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Two Worlds of Childhood: U.S. and U.S.S.R.
A comparative study of education in present-day America and Russia that reveals the patterns of child development in these two nations
- GenresEducation
190 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1970
About the author
Urie Bronfenbrenner
32 books13 followersDr. Urie Bronfenbrenner was a Russian-born American psychologist and academic best known for his ecological systems theory.
Professor Bronfenbrenner received a bachelor's degree in psychology and music from Cornell University in 1938.
He earned a master's in education from Harvard in 1940, and a doctorate in developmental psychology from the University of Michigan in 1942. He served as a psychologist in various military units during World War II. His daughter, Dr. Kate Bronfenbrenner, followed him into academia and is a well known labor relations scholar.
Professor Bronfenbrenner received a bachelor's degree in psychology and music from Cornell University in 1938.
He earned a master's in education from Harvard in 1940, and a doctorate in developmental psychology from the University of Michigan in 1942. He served as a psychologist in various military units during World War II. His daughter, Dr. Kate Bronfenbrenner, followed him into academia and is a well known labor relations scholar.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
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February 26, 2014This book is far more useful and relevant to discussions about education today than a rash judgment (based on its date of publication and choice of the now-defunct USSR as a role model for American educators) might make of it. Without knowing anything about the book or the author going into it, I was expecting either an ethnographic account of education systems in the US and the USSR, deliberately devoid of Bronfenbrenner's own judgments, or…a systematic debunking of the Soviet system compared to the ideas and theories prevalent in America at that time (this was Cold War time, so I expected a fervent denial that the Soviets had anything of value or relevance to the free world). I was surprised to find a quite matter-of-fact description of Soviet education and its effect on Soviet children's development, followed by a fairly critical description of American education, with abundant examples of how the US could benefit from the comparative perspective and even from an adaptation of some Soviet practices and theories. Bronfenbrenner doesn't even seem compelled to defend what is, on balance, a positive portrayal of Soviet education until the last two pages of the book. Since the "Soviet" factor may be the primary reason some prospective readers will not pick up this book, I'll quote the author from those pages at length. He concludes that the book,
The influence of the peer group on children encouraged in the USSR is one of the positive attributes of Soviet education according to Bronfenbrenner. In the USSR, peer pressure produces conforming, socially-desirable behavior. Compare that with the negative connotations of peer pressure in the US today. He continues:
On the book's relevance for today, I was struck a number of times by passages that read as if the author were addressing discussions being had about education today, at least among lay-people. For example, on the topic of teacher pay and how much control teachers should have over their own classroom:
One other great thing about this book is that there are numerous black-and-white photos of children in day care, school, and at play, as well as several color reproductions of Soviet propaganda posters relating to the Pioneers, a Soviet civic group for children akin to the Boy Scouts in America. One poster that I found particularly interesting depicted three smiling children: one Russian (white/Caucasian) and the other two of apparently Asian and African descent. All three are wearing the Pioneers uniform, and all three presumably citizens of the USSR. The Cyrillic message of the poster is translated as "The Pioneers are friends to all children of all nations" (quoting from memory, may not be the exact caption). I'll gladly send photos of this or any of the posters or photos in the book. Contact me privately if interested.
"began with descriptive facts, considered their implications in the light of data and theory from the social sciences, and ultimately ended with a blueprint for change within our own society...We believe that the results of this inquiry indicate that the rather different Soviet approach to the upbringing of the young is not without significance for our own problems. If the Russians have gone too far in subjecting the child and his peer group to conformity to a single set of values imposed by the adult society, perhaps we have reached the point of diminishing returns in allowing excessive autonomy and in failing to utilize the constructive potential of the peer group in developing social responsibility and consideration for others" (p. 165-166).
The influence of the peer group on children encouraged in the USSR is one of the positive attributes of Soviet education according to Bronfenbrenner. In the USSR, peer pressure produces conforming, socially-desirable behavior. Compare that with the negative connotations of peer pressure in the US today. He continues:
"Moving to counteract this tendency [towards "excessive autonomy and…"] does not mean subscribing to Soviet insistence on the primacy of the collective over the individual or adopting their practice of shifting major responsibility for upbringing from the family to public institutions. On the contrary, what is called for is greater involvement of parents, and other adults, in the lives of children, and - conversely - greater involvement of children in responsibility on behalf of their own family, community, and society at large" (p. 166).
On the book's relevance for today, I was struck a number of times by passages that read as if the author were addressing discussions being had about education today, at least among lay-people. For example, on the topic of teacher pay and how much control teachers should have over their own classroom:
"Teachers who are poorly paid, treated as subordinates, and given little freedom and autonomy by the school administration cannot help but reflect their true position and reduce their influence in the pupil's eyes. A person must have a measure of self-respect and status before he can expect others to admire these traits in him" (p. 154).
One other great thing about this book is that there are numerous black-and-white photos of children in day care, school, and at play, as well as several color reproductions of Soviet propaganda posters relating to the Pioneers, a Soviet civic group for children akin to the Boy Scouts in America. One poster that I found particularly interesting depicted three smiling children: one Russian (white/Caucasian) and the other two of apparently Asian and African descent. All three are wearing the Pioneers uniform, and all three presumably citizens of the USSR. The Cyrillic message of the poster is translated as "The Pioneers are friends to all children of all nations" (quoting from memory, may not be the exact caption). I'll gladly send photos of this or any of the posters or photos in the book. Contact me privately if interested.
February 25, 2016
Examines childhood and child rearing in US and USSR. Even though USSR is gone, this book has some good critiques of the US way of child rearing and makes suggestions for improvement.
January 23, 2012
The preface is great and really paints a moving picture of how difficult parenthood is. The rest of the book seems to be a biased account of how great the Russian school system is in comparison to the American.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews