Childhood in a Rural Settlement

Abstract

Rural settlements originated as a government policy to remove rural worker families from the city suburbs, settling them in their own milieu and promoting a more dignified life. The development of children in such an environment and the manner the rural settlement participates and intervenes in their development process are provided. The rural settlement, a frontier place between the town and the country, is an object of great interest, triggered by environmental problems caused by human intervention. Since few studies are extant in this particular field, children’s development in this context has been provided. Data collection shows that children manifested a cognitive and affective level proper to their age bracket. Although in the context of unfavorable social environments and experiencing a lack of technological resources, children’s self-esteem did not decrease and they felt happier and freer. This is due to the fact that they have a house, security and a space to play in which did not exist before their settlement in the rural region.