Purpose

The purpose of this section is to create a forum for researchers who are interested in developmental psychology and childhood, with a special focus on using activity theory and the cultural-historical research approach as a way to unite these two opposing approaches to the study of children. Developmental psychology has often been characterised historically as the study of ‘the general child’, with a focus on developing a model that can be used to evaluate individual children and their changing relation to society as they grow up. Childhood studies have focused on the study of children anchored in historical time and settings; such approaches are more commonly found within anthropological and sociological traditions, especially those that focus on situated and localised practice with children. Cultural-historical approaches seek to unite the general principles in relation to historical time and place.

For Membership of the CHACDOC section write to Mariane Hedegaard (Professor of Developmental Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark)

& Updates

For the program for the upcoming preconference from the CHACDOC section at ISCAR Conference Rome 2011 “An analytical approach to children’s perspectives based on Cultural-Historical and activity conceptions” see:

http://www.iscar2011.org/eng/pre-conf_chacoc.php

Meetings

For information about the past and forthcoming meetings of CHACDOC section see:

2011

2008

2007

2005

Readings

Contact

Prof. Mariane Hedegaard

Developmental Psychology, Department of Psychology

University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Faculty of Education
Monash University, Australia