| Abstract: | This study analyses the interface between children's culture and their development as they learn to perform the daily activities of eating and toileting in culturally appropriate ways. Thirty-three Japanese and 36 French children 12-31 months of age and adults' interventions were observed in public day care centres in Tokyo and in Paris. Within the same time frame, a survey was conducted among the adults (parents and nursery staff) to examine their developmental expectations for children. Observations reveal differences between children's learning in the two countries. Toilet training begins at a later age in Japan and is learned more quickly, whereas learning to eat alone begins earlier than in France but is acquired at a slower pace. The analysis of the surveys shows some discrepancy between adults' conceptions and actual interactions. In both countries, the developmental decrease in physical intervention corresponded with the progress of the child, but adult interventions and strategies varied according to the different cultures. The presence of Japanese adults is greater than those in France, but this does not mean that they intervene physically more often. Finally, instrumental independence begins slightly earlier in Japan. |
