This book explores the dynamics in children's everyday lives as they move between school and the family, with particular consideration of how children's motives change in response to new challenges. Professors Mariane Hedegaard and Marilyn Fleer follow four children, two from Australia and two from Denmark, over a twelve-month period. Using these case studies, they show how children's everyday activities, play, and the demands of both family and educational contexts influence their learning and development. The authors contribute to a sociocultural theory formulation that includes the child's perspective in cultural historical contexts. Their approach yields insights that transcend specific nationalities, cultures, and socioeconomic situations. The analysis shows not just how children's family life shapes their experiences in school, but how schools influence and shape their lives at home.

'The authors' findings yield value that transcends specific nationalities and culture-imposed boundaries to pinpoint the power of children to play a dynamic role in the construction of family pedagogy and ultimately their own development … Recommended.' S. Durr, Choice

Mariane Hedegaard is a Professor of Developmental Psychology and head of the Centre for Person, Practice, Development and Culture at the University of Copenhagen. Professor Hedegaard was the founding president of the International Society for Cultural Activity Research (ISCAR, formerly ISCAT). Her recent publications include Motives in Children's Development, co-authored by Marilyn Fleer and Anne Edwards (Cambridge, 2011). Marilyn Fleer holds the foundation chair for early childhood education at Monash University, Australia, and is the research director for the Child and Community Development research group. Professor Fleer currently serves as president of the International Society for Cultural Activity Research (ISCAR). Her previous publications include Motives in Children's Development (Cambridge, 2011) and Early Learning and Development (Cambridge, 2010).