Using the developmental niche to explore parental ethnotheories of symbolic representation

Abstract

This paper examines the use of the developmental niche, a framework from psychology and anthropology, to understand how culture, vis-à-vis the home and family environments, shapes children’s literacy development. This study examines the extant empirical literature to demonstrate how each aspect of the developmental niche, including settings of care, customs of care, and psychology of the caretaker, can be adapted and applied to provide insight into children’s literacy development. Finally, this paper discusses how this framework can support ideas for future research focused on families, culture, and literacy, as well as how teachers might inform their practice of interacting with families by utilizing the developmental niche.