Robert Nicholas Serpell (born 1944 in England) is a Zambian citizen and Professor of Psychology at the

University of Zambia The University of Zambia (UNZA) is a public university located in Lusaka, Zambia. It is Zambia's largest and oldest learning institution. The university was established in 1965 and officially opened to the public on 12 July 1966. The language of ...

. From 2003 to 2006 he was Vice-Chancellor of the University. He also serves as the current Chancellor of Eden University in Lusaka, Zambia. He has conducted numerous studies on intelligence, literacy and child development in social and cultural context, finding that even within a given society, different cognitive characteristics are emphasized from one situation to another and from one

subculture A subculture is a group of people within a culture that differentiates itself from the parent culture to which it belongs, often maintaining some of its founding principles. Subcultures develop their own norms and values regarding cultural, poli ...

to another. These differences extend not just to conceptions of

intelligence Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. More generally, it can b ...

but to what is considered adaptive or appropriate in a broader sense. Serpell's work shows how conceptions of intelligence vary from culture to culture, and that the majority of these views do not reflect Western ideas. Serpell and colleagues discovered that people in some African cultures, particularly those where Western schooling is not yet popular, prefer to emphasise the relationship between intellect and social ability. In Zambia's rural Katete District, for instance, the concept of ''nzelu'' includes both cleverness (''chenjela'') and responsibility (''tumikila''). In 2017, Serpell received an award from the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD)for "Distinguished Contributions to Understanding International, Cultural and Contextual Diversity in Child Development". His research and publications extend into the fields of education for children with special needs, early childhood education and parenting, and educational policy, with special attention to the African region.

Personal life

Serpell is a widower; his wife, Namposya Nampanya Serpell, who was an economist, died in 2016. Married in 1973, Robert and Namposya raised together Derek Serpell (born 1966), Zewelanji Serpell (b 1974), Chisha Serpell (b 1976, died 1999), Namwali Serpell (b 1980), and Suwilanji Ng’ambi (b 1989, adopted 1996). The family usually resided in Lusaka, Zambia, but spent 12 years in Baltimore, MD, USA from 1989 to 2002.

Selected publications

* Serpell, R. (1977) "Estimates of intelligence in a rural community of eastern Zambia". In F. M. Okatcha (ed.) ''Modern psychology and cultural adaptation'' (pp.179–216). Nairobi: Swahili Language Consultants and Publishers. * Serpell, R. (1979) "How specific are perceptual skills? A cross-cultural study of pattern reproduction". ''British Journal of Psychology'', 70, 365-380. * Serpell, R. (1980) "Linguistic flexibility in urban Zambian children." ''Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 345'', 97-119. * Serpell, R. (1993) ''The Significance of Schooling: Life-journeys in an African Society''. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. * Serpell, R. (2000). "Intelligence and culture." In R. J. Sternberg (Ed), ''The Handbook of Intelligence'' (pp.549–577). Cambridge, UK & New York, US: Cambridge University Press. * Serpell, R., Baker, L., & Sonnenschein, S. (2005). ''Becoming literate in the city: the Baltimore Early Childhood Project.'' New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. * Serpell, R. (2011). "Social responsibility as a dimension of intelligence, and as an educational goal: insights from programmatic research in an African society." ''Child Development Perspectives, 5'' (2), 126–133. * Serpell, R. & Jere-Folotiya, J. (2011). "Basic Education for Children with Special Needs in Zambia: Progress and Challenges in the Translation of Policy into Practice." ''Psychology and Developing Societies'', 23(2) 211–245. * Serpell, R. Mumba, P. and Chansa-Kabali , T. (2011). "Early Educational Foundations for the Development of Civic Responsibility: an African Experience." In C. A. Flanagan and B. D. Christens (Eds), ' 'Youth civic development: work at the cutting edge.'' New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development'', 134, 77-93. * Serpell, R. & Marfo, K. (Eds) (2014). "Child Development in Africa: Views from Inside". ''New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, Volume 2014, Issue 146''. * Serpell, R. & Nsamenang, A.B. (2015). "The challenge of local relevance: using the wealth of African cultures in ECCE programme development." In Marope, P.T.M. & Kaga, Y. (Eds). ''Investing against Evidence: the Global State of Early Childhood Care and Education'' (pp.231- 247). Paris: UNESCO. * Serpell, R. (2020). "Literacy and Child Development in a Contemporary African Society". ''Child Development Perspectives, 14''(2) 90-96. * Serpell, R. (2020). "Culture-sensitive communication in applied developmental research". ''Human Development, 64''(4-6), 222-237.

References

Place of birth missing (living people) 1944 births Living people 20th-century Zambian people 21st-century Zambian people Alumni of the University of Oxford Alumni of the University of Sussex British emigrants Immigrants to Zambia Academic staff of the University of Zambia {{Psychologist-stub White Zambian people .