Commentary

The second section of the book, Crossing Boundaries, mainly concerns the analysis of the systems of representation produced by the actors in one context (parents or teachers) looking towards the other microsystem (school or family).

The chapters are rather diverse (even methodologically), and some are rather unexpected, meaning that they succeed in contributing to the general theme in a multifaceted way.

The first chapter by Di Giulio and Ritscher is based on interviews with nine teachers (both Caucasian and African American) who, at the time, were teaching in urban and rural schools at elementary, middle, and high school levels in the United States of America. From the interviews, it became apparent that although teachers express a commitment to working with parents, they are often aware that they have to help children who exhibit antisocial behavior without much parental support. However, the interviews with teachers revealed their relevant concerns and suggested ways of increasing the capacity of schools to decrease antisocial behavior in their students. It is interesting that this can happen even when there is a clash between teachers’ values and those found in the child’s home. In a sense, this study does not express an optimistic view of crossing boundaries, but it makes a rather realistic contribution with regard to how schools and teachers can act with children who exhibit antisocial behavior.