Institutional Care and Developmental Outcomes of 6- and 7-year-old Children: A Contextualist Perspective

Abstract

This paper examines effects of institutional settings on cognitive, affective, and personal development of children. Two samples consisting of 52 children, living in orphanages, and 45 kindergarten students, living with their families, were selected in Moscow, Russia; children’s ages were between 70 and 88 months. The children in both samples were compared with respect to their Wechsler scores, empathy, and level of conformity. It was found that the kindergarten children had higher Wechsler scores, a higher level of empathy, and a lower level of conformity. It was also found that the age of placement in an institution and the amount of time the child spent there were associated with Wechsler IQ score and studied measures of affective and personal development. The proposed interpretation of the detrimental institutional effects suggests that the institutions differ from the family in both the organisation of their context and in the roles of their participants. Institutional organisation is considered as a set of factors affecting the behaviours of the participants (both the children and the staff), and the process of the children’s development.

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