‘Cross-cultural’ Issues in Child Development and Assessment within the South African Context

It is universally accepted that child development is influenced by the naive dichotomy of nature versus nurture. Therefore, children's cognitive and academic development is thought to reflect both biological and cultural influences. In a country such as South Africa, where professionals are often faced with many different cultures, understanding the variables that come to play in the development and assessment of children becomes a daunting task. This paper explores cross-cultural research with respect to child development, assessment and school failure, and highlights those factors that have emerged as significant modulators in developmental issues.