Implications of Life-Span Developmental Psychology for Childhood Education

Abstract

Childhood education derives its rationale not only from knowledge about children and child development but also from views of and knowledge about subsequent periods of the human life-span. Thus, a life-span developmental approach offers programmatic implications concerning the goals and conditions for optimal human development in childhood as well as in later age periods. Even though every empirically grounded suggestion concerning goals for programs in childhood education would require an extremely careful analysis and a cautious and critical use of research data, generic contributions of a life-span perspective can be delineated on a conceptual level. Concerning the formulation of educational goals, a life-span perspective leads the interventionist to consider developmental tasks and goals characteristic of the adolescent, adult, and older person in the design of childhood education. Furthermore, in contrast to child and adolescent psychology, where universal change trends are stressed, a life-span perspective suggests not only such universal changes but also interactions of ontogenetic with socio-historical changes in which both individual and group-specific goals and modes of man–environment interaction are emphasized in the chapter. Such a vantage point focuses on diversity and multi-directionality of goal systems and sequences.