Formal education was used by the apartheid government to prepare black South Africans for manual labour, thus there was little curricular focus on the development of higher-order cognitive skills. With the abolition of apartheid in 1994, the education system was re-valued and re-evaluated to provide wider access to quality education; the focus of…

This article examines the influence of early development on preschool cognitive and behavioral outcomes in South Africa, as well as the role of family factors such as maternal education in moderating this association. The study involved 167 Black South African children (89 boys and 78 girls) from the Birth to Twenty study during their first 5…

Racial disparities in child development in the United States are significant, with a particularly pronounced disadvantage among Black children. This report focuses on the development of children of Black immigrants, comparing against the outcomes for their peers in native-born and other immigrant families. The report also compares children in the…

The child population in the United States is rapidly changing and diversifying--in large part because of immigration. Today, nearly one in four US children under the age of 18 is the child of an immigrant. While research has focused on the largest of these groups (Latinos and Asians), far less academic attention has been paid to the changing Black…

This study explored the experiences of young black African preschoolers as well as their parents' perceptions towards their mother tongue. It investigated the factors that influence black African parents to prefer English over their indigenous language. The paper also explores how aspects such as cultural and social capital affect parental choice…

Two studies evaluated cross cultural perspectives of children's moral and ecological reasoning as well as values about nature. The first study was conducted in Houston, Texas, with an inner city black community. Subjects were 72 children from impoverished families. The results suggested that the serious constraints of living in an inner-city…

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…

Describes an empirical study that examined the impact of being carried on a parent's back on a child's visual integration pathways. Draws on a previous study (Pretorius et al.) postulating that this cultural behavior could have a negative impact as it prevents the child from crawling adequately or enough during the sensorimotor stage. (Author)

Provides brief background details of the educational needs of Black South Africans. The methodology used in a second-language course in business English, the reactions of the students to the various teaching techniques, and the results attained in pre- and posttests are discussed. (eight references) (GLR)

Compared family characteristics and developmental outcomes of African-American children from three rural contexts in South Africa: the homeland, the resettlement, and white-owned farms. Child outcomes were highly intercorrelated in all three contexts, but correlations among family variables, and between family and child variables, showed different…

Issues facing historically disadvantaged universities in South Africa are examined, focusing on their impact on the cognitive development of students. It is concluded that students' cognitive development is a strategic matter, requiring the coherent effort of a whole institution rather than being the exclusive province of any specialized units.…

A South African project investigated effective methods of English language instruction for educationally disadvantaged black gold mine workers. Four instructors taught eight 3-week intensive classes, four by traditional language teaching methods and four by methods used at the Institute for Language Teaching of the University of Stellenbosch…

This book is a compilation of papers presented at a seminar on cognitive development in South Africa and one additional paper. The papers were intended to stimulate research and stress the need for program evaluations. Papers concerned: (1) an initiative to improve black primary school teachers' English language, thinking, and teaching skills, and…

This bibliography on bilingual education and related subjects includes an extensive collection of materials published between 1970 and 1980 and a limited number of studies dated before 1970. The materials are organized under alphabetically arranged categories and cover a broad range of areas including culture, language, and education among…