How Does Culture Influence a Child’s Cognitive Development?
The society is an encompassing entity that runs down from one generation to the next. We are exposed to culture right from the time of birth. A child is subjected to cultural values and practices way before school going age. Different environments instill slightly different cultural inputs. This accounts for different education policies even in very close neighboring countries.
Let’s delve on to how culture influences a child's cognitive development.
Language and learning
Language plays an essential role in shaping a child's cognitive development. Language forges how children behave, learn, receive, and interpret information. Language acts as the main source of transmitting knowledge. Development of language skills gives the child a platform to gather everything possible in cultural values and practices.
The ability to communicate effectively with the teacher and colleagues fosters a child’s cognitive development. Language barrier in school may slow down a child's learning speed, but it does not slow down the learning capability of a child.
The Concept of Authority and Cognitive Development
Culture encompasses the whole community if not the whole generation. The family is the basic unit of the community. The authority exercised by the parent at home shapes how the child gets to interact with the teacher and other figures in authority.
Some cultural backgrounds do not welcome extensive dialogue between the young and the elderly. When this culture is extended to school, children focus more on memorizing content since they do not ask the teacher questions.
Effects of Culture on Attitude towards Subjects Preference
Cultural background affects how students receive different subjects at school. The daily routine activities that a child is subjected to tend to shape a child's subject preferences. Some children are exposed to handy crafts, while others are exposed to narratives.
Different countries also tend to emphasize particular subjects and courses. The apprentice skills of different backgrounds affect how a child attains practical skills. The interaction with elders also shapes the subject preference of a child.
How Spiritual Culture Affects Cognitive Development
The drafting of religious studies syllabus requires the help of religious leaders and religious specialists. They help the drafting body to decide on the content which should be included in the curriculum. The set guidelines expose children in particular environments to standard methods of instructions by their religious teachers.
Further interaction with spirituality will affect a child's cognitive development: the religious leaders and the doctrines taught by a particular religion challenge a child towards different paths. Muslims, for example, are more intrigued by architectural and science-oriented subjects.
Familial Effects on Cognitive Development
Parents differ in the methods of inculcating culture. Some parents, spank their children a lot. This tends to make learning hard without getting the teacher's spanking occasionally.
Some families appreciate reading culture while others love the mathematical subjects. The values, skills and attitudes instilled from earlier days determine how a child approaches different learning subjects and situations.
The question of how does culture influence a child’s cognitive development digs deep into how society at large affects the learning process. Parents, classmates and teachers have the center stage in shaping how a child learns. Every child interacts with the world differently.
