknowledge their 1
indebtedness and express their gratitude.
May 1958
EDNA AMBROSE
ALICE MIEL
viii