Introduces a group of articles exploring the role of literature in the lives and education of African American children. Benefits that accrue to children from reading literature include the following: (1) aesthetic appreciation; (2) literacy education; (3) cognitive development; (4) social and moral values; and (5) understanding and appreciation…

Findings of this three-year longitudinal study, based on 172 African American students, suggest that attendance at an historically Black college significantly enhances the intellectual growth of African American students. The findings held for both standardized, objective measures of reading comprehension, and for self-reported measures of gains…

Presents a review of several common emotional and developmental challenges faced by African American female college students who attend predominantly White colleges and universities. Suggests that these challenges can be addressed through programs that promote these students' psychological growth and maturity. Outlines a cognitive-developmental…

Argues that psychological constructs prevalent during the 1950s and early 1960s encountered serious challenges when they were applied to African-American children. Specifies the way in which these challenges influenced the direction of developmental theory and research. (RJC)

Summarizes and evaluates the deficit, difference, and bicultural theories used to interpret the linguistic characteristics of Black and low socioeconomic status children. Also discusses research that has applied these theories and the implications of this research for educational reform. (AOS)

Discusses a proposed interconnectedness between the ecologies of ethnic minority families, adaptive strategies, socialization goals, and child development outcomes. (PCB)

Key components of human behavioral genetics and Sandra Scarr's work of the past two decades are critically reviewed based on scholarship in animal neuropsychology and clinical and educational psychology. Scarr's opinion that interventions to enhance intellectual development are ineffectual for children from abuse- and neglect-free backgrounds is…

Data from a 20-year longitudinal study of 125 males and 126 females born to Black teenage mothers in a Baltimore hospital between 1966 and 1968 were analyzed to identify early childhood, middle childhood, and early adolescence determinants of functional literacy. All 251 subjects were interviewed in 1987, and 202 of them completed a document…

The purpose of this publication is to explain how a child learns and how language development is related to motor, emotional, and cognitive development. Following a brief introductory chapter, it presents a chapter on how a child learns, divided into the following categories: motor development; emotional development; language development; the…