Sociology on children
In recent years, scholars from a variety of fields—including law, medicine, psychology, and education—have shown a growing interest in exploring children's lives and experiences (Leonard, 2015). Despite this interdisciplinary engagement, sociology’s specific role in understanding childhood has often been overshadowed, making it challenging to identify its unique contributions to the field. According to James and Prout (2015), sociological inquiry into children has been notably scarce over the past thirty years. Corsaro (2014) attributes this neglect to the long-standing view of children as secondary figures within society. Frequently, adults tend to regard children primarily in terms of their future potential rather than recognizing them as individuals with present-day experiences, emotions, and needs. This future-oriented perspective has effectively pushed children to the periphery of societal structures. Furthermore, the tendency to treat women as subordinate members of society often amplifies the perception of children as contributors to societal challenges. This paper aims to critically examine how sociology has conceptualized children, with a specific focus on the interpretive and constructivist frameworks.
Children and socialization
A significant proportion of sociology’s thinking on children is derived from the concept of socialization or the process via which children internalize and acclimatize themselves to society (Shantz & Williams, 2013). Traditional theories of socialization perceive children as a part of society that requires them to be shaped and directed by different external forces to become fully functional members of society (Corsaro, 2014). The two models of sociology that explain children’s development include the deterministic and the constructivist model as expounded herein.
Deterministic model
The deterministic model highlights the dominant role of society in shaping children's behavior and development. It views children as being molded by societal forces, trained, and ultimately integrated as useful participants in the social structure. In this framework, children are seen as largely passive in their development (Sims, 2009). This model is typically divided into two main branches: the functionalist and the reproductive models. The functionalist perspective stresses the need to properly train and socialize children to ensure they grow into effective and productive members of society. Social theorist Inkeles supports this notion, arguing that structured training is essential for children's growth (Yawkey & Johnson, 2013). This approach aligns with a forward-focused view that prioritizes preparing children to adapt and contribute to social systems (Bass & Kinney, 2011). On the other hand, the reproductive model takes a more critical stance by recognizing that children’s roles and contributions are not uniform, largely due to societal inequalities. Tovey and Share (2003) argue that access to crucial resources like education and training is unevenly distributed, leading to disparities in how children participate in society.
Even though these models provide insight into the development of children, they fail to acknowledge the fact that children have an active contribution to their development. The proponents of the deterministic model of sociology on children assume that children play a non-functional and inconsequential role in society. For example, as one of the proponents of the deterministic model, Parson argues that children’s learning and behavior are a result of observing social norms. Additionally, children align their behavior with the prevailing social values (Oberhuemer, Schreyer & Neuman, 2010).
Constructivist model
This model of sociology on children accentuates that children are modeled by adult members of society through reinforcement of positive behavior and punishment. Contrary to the deterministic model, the constructivist model stipulates that children’s role in their development is not passive but rather active (Corsaro, 2014). For example, children utilize the information obtained from the environment in developing their interpretations and understanding of their surrounding environment. Jean Piaget's theory on intellectual development is one of the renowned theories of the constructivist model of children’s development in sociology. In his opinion, Jean Piaget emphasized that children start developing conceptions about their environment right from infancy by organizing and interpreting information from their social and physical worlds (Sims, 2009).
Piaget’s view on children’s conceptualization of their world is critical in the sociology of children in that it provides insight into how children qualitatively organize information from their environment. Through their contribution, Piaget has provided critical insight into children’s stages of development. Similarly, Vygotsky corroborates that children adopt an active role in their development through involvement in collective societal roles and interaction with other members of society. Through interaction and involvement, children can acquire new skills and learn new knowledge, which translates into their development. This indicates that the constructivist theory largely emphasizes children’s contribution to their personal development.
Conclusion
In summary, the research shows that sociology has provided critical insight into children’s learning and development. Theorists on the sociology of children emphasize that children’s development occurs through either passive or active approaches. The deterministic model of children argues that children adopt a passive role in their learning process by being shaped by social norms and values. Conversely, the constructivist model accentuates that children learn from observing their surroundings right from infancy.
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