E102 Tma02

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E102 TMA 02 1

Part 1: a. Describe and explain how caregivers' sensitivity to infants’ (1) care
needs and (2) play needs may have an influence on secure attachment.
b. Describe and explain how culture can influence how children are
reared/parented.

Secure attachment can be identified as an early emotional relationship shared among infants and their
caregivers. These initial attachments can impact a child's emotional, psychological, and social
development and may lead to adulthood. However, some caregivers are incapable of establishing secure
bonds, such as those experiencing postnatal depression, for example, resulting in insecure attachments
(Farrington-Flint, 2020).
Some key points of how caregivers' sensitivity to infants' care needs influence secure attachment will be
discussed, and examples of module materials will be explored. Sensitive parenting commences with
caring behaviours and social cues to instigate and receive reactions from infants. Infants are susceptible
to caregivers’ facial expressions, tone of voice and body movements. This communication is often
known as ‘dyadic’ interactions by psychologists; infants are born to willfully engage in early
collaborations with caregivers (Farrington-Flint, 2020). An example of sensitive behaviours is Activity 1
Studying caregiver-infant interactions (The Open University, 2022a). The video demonstrates the 'still-
face’ strategy which studies emotional and social development in infants while exploring infant-mother
relationships, and refers to all sensitive caregivers regardless of age and gender. The infant seems happy
as they communicate with dyadic interactions. When presented with the ‘still-face’ pose, the infant’s
anxiety increases, and attempts to engage with her mother while displaying negative behaviour. This
method illustrates the importance of sensitivity as children are highly attuned to others' behaviours.
Infants are born with eagerness to establish early communications, and caregivers and infants are equal
participants in dyadic interactions, which is important for children’s agency (Farrington-Flint, 2020). The
next key point of how caregivers' sensitivity to infants' care needs influence secure attachment will now
be investigated.
Attachment theory (Bowlby, 1969, cited in Farrington-Flint, 2020, p.85) links someone to another by a
continuous emotional connection. If children are frightened, for example, they seek close connections
with their caregivers. The caregiver’s capability to react sensitively to children’s emotional demands will
determine if their attachment is secure or not. Both attachments may affect children’s social and
emotional development. During the 1930’s Bowlby worked with boys who displayed adaptation issues,
which created his theory of attachment. He indicated that under normal family structures, caregivers
provide emotional and physical security to infants through interactive attachments. These attachments
derive from an enduring bond usually between infant and mother. Within this 70-year period family
formation has changed, taking multiple forms including same gender couples and single parents
(Golombok, 2000, cited in Gjersoe, 2020, p.108). Bowlby also orchestrated a correlation study
investigating behaviours in young boys who were without mothers for a time. Bowlby recognized that
the boys without mothers exhibited more concerning behaviour, and possible long-term compromission
of social development. This explains how the caregiver-infant bond is established and impacts children’s
long-term psychological, social, and emotional development. Bowlby also concludes that infants who
possess secure attachments to caregivers feel safe to explore and return to when in distress. Care needs
have now been explored, caregivers’ sensitivity to play needs will next be investigated.
E102 TMA 02 1

Key points of how caregivers' sensitivity to play needs have an influence on secure attachment will be
discussed, and evidenced using module materials. Caregivers’ awareness and sensitivity to infant’s
signals during play such as alertness, praise or overstimulation are related to secure attachment. Studies
from Bureau et al (2016, cited in Farrington-Flint, 2020, p. 88) found that it is significant for caregivers to
recognize and respond to their infant’s emotional cues that specify if a situation is stimulating which
causes excitement, or overstimulating which results in distress. Dr Ross Thompson in Activity 2 The role
of the parent in emotional development talks about children needing unconditional love, and secure
parent-child relationships to develop self-esteem. He explains that children acquire a sense of pride
from their parents by showing them an achievement such as colouring a picture for example, and for the
parent to compliment and encourage, which may build their self-esteem and confidence. These initial
emotions such as pride or guilt stem from caregivers’ response to children’s behaviour. Thompson
suggests that ‘attentive parents’ know when to provide the appropriate support which may enhance
secure attachment. (The Open University, 2022b.) The next key point in sensitivity to play will now be
explored.
Engagement with siblings can deepen children’s secure attachments while learning further social skills
such as prosocial acts, ‘social cognition,’ and ‘a theory of mind.’ siblings can act as role models to
younger children, and develop emotional perception. Kreppner and Lerner (2013, cited in Farrington-
Flint, 2020), evidenced that sibling support has positive effects on infants’ mental well-being and further
development. Activity 2 Effects of social deprivation on development (The Open University, 2022c)
shows Andy and Tina adopt two Romanian orphans, Alex and Costel. It could be argued that although
their adoptive parents worked hard to teach them social and emotional skills while developing secure
attachments, the siblings may have also taught each other new skills. The video shows the boys holding
hands and riding their bikes together, which suggests they have a stable relationship. It may be that
their interactions have taught one another further skills that differ in context to parents' teachings, such
as sharing, which expand meaningful attachments (Farrington-Flint, 2020). Secure attachments have
been explored, culture and how it influences parenting will now be investigated and evidenced using
module materials.

A key point of how culture influences how children are reared is the type of parenting styles parents use
on their children, and how this determines the outcomes parents desire for them. Baumrind (1967, cited
in Mckeogh, 2020 p. 116) defined parenting theory as three main parenting styles including
authoritarian, authoritative, and permissive, with these methods affecting how attachments between
children and parents are built. According to Baumrind, authoritative style is viewed as the most
admirable way of parenting to children’s academic achievement and well-being in Western culture,
although other cultures may prefer diverse ways such as authoritarian parenting which consists of adult
led strict discipline and rules. Darling (1999, cited in Mckeogh, 2020 p. 117) states that authoritarian
parenting may lead to academic success, but lower self-esteem and social skills, with higher depression
rates. This suggests this type of parenting may be damaging to children’s agency and well-being.
However, authoritarian parenting is familiar practice in Chinese American culture. An example of
extreme authoritarian parenting is Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua (2011, cited in
Mckeogh, 2020) which explains how this parenting style achieves higher academic success in children.
Chua states that even though in Chinese culture children are extensions of their parents, everything she
does is solely for her children. She also argues that her Western friends question if she is pushing her
children so hard for her children’s sake or her own gain, whereas Chua should ask her Western friends
E102 TMA 02 1

the same question. This indicates that Chua may view Western styles of parenting as lazy or permissive.
She describes her type of parenting as teaching children about self-belief, independence, resilience, and
they can achieve beyond their expectations. Chua's parenting attitudes and aspirations for her children
are conflicting with Baumrind’s theories. She seems to be using authoritarian methods by having control
and forcing work on her children, however Chua feels she is teaching self-reliance and discipline; which
are permissive parenting characteristics according to Baumrind. This demonstrates how diverse cultures’
tendencies of parenting determine different results in children. The next key point will now be explored.
Distinct cultures have their own views on what a preferred family structure should resemble when
childrearing. In the UK, the family structure is diverse and may change throughout a child’s life, with
terms ‘lone,’ ‘nuclear,’ ‘extended,’ or ‘blended’ families commonly used. Figure 1 (Mckeogh, 2020)
symbolizes a typical family, consisting of two sisters of mixed heritage with their sons. This
demonstrates the shifting dynamics present within contemporary families. Uk culture traditionally
defines a family unit as one or two parents and a few children, whereas in other cultures the family
formation may differ. An example of differing family structure is Sharron’s story; Growing up in a
contrasting community, where she describes her upbringing in a kibbutz. Sharron was cared for by
‘Metapelet’ who acted as her primary carer, and lived in the kibbutz from a month old with seven other
children of the same age. She had schooling there and spent time with her parents, brothers, and
friends from 4-7 o’clock in the evenings in her parent’s home. Her parents would read her a story and
put her to bed. Sharron states that she saw her peers more than her brothers, therefore she knew them
better. She also recalls that some of her peers found living away from their mothers particularly
challenging, indicating they needed emotional and social closeness from their parents. The decision to
place Sharron into the kibbutz was a cultural choice. It could be argued that Sharron was living with
extended family, which is common in other cultures, although the cultural context in which Sharron was
living is very unusual compared to Uk culture. In contrast, Western cultures relate separation between
children and parents as a last resort ordered by courts, when children are placed into care. (Mckeogh,
2020). It seemed that Sharron’s parents were happy to let another person become her caregiver.
Activity 2.1 ‘Good’ enough parenting (The Open University, 2022d), which promotes positive effects
from parenting classes, suggests some parents in UK culture are reluctant to seek support, as only 2
percent of eligible parents attended. This could be because of stigma as seen as a ‘bad’ parent if they
admit they are struggling, or the predominately female environment may be off-putting to some fathers.
These examples indicate that some cultures are happy to let other adults care for their children, while
other culture's view seeking help or support and being separated from their children as failure as a
parent.

Word count: 1625.

Part 2: a. Describe the key areas of academic or study skills development your tutor
identified as needing to be addressed in TMA 01.
b. Explain how you took the developmental points identified by your tutor into account
in writing TMA 02.
E102 TMA 02 1

From reflecting on my learning journal 3 (The Open University, 2022e) I see that key areas of study skills
development Karen identified that need to be addressed are that I need to be more concise with the
descriptive element, so I have more spare words for the analysis part of assignments. In my last TMA I
tried to include every point I knew as opposed to choosing a few key points and discussing them. By
trying to include everything I knew, I used a lot of words in the descriptive part of the question and left
little room for analysis. Karen suggested thinking about laying out paragraphs better, using one idea per
paragraph. This should make it easier for me to see how many topics I am using, and when I write future
TMAs, I will separate the descriptive and explanation elements into separate sections. Using
subheadings as guidance and remembering to signal my change of topic in the text will help me
structure my paragraphs better. By implementing these points, I will be sure that I have covered
everything and have used more words for analysis, which shows I have learnt from the module
materials, and used less words for description. Karen also identified that in TMA 01 I only used evidence
in my answers from the module reader, which was limiting my answers. Karen reminded me to also use
the online materials for future TMAs, so I am using a full range of sources which will help me be more
reflective in my answers.

I took the developmental points identified by Karen and used them when writing TMA 02. I used
subheadings as guidance to help improve my academic literacy. This helped me structure and present
my ideas in the paragraphs, using ‘describe’ as 1/3 of the word count, and ‘explain’ as 2/3 of the word
count. I tried to be more concise with the description element and provide more analysis in my answers.
I feel structuring my paragraphs this way has helped me be more reflective. For TMA 02 I chose a few
key points and discussed them rather than trying to include everything I have learnt. I used the online
materials as case studies and evidence in my answers for analysis, as well as previous chapters in the
module reader, which I feel enabled me to provide better explanations to the questions. I had more
examples, illustrations and case studies to present, I had more ideas to explain and compare, and was
able to construct well balanced arguments, compare different theories, and show skills in analysis. One
strategy I pointed out in learning journal 4 was highlighting key points of high levels in sentences (The
Open University, 2022f). Using this strategy helped me pick out relevant information to answer the
questions. Another strategy from learning journal 4 was noticing how paragraphs were organised by
reading text closely. I used this strategy while writing TMA 02, by arranging my paragraphs better from
outlining the main point in the first sentence and evidencing each point with examples from module
materials and analysis. At the end of each paragraph, I signaled my change of topic.

Word count: 526.

References

Farrington-Flint, L. (2020) ‘Social and emotional development’ in Farrington-Flint, L and Montgomery, H.


(eds.) An introduction to childhood studies and child psychology. Milton Keynes: The Open University,
pp. 79-102.

Gjersoe, N. (2020) ‘What is ‘child psychology’?’ in Farrington-Flint, L and Montgomery, H. (eds.) An


introduction to childhood studies and child psychology. Milton Keynes: The Open University, pp. 27-52.
E102 TMA 02 1

Mckeogh, S. (2020) ‘Parenting and families’ in Farrington-Flint, L and Montgomery, H. (eds.) An


introduction to childhood studies and child psychology. Milton Keynes: The Open University, pp. 103-
125.

The Open University (2022a) Activity 1: ‘Studying caregiver-infant interactions’. E102 Introduction to
childhood studies and child psychology. Available at:
https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=1940704&section=1.1 30/12/2022

The Open University (2022b) Activity 2: ‘The role of the parent in emotional development’. E102
Introduction to childhood studies and child psychology. Available at:
https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=1940704&section=1.2 30/12/2022

The Open University (2022c) Activity 3: ‘Effects on social deprivation on development’. E102
Introduction to childhood studies and child psychology. Available at:
https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=1940693&section=1.2 30/12/2022

The Open University (2022d) Activity 2.1: ‘Good enough parenting’. E102 Introduction to childhood
studies and child psychology. Available at: https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?
id=1940706&section=1.2.1 30/12/2022

The Open University (2022e) ‘Engaging with your tutor’s feedback on TMA 01’. E102 Introduction to
childhood studies and child psychology. Available at:
https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=1940708&section=1.1 30/12/2022

The Open University (2022f) ‘Reflecting on your progress in Block 2’. E102 Introduction to childhood
studies and child psychology. Available at: https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?
id=1940715&section=1.1 30/12/202

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