Deliberate instruction and household structure: a cross-cultural study

Harvard Educational Review • Published In • Pages: 301-342 •
By Herzog, John D.

Abstract

This study examines relationships among the instruction of children, household type and size, and political integration. Particular attention is paid to type of instruction--whether the instructor is kin or non-kin, and whether the instruction requires a change in the child's residence. Different types of instruction are theorized to solve problems for children in different household types (e.g. children in mother-child households experience gender identity conflict, and so leave their houses for instruction from non-kin). The causality between instruction and societal complexity is also discussed.

Samples

Sample Used Coded Data Comment
HRAF Collection of Ethnography (paper/fiche)
compendium of coded data

Hypotheses (12)

HypothesisSupported
". . . socially stratified societies tend to have instruction, while classless societies do not" (313)Supported
". . . a high correlation between the degree of political integration of a society and the presence and absence of what was called 'religious education' [deliberate instruction by non-kin without change of residence]" (312)Supported
"Politically complex societies, no matter their household type, tend to use deliberate instruction; politically simple societies get along without it" (319)Supported
"The number of people in the household seems directly, rather than inversely, related to the presence of instruction ouside of it" (315)Supported
"When some form of instruction is offered, Type II [deliberate instruction by non-kin without change of of residence] is employed by extended and nuclear societies, . . ." (319)Supported
". . . Type III [deliberate instruction by non-kin with change of residence] is employed by mother-child societies" (319)Supported
"Polygynous societies are intermediate [in the type of instruction employed]" (319)Supported
"Mother-child and polygynous societies are somewhat more likely than nuclear and extended to employ concurrently both Type II and Type III instruction [deliberate instruction by non-kin without change of residence and deliberate instruction by non-kin with change of residence]" (319)Supported
"With regard to Type II instruction [deliberate instruction by non-kin without change of residence], societies with different household types are affected dissimilarly by political integration" (319)Supported
". . . nuclear societies of low political complexity are significantly less likely than other societies to employ either Type II or Type III instruction [deliberate instruction by non-kin without change of residence and deliberate instruction by non-kin with change of residence]" (329)Supported
"Among all societies with a low degree of political integration, only those with extended households tend to employ Type II instruction [deliberate instruction by non-kin without change of residence] at least as often as they employ no instruction at all" (327)Supported
"The table shows that nuclear household societies with a high degree of complexity do not involve their women in subsistence pursuits, and at the same time employ Type II instruction [deliberate instruction by non-kin without change of residence]; it shows the reverse for nuclear societies with low complexity" (332)Supported
Documents and Hypotheses Filed By: mas  Amelia Piazza