The purpose of the analysis reported in this article was to determine to what extent child and classroom characteristics were associated with the amount of time children with disabilities spent displaying each of 5 categories of engagement. Predictors consisted of children's receipt of incidental teaching, developmental quotient, and quality of…

Late and early preschoolers' attention and spatial strategies were examined in response to instructions to recall relevant objects [Blumberg, F. C. & Torenberg, M. (2003). The impact of spatial cues on preschoolers' selective attention. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 164, 42-53] and irrelevant objects [Blumberg, F. C. & Torenberg, M. (in press).…

Contemporary education theory (and official South African policy) underwrites learner-centredness. I analyse learner-centredness as a possible piece of the puzzle about why it is proving so difficult to improve academic achievement. Learner-centred ideas are grounded in the belief that cognitive abilities develop spontaneously in accordance with a…

This study investigated the effects of spatial arrangement on preschool children's selective attention and incidental learning. Three- and four-year old children were shown a multi-coloured box designated as a "special place" containing miniature chairs and models of animals. One category of objects were designated as relevant and one as…

Discussion of communication intervention with very young children who have cochlear implants examines: (1) the developmental appropriateness of materials and procedures; (2) behavior and compliance issues; (3) the need for less didactic instruction and more incidental learning emphasis; and (4) recognition of the home as the primary venue for…

Incidental learning in 8- and 12-year-old children was assessed with a variety of stimulus materials. Experiment 1 compared two types of material; (a) geometric figures, whose central and incidental components were shape and color, respectively and (b) stimuli whose components were separate pictures, as in the typical developmental study of this…

DEPENDENCY LEARNING, THE ACQUISITION AND DEVELOPMENT OF PERSONAL INTERRELATIONSHIP VALUES, WAS STUDIED AS A TECHNIQUE FOR FOSTERING AUDIOVISUAL ACADEMIC LEARNING AMONG 54 YOUNG, EDUCABLE MENTAL RETARDATES. SOME OF THESE SUBJECTS WERE TAUGHT TO VALUE SIMULATED DEPENDENCY MODELS. THESE MODELS WERE CONSISTENTLY PAIRED WITH SUCH REWARDING STIMULI AS…

Three articles offer parents suggestions on how to make television a positive experience for their children. An editorial introduces the following themes basic to all the articles: type and amount of television viewing should be regulated by parents, parents should discuss television with their children, and parents must become aware of the…

This reaction paper offers evidence for the effectiveness of nondirective instructional models with special needs young children. The construct of "developmentally appropriate practice" is viewed as a working hypothesis and as a continuous variable, not a dichotomous variable. Relationships between early childhood education and early childhood…