Study Guide in ECED 107 Social Studies in Early Childhood Education Module No.

STUDY GUIDE FOR MODULE NO. 2

SOCIALIZATION
MODULE OVERVIEW

Socialization is a term used by sociologists, social psychologists, anthropologists, political scientists, and
educationalists to refer to the lifelong process of inheriting and disseminating norms, customs, and ideologies,
providing an individual with the skills and habits necessary for participating within his or her own society.
Socialization is thus “the means by which social and cultural continuity are attained.” There are many different
forms of socialization, but two types are particularly important for children. These two types are known as
primary and secondary socialization.

Primary socialization in sociology is the acceptance and learning of a set of norms and values
established through the process of socialization. Primary socialization for a child is very important because it
sets the groundwork for all future socialization. Primary socialization occurs when a child learns the attitudes,
values, and actions appropriate to individuals as members of a particular culture. It is mainly influenced by the
immediate family and friends. For example if a child saw his or her mother expressing a discriminatory opinion
about a minority group, then that child may think this behavior is acceptable and could continue to have this
opinion about minority groups.

Secondary socialization refers to the process of learning what is the appropriate behavior as a member
of a smaller group within the larger society. Basically, it is the behavioral patterns reinforced by socializing
agents of society. Secondary socialization takes place outside the home. It is where children and adults learn
how to act in a way that is appropriate for the situations they are in. Schools require very different behavior
from the home, and children must act according to new rules. New teachers have to act in a way that is
different from pupils and learn the new rules from people around them. Secondary socialization is usually
associated with teenagers and adults, and involves smaller changes than those occurring in primary
socialization.

MODULE LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the end of this module, you should have:

1. discussed about socialization of young children;
2. identified strategies for facilitating young children’s socialization in the classroom; and
3. planned and implemented socialization activities.

LEARNING CONTENTS

Theoretical Perspectives on Childhood Socialization

Theories of childhood socialization and development study the elements of the cognitive and social
development that occur in childhood.

Since the nineteenth century, childhood has been perceived as a unique phase in an individual’s life, and
sociological theories reflect this. The main theories that psychologists and social scientists rely on today were
developed in the twentieth century and beyond. These theories seek to understand why childhood is a unique
period in one’s life and the elements of the cognitive and social development that occur in childhood.

Twentieth-century Austrian psychologist Sigmund Freud was one of the first psychologists to theorize
childhood and the significance of developmental stages. Freud believed that sexual drive, or libido, was the
driving force of all human behavior and, accordingly, developed a psychosexual theory of human
development. Children progress through five stages, each association with sexual satisfaction through a
particular body part.
MS. LEI XANDRA MEI B. BALMACEDA TEACHER EDUCATION DEPARTMENT 1
 Study Guide in ECED 107 Social Studies in Early Childhood Education Module No. 2

One of the most widely applied theories of childhood is Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development.
Piaget posited that children learn actively through play. He suggested that the adult’s role in helping a child
learn is to provide appropriate materials for the child to interact and construct. He encouraged adults to make
childhood learning through play even more effective by asking the child questions to get them to reflect upon
behaviors. He believed it was instructive for children to see contradictions in their explanations. His approach
to childhood development has been embraced by schools, and the pedagogy of preschools in the United
States.

Piaget’s Four Stages of Development

Piaget outlined four stages in one’s development to adulthood:

 The first of Piaget’s stages of development is the sensorimotor stage, which lasts from birth until
about age two. During this stage, the child learns about himself and his environment through motor and
reflex actions. The child learns that he is separate from his environment and that aspects of his
environment, such as his parents or a toy, continue to exist even though they may be outside of his
sensory field. This observation is called object permanence.
 The sensorimotor stage is followed by the preoperational stage, which begins about the time that
the child begins to talk and lasts until about age seven. The developments associated with the
preoperational phase all extend from the child learning how to deploy his new linguistic capabilities.
The child begins to use symbols to represent objects. Children absorb information and fit it into
preexisting categories in their minds.
 Next, children progress to the concrete operational stage, which lasts from about first grade to early
adolescence. During this stage, children more easily accommodate ideas that do not fit their
preexisting worldview. The child begins to think abstractly and make rational decisions based on
observable or concrete phenomena.
 Finally, children enter the formal operational stage, which begins in adolescence and carries them
through adulthood. This person no longer requires concrete objects to make rational judgments and is
capable of hypothetical and deductive reasoning.

Ecological Systems Theory

In 1979, psychologist Urie Bronfenbrenner published The Ecology of Human Development, setting forth
his theory known as ecological systems theory. Also called development in context theory or human
ecology theory, the ecology systems theory specifies five different types of nested environmental systems: the
microsystem, the mesosystem, the exosystem, the macrosystem, and the chronosystem. Each of these
systems exerts influence on an individual, particularly children as they are robustly socialized.

 The microsystem refers to the institutions and groups that most immediately and directly impact the
child’s development, including the child’s family, school, religious institution, neighborhood, and peer
group.
 The mesosystem recognizes that no microsystem can be entirely discrete and refers to the
relationship between microsystems. For example, a child who has been completely abandoned by his
family might find it difficult to bond with teachers.
 The exosystem describes the link between a social setting in which the individual does not have an
active role in the individual’s immediate context. For example, a child’s experience at home may be
impacted by a mother’s experience at work.
 The macrosystem refers to the culture in which individuals live. A child, his school, and his parents
are all part of a cultural context whose constituents are united by a sense of common identity, heritage,
and values. Microsystems, and therefore mesosystems and exosystems, are impossible to understand
when divorced from their macrosystemic context.
 The chronosystem refers to the patterning of environmental events and transitions over one’s life
course, as well as broader sociohistorical developments. For example, the impact of divorces on
children has varied over history. When divorce was more culturally stigmatized, it had a different effect
on children than today, when many children have divorced parents.

MS. LEI XANDRA MEI B. BALMACEDA TEACHER EDUCATION DEPARTMENT 2

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Study Guide in ECED 107 Social Studies in Early Childhood Education Module No. 2

Identity Formation

Identity formation is the development of an individual’s distinct personality, which is regarded as a

persisting entity in a particular stage of life by which a person is recognized or known. This process defines
individuals to others and themselves. Pieces of the individual’s actual identity include a sense of continuity, a
sense of uniqueness from others, and a sense of affiliation. Identity formation clearly influences personal
identity by which the individual thinks of him or herself as a discrete and separate entity. This may be through
individuation whereby the undifferentiated individual tends to become unique, or undergoes stages through
which differentiated facets of a person’s life tend toward becoming a more indivisible whole.

Individuals gain a social identity and group identity by their affiliations. Self-concept is the sum of a
being’s knowledge and understanding of himself. Self-concept is different from self-consciousness, which is
an awareness of one’s self. Components of self-concept include physical, psychological, and social attributes,
which can be influenced by the individual’s attitudes, habits, beliefs, and ideas. Cultural identity is one’s
feeling of identity affiliation to a group or culture.

Similarly, an ethnic identity is the identification with a certain ethnicity, usually on the basis of a
presumed common genealogy or ancestry. Further, national identity is an ethical and philosophical concept
whereby all humans are divided into groups called nations. Members of a nation share a common identity and
usually a common origin in their sense of ancestry, parentage, or descent. Lastly, a religious identity is the
set of beliefs and practices generally held by an individual, involving adherence to codified beliefs and rituals
and study of ancestral or cultural traditions, writings, history, and mythology, as well as faith and mystic
experience.

LEARNING ACTIVITY 1

A. Based on your reading of the study guide, provide response to the following:

1. Define childhood socialization.

2. Discuss the role of childhood socialization plays in human development.

3. Describe the effects of extreme isolation on children.

B. Fill in the boxes below.

Imagine you are meeting someone for the first time. Think of three things that you could tell them about
yourself.

1.

2.

3.

MS. LEI XANDRA MEI B. BALMACEDA TEACHER EDUCATION DEPARTMENT 3

Study Guide in ECED 107 Social Studies in Early Childhood Education Module No. 2

Imagine that you wanted to know about someone else. Think of three things that you could ask them to find
out more!
1.

2.

3.

SUMMARY
 Socialization refers to the lifelong process of inheriting and disseminating norms, customs, and
ideologies, providing an individual with the skills and habits necessary for participating within his or her
own society.
 Primary socialization for a child is very important because it sets the groundwork for all future
socialization.
 Primary socialization occurs when a child learns the attitudes, values, and actions appropriate to
individuals as members of a particular culture.
 Secondary socialization refers to the process of learning what is the appropriate behavior as a
member of a smaller group within the larger society.
 Sigmund Freud’s psychosexual stages describe the progression of an individual’s unconscious
desires.
 Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development describes how children reason and interact with their
surroundings.
 Childhood is a unique time period of accelerated development and has been studied by many
theorists.
 Sigmund Freud developed a psychosexual theory of human development that describes how sexual
fixation and satisfaction moves psychological development forward.
 Jean Piaget developed a theory of cognitive development that explains how children learn differently
at different stages in development.
 Urie Bronfenbrenner developed ecological systems theory that explains how human development is
influenced by the context of the developing child.
 Cultural identity is the feeling of identity with a group or culture, or of an individual as far as he or she
is influenced by his or her belonging to a group or culture.
 An ethnic identity is an identification with a certain ethnicity, usually on the basis of a presumed
common genealogy or ancestry.
 National identity is an ethical and philosophical concept whereby all humans are divided into groups
called nations.
 A religious identity is the set of beliefs and practices generally held by an individual, involving
adherence to codified beliefs and rituals and study of ancestral or cultural traditions.
 Self-concept is the sum of a being’s knowledge and understanding of his or her self.
 Cultural identity is the feeling of identity of a group or culture, or of an individual as far as he or she is
influenced by his or her belonging to a group or culture.
 An ethnic identity is the identification with a certain ethnicity, usually on the basis of a presumed
common genealogy or ancestry.
 National identity is an ethical and philosophical concept whereby all humans are divided into groups
called nations.
 A religious identity is the set of beliefs and practices generally held by an individual, involving
adherence to codified beliefs and rituals and study of ancestral or cultural traditions

REFERENCES

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-sociology/chapter/childhood-socialization/

MS. LEI XANDRA MEI B. BALMACEDA TEACHER EDUCATION DEPARTMENT 4