Health and Physical Education (HPE) has been an important learning area in the "New Zealand Curriculum" (NZC) since the two learning areas were integrated in the 1990s. HPE in the NZC proposed a multi-dimensional education vision, principles and values for students' holistic development founded upon theoretical perspectives such as…

Early childhood is a critical period to intervene for obesity, developmental and behavioural problems. Data from 1065 children in 14 Northeast Iowa Community Action Head Starts (HS) were collected between 2011 and 2018. Body mass index (BMI) and developmental scores were assessed at the beginning of each school year and compared after the first…

Early adolescence is a time of rapid cognitive, psychosocial, and physical development, and an array of contextual factors, such as systemic racism, exert significant influence. Universal behavioral health screening data of 4,234 middle school students were examined to explore the influence of demographic (e.g. ethnicity, race) and contextual…

This article explores the initial steps in developing and presenting Sport Psychology in a leadership and sport curriculum at Stellenbosch University's (SU) Centre for Human Performance Sciences' (CHPS) Academy for Girls' Leadership and Sport Development. Sport Psychology does not feature within the South African school curriculum specifically,…

Geschwind and Behan (1982) and Geschwind and Galaburda (1985a, 1985b, 1985c) suggested a correlation between brain laterality and immune disorders. To test whether this hypothesis holds true not only for the frequency of immune diseases and circulating autoantibodies, but extends also to cellular immunity, we examined the association between…

Anthropometric data collected on groups of 7-year-old New Zealand boys, identified as hyperactive-only, aggressive-hyperactive, aggressive-only and nonaggressive/nonhyperactive did not confirm the hypothesis that hyperactive-only Ss would show delayed maturation. However, hyperactive-only Ss were significantly more lean than Ss in other groups.…

Examined whether chronic illness causes delays in adolescents' perceived developmental status, using annually-completed questionnaires from insulin-dependent and healthy adolescents. Found that, in first year of study, diabetic adolescents reported delays in physical maturity and an independent lifestyle compared with healthy peers. Overall…

Comparison of growth rates and menarcheal age for groups of boys and girls, ages 6 to 15, in Tokyo (Japan) found that children with mental retardation had a smaller growth spurt during puberty but did not differ in maturational rate defined by age at pubertal height spurt or age at menarche. (Author/DB)

Four experiments investigating the effects of physical and social variables on the production of pointing in infants 10 to 18 months old are described. In the first two experiments, which were primarily concerned with the relation between reaching and index finger pointing, physical dimensions such as distance between baby and target objects were…

Past research indicates a significantly higher prevalence of early sexual maturation in African American (AA) girls, which is associated with a number of psychological and behavioral problems as well as with health problems such as childhood obesity and diabetes. Both nutrition and body image perceptions have never before been empirically…

Studied effects on nutritional supplementation, with or without psychosocial stimulation, on the development and growth of 129 stunted children compared with 32 nonstunted children. Found that after six months, initially low activity levels of stunted children matched those of nonstunted children, regardless of treatment. Supplementation improved…

Background: Schools in K-12 have generated mission statements as ways of focusing their efforts and energies in specific areas. These mission statements vary by institutional setting as a function of the stakeholders and constituent groups who facilitate their development. To date, no studies were located in which the mission statements of…

Questionnaire and interview findings from 36 white middle-class adolescent boys found that the first ejaculation was psychologically meaningful but socially invisible. Those who felt more prepared expressed more positive feelings and coped better. Psychosocial and developmental difficulties in sexual education for young males are discussed. (SLD)

The relationship of socioeconomic status and family structure to physical and psychological growth was investigated among urban African preschool children. A total of 300 children between 3 and 7 years of age were tested on the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities. Height and weight were measured and information about children's background was…

This book is a compilation of 47 wide-ranging papers presented at the International Conference on Play and Play Environments. The introduction reviews both the historical recognition of the value of play by various philosophers and educators and the historical disregard for childhood that has prevailed through the centuries, particularly in…