The Process of Children's Socialization in a Group

This presentation will discuss the process of children’s socialization in a group. Although the socialization of children has been one of the most important research topics in sociology, the concrete aspect of it is still uncertain.

 The study was conducted in a children’s self-reliance support facility (called “Z” in this presentation) from May 2012 to June 2013. Beginning in September 2012, I conducted semi-structured formal interviews with twelve staff members. Each staff member was interviewed once or twice, and each interview lasted for 45-110min.

 The results reveal the following: (1)In Z, living with a group is optimally used to treat, care for, and socialize the children. In particular, their rank in their relationship, which is based on age or phase of treatment, plays a very significant role. (2) It is important to note that such a rank is not permanent. As the upper-class children leave the facility, or when a new child enters the facility, the rank shifts. (3) Moreover, the children do not uniformly experience the reconstruction of these ranks. Rather, it is an individual experience.

 As indicated above, living in a group and experiencing the construction and reconstruction of ranks in their relationship take very important role in children’s socialization. This process can be interpreted as the process of “role-taking” in group dynamics. Moreover, such “role-taking” can be regarded as a type of anticipatory socialization that occurs after children leave the facility. I will conclude by discussing the implications of these findings for the field of sociology.