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Maria Sibireva, PhD in Sociology.

Some problems of intergenerational relationships.

Under the rubric of new sociology of childhood children must be seen as full members of

society, who can act in different social systems and influence them.

The most necessary part of making research with children the care must be taken in the

centre of any interviewing of children. Children need to feel the importance of their worlds,

adults should show respect for them. While making research the scientist is obliged to speak with

any child as with equal, as with adult. Due to that the scholar will be able to get true information.

Institutional language very often frightens child, while very gentle conversation is not accepted

by small respondent, as he or she does not feel due respect.

I want to mention one research of preschool age children that I made. It concerns the

question of childrens dependency on adults.The technique of collisions offered by Russian scientist S.M.Rivers in 1920s, allows

interviewing children. Its basic idea consists in the presentation to informants any text with the

description of a real, difficult situation connected with religion, and it is offered to estimate

behaviour of the characters of the text and to offer the position on a discussed problem. The

collision does not assume personal inclusion of the child, does not address any concrete

questions, therefore reaction can serve as more objective parameter of social installations of the

respondent. The given technique is applied to receive from children the estimation of any

behaviour which is not approved by adults or society. In similar situations it is possible to use

small publications from children's and youthful newspapers and magazines, and also pictures. In

the psychological science there is an analogue of such technique - test of Rosenzweig, which,

with reference to group, allows mentioning and quantitatively estimating such problem areas as

relationships in group, social installations, tolerance, and also interactions of the children with

adults.

The last question is one of the most actual now. The interest of parents in childrens success

in life does not cause doubts. The research which was made in four kindergartens of Saint

Petersburg (51 parents have taken part in research), has shown: parental trusteeship is excessive.

70, 6 % of respondents are ready to give the child the maximum of time, some answers sound

approximately as follows: The more - the better, 24 hours per day, etc. Similar

hypertrusteeship is reflected in the results of the test of Rosenzweig (61 children took part in

research). 19, 7 % of children according to the results of the test are capable of solving the

problems independently and showing the initiative in relationships with peers. But as soon as

there is an adult on the represented picture, they begin or persistently demand the decision of the

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situation from adults, or to fix on the problem arised, or to concern the situation as a due. The

given tendency is especially expressed in those children's preschool establishments where

children have problems of personal development: 43, 4 % of the children in the given groups

show steady dependence on the behaviour in the presence of the adult.

Parents, tutors, social workers of children's establishments play an exclusive role in personal

development of the child, but often use force of childs dependence from their attention,

authority and mood to manage the behaviour of the former. By such case they interfere with the

formation of the responsibility and independence. Such child will not learn to make decisions, to

operate in critical situations that will negatively reflect on his or her social skills and social

competence. One of the mechanisms to ease such trusteeship can become programs of personal

development of preschool children. So in kindergartens where the program of personal growth is

realized, 25 % of children show the initiative in making constructive decision in a conflictsituation independently at presence of the adult. The similar behaviour incorporated in the

earliest childhood will be fixed and will make the life of the child more positive.

The main idea of such programs is to ask children what they think, do and why. Owing to it

they begin to feel their value and importance. According to my research results, children often

want to explain their behavoiur, their choices and actions. They construct their own worlds, act

in them; try to apply norms dominating in the adult world to their children needs.

Involving children in researches we observe United Nations Convention on the Rights of the

Child, as we hear the voices of children and try to solve their problems, also showing them that

they are invaluable for us. We only learn to understand childrens world, and not only in Russia

but all over the world children will be able to help us.

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