THE ECOLOGY OF CHILD DEVELOPMENT ON A MALAYSIAN RUBBER PLANTATION

This paper draws on data concerning children in the families of Malay, Chinese, and Indian laborers on a rubber estate in West Malaysia to describe three major factors affecting development: socioeconomic condi tions, childrearing practices, and nutritional I health factors. The data emanates from participant observations, estate demographic data, and interviews with parents of young children in the three ethnic groups. This report suggests that although differentials in cultural interaction expressed in childrearing patterns exist, similarities in sociocconotnic and nutritional I health conditions make an overriding environmental homogeneity for the children.