Children’s Occupations in Context: The Influence of History, Aug 2002, Jane Davis, Helene Polatajko & Charles Ruud. Recommended reading for OCT1111, Oct 06.

Overview:

  • Children are constantly occupationally engaged (“doing”)
  • Level of development, immediate environments are determining factors of children’s occupations.
  • Contextual factors such as social views, trends on the occupations of children is discussed thru an examination of literature throughout history (30 works from 1650-1990).
  • History provides an opportunity to examine changes in socio-political and technological contexts and shifts in human occupations (how changes in the environment over time are reflected in occupation).
  • Children’s occupations are often used to demonstrate the concept of the “occupational being” as well as society and culture.
  • Occupations enable survival, well-being and development (social, cognitive, physical etc.)
  • Occupational performance is the result of interactions between the person, occupation and environment over time. The environments provide context that shape and are shaped by occupations.
  • “contexts play key roles in the formation of an individual’s occupational repertoire”
  • Literary works are effective tools for “reflecting the beliefs of the times and follow social policy”

Purpose:

  • To examine the role of the broad environment on the occupations of children thru a historical approach using literary works.

Historical Research Methods:

  • Conceptualization: choice of area of interest, concept, principle to be studied.
  • Orientation and Immersion: foster understanding of concepts for creation of research questions.
  • Formulation: questions to guide research study, broad with flexibility for changes.
  • Investigation: choose data sources, locate, collect and record data and info for future interpretation.
  • Verification: often done with investigation state. Involves 2 parts: authenticating data sources & credibility of the data. Data is cross checked with other sources of similar area.
  • Organization: often done w previous 2 steps. Data collected is organized into themes/categories.
  • Interpretation: requires understanding of concepts from step 1 related to themes in the data.

Context of the data source is considered.

  • Dissemination: to communicate what occurred as truthfully as possible

Children’s Occupations in Historical Context

  • Early Beliefs: 1650’s-1800’s. Focus on religion, role of children as miniature adults, thought to be corrupt or sinful. Children in literature portrayed primarily in formal learning environments (schools and religious study), household and farming/gardening chores/work. The literature shows that the children also had a strong desire for games, the outdoors & socialization; although these occupations were associated with feelings of guilt or repercussions from authority figures (play was discouraged).
  • Enlightenment: 1680’s-1830’s. Characterized by a shift in beliefs from religion (external life) to life on earth. Literary works of the time “depict children being given the freedom to allow their innate goodness to dominate their development”. Children’s occupations were based mostly on chores/work, less on religious studies and formal education, with some engagement in games. At the end of the 18th Century, was a shift in children’s occupations to more outdoor activities and socialization w peers without feelings of guilt. Less religious strictness, but still strong parental guidance.
  • Romanticism: (1790’s-1890’s) Children’s occupations mainly described as outdoor activities, games, formal learning (school) and chores/work. “They appeared to engage in a more diverse repertoire of occupations”. There was also more description of girls in the literature, although they were limited and were depicted differently than the boys. Children’s “work” demonstrated a shift into the community, with some to provide financial support to their families. Increased growth and productivity showed children engaged in the occupations of urban chores/work. Early 19C demonstrated beginnings of social and labor policy changes with special interest in humanity. Increased attention to needs of children initiated child labor laws to limit children employed in industrial factories. Mandatory school acts were also started. These changes helped to expand the occupational repertoire of children.
  • Scientism: (1850’s-1910’s) This era is characterized by a push for education of the masses. The belief in science to explain natural phenomenon fuelled this shift to education. During this time more children went to school and for a longer time. Policy changes in labor laws and child rights helped to shape the dominant occupations during late childhood, such as school, games. Advances in technology and science increased the “depth and breadth of occupations in the stories.” During the 20th Century a great focus of families and communities was on children, with evolving teaching techniques and a greater role of schools as children spent increased time there. Non-attendance in school became undesirable.
  • World Wars: (1910’s-1940’s)This time period saw a division of labor within families. Children’s occupations included productive occupations both in the home and outside of the home. This was required in order to help families survive whose men were away at war and face economic hardships. During the ‘40’s there was a shift from children working to support their families, to work with the purpose of making extra money to buy “special things”. This illustrates the view of the time that parents should provide basic necessities to their families.
  • Information Age: (1950’s-present) “Technological changes showed their impact on shifts in children’s occupations”. Cinema and T.V offered passive occupations, which were not present before. In the 20th C there were significant changes to family structures and children are portrayed as engaging also in social occupations more with their parents.

Discussion:

  • Literary works provided a “good source of rich data on the occupations of children in historical context”.
  • Over time, children’s occupations were influenced by novelty, materials used and predominance, although categories of occupations remained consistent.
  • The “apparent effect of historical factors on children’s occupations indicates that children’s occupations are not solely determined by their developmental level and immediate environments but also by their broad environments including social and political. This finding provides support for the applicability of the Canadian Model of Occupational Performance to children as well as adults.”
  • Limitations: 30 literary works over 350 yrs cannot provide a comprehensive account of all children’s occupations or full impact of the broad environment across history. Very few descriptions of girls in the early periods could be found in the literature. The works studied were all in English and embedded in western culture.