A research study of identical twins, by Thomas J. Bouchard Jr., discloses that genetics exert a stronger influence over personality than we thought. Parents and teachers are advised to be active and alert observers of children's interests and talents to provide appropriate tools and resources to develop these propensities. (MLF)

The basic assumption underlying the open classroom approach is the view that, among children of the same age and sex, significant differences (in temperament, rate of growth, background, experience, and personality dispositions) exist, and, therefore, educational methods must take these differences into account. (Author/MC)

This paper addresses the unevenness of the existing knowledge base on development and individual differences, and presents a structural model diagraming organismic and environmental influences on development. The model identifies sets of conditions which can result in gifted performance, the development of giftedness, and the maintenance of…

The realities of child development defy efforts to categorize children's abilities and attainments within the conventional graded structure. Pupil readiness varies, and children progress in all subjects at different rates. The development of multiage or cross-age groupings, sometimes coordinated with youngsters in tutoring programs, has produced…

This document was prepared to help parents, educators, and concerned citizens better understand how children and adolescents actually learn. True learning involves: (1) developing a passion for learning; (2) acquiring communication skills; (3) constructing new knowledge; (4) taking part in concrete activities; and (5) developing problem solving…

The question of what schools should do about individual differences among learners is discussed with reference to the cognitive theories of Piaget. Historically, teachers were not expected to adjust to individual differences; the child who could not adapt was at fault. Around the turn of the present century, educators began to turn their attention…

The Rostock Longitudinal Study, which has followed 247 at-risk children from birth to age 14, seeks to identify factors contributing to interindividual developmental differences. Results reported underscore the limited prognostic value of single risk factors, the diminishing impact of organic perinatal risk factors over time, and the increasing…

Developmentally appropriate games in physical education provide ample learning time for all students, not just highly skilled students. The paper explains how to modify activities to be developmentally appropriate so students at all skill levels can succeed. (SM)

Five papers on research related to learning and instruction discuss the following: subjective competence and self-assessment; development of quantitative-relational abilities from childhood to adolescence; detecting functional relations in a computerized learning environment; developmental patterns and individual differences in word-search…

This collection of essays, in honor of child psychiatry pioneers Stella Chess and Alexander Thomas, focuses on their idea that important life outcomes are the product of ongoing interactions between a child's behavioral style and the complimentarity or lack of fit of the parenting environment. Following an introduction, the remaining chapters are:…

This annotated bibliography focuses on the ethological study of child development and the educational process. Topics covered include: (1) evolution; (2) dominance hierarchies and social organization; (3) agonistic, affiliative, and epistemic behaviors; (4) nonverbal communication; (5) play; (6) biological constraints on learning; and (7) relevant…

This bulletin provides an annotated, classified bibliography of books, articles from periodicals, reports, surveys, proceedings of associations, and investigations and research into present educational conditions received by the library of the Office of Education during the first six months of 1929, January to June, inclusive. An index will be…