During middle childhood, the period between ages 5 and 12, children gain the basic tools, skills and motivations to become productive members of their society. Failure to acquire these basic tools can lead to long-term consequences for children's future education, work and family life. In this book, first published in 2006, the editors assemble contributions from fifteen longitudinal studies representing diverse groups in the United States, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom to learn what developmental patterns and experiences in middle childhood contexts forecast the directions children take when they reach adolescence and adulthood. The editors conclude that, although lasting individual differences are evident by the end of the preschool years, a child's developmental path in middle childhood contributes significantly to the adolescent and adult that he or she becomes. Families, peers and the broader social and economic environment all make a difference for young people's future education, work and relationships with others.

This book, first published in 2006, presents research about experiences in middle childhood that forecast children's future development.

About the Author
Aletha C. Huston is Priscilla Pond Flawn Regents Professor of Child Development at the University of Texas, Austin. She is a developmental psychologist who specializes in understanding the effects of poverty on children and the impact of child care and income support policies on children's development. She is a Principal Investigator in the New Hope Project, a study of the effects on children and families of parents' participation in a work-based program to reduce poverty, and collaborator in the Next Generation Project. She was a member of the MacArthur Network on Successful Pathways Through Middle Childhood and an Investigator for the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. She is President of the Society for Research in Child Development and Past President of the Division of Developmental Psychology of the American Psychological Association. Marika N. Ripke is the Director of Hawaii Kids Count and an affiliate faculty member of the Center on the Family at the University of Hawaii, Manoa. Her research specializes on the effects of poverty on children and the impact of out-of-school activities on child and youth development. As director of Hawaii Kids Count, she assesses (and advocates for) the well-being of Hawaii's children and families by monitoring various health, economic and educational indicators over time. She directs the data collection and analysis of a study examining the quality and availability of education and health supports for Native Hawaiian families and their young children. She holds a governmental position as a voting member of the State of Hawaii's Commission on Fatherhood. Her publications have appeared in the Handbook of Child Psychology and in such scholarly journals as Developmental Psychology, the Review of Research in Education and New Directions in Youth Development.

Reviews
"This volume continues the tradition of excellence associated with the 'Studies in Social and Emotional Development' series....Highly recommended." -- Choice



Book Information
ISBN 9780521845571
Author Aletha C. Huston
Format Hardback
Page Count 478
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 772g
Dimensions(mm) 236mm * 161mm * 30mm