Language learners use different learning strategies, specific actions and behaviors to help them learn, at least partly because their general learning styles, or overall approaches to learning and the environment, are so varied. Learning style encompasses: cognitive style; patterns of attitudes and interests; a tendency to seek situations…

This paper discusses the stresses our society places on parents, the influence of fathers on their children's development, how parents can actively influence development, individual differences in temperament among children, and environmental as well as ecological factors that affect the development of children. Concluding remarks focus on the…

The field of educational technology was built on the positivist, modernist search for a best medium towards universal communication and the teaching of predetermined behavior and thinking patterns. Once, this medium was thought to be motion pictures, then television, then programmed instruction, and today it is hoped that it will be instructional…

Defines communication apprehension as fear or anxiety associated with either real or anticipated communication with another person, and discusses its causes, consequences, and prevention. (SKC)

Temperament refers to basic dimensions of personality that are grounded in biology and explain individual differences in the developmental process rather than universal dynamics. Temperament is currently an active area of research with documented applicability to a variety of developmental and mental health outcomes such as conscience formation,…

This fact sheet examines the impact of cultural diversity in the United States on the counseling profession. Three major difficulties for multicultural counseling created by this diversity are considered: (1) the counselor's own culture, attitudes, and theoretical perspective; (2) the client's culture; and (3) the multiplicity of variables…

The perception is that most studies on distance education or the use of technology are poorly designed or prone to incomplete analyses. This is true of the simple comparison study, where student outcomes are compared to those of students in a traditional course. Such studies are the basis for the often cited conclusion that there is no significant…

With few exceptions, the development of adult intelligence assessment instruments has proceeded along the lines of the Binet-Simon tests for children, stressing psychological assessment over the evaluation of what an individual knows. These tests, developed over 90 years ago, were quite effective in predicting school success, but were much less…

This digest reviews the literature related to learning styles of American Indian and Alaskan Native students. Several studies show that in some tribes, observation, self-testing in private, and then demonstration of a task for approval are essential steps in learning. Indian children often hesitate to participate in large and small-group…

This digest discusses the need for differentiating language arts instruction for gifted students in grades K-8. It begins by describing differentiation approaches, including acceleration, depth, complexity, challenges, and creativity. It then explains how teachers can differentiate the language arts curriculum in the following five areas: (1)…

This monograph discusses the learning style model for counseling college students. The targeted audience includes college counselors and counselor educators. Six objectives are noted: (1) to increase counselor effectiveness through individual learning style identification and prescription; (2) to provide counselors with a model for matching…

Fifty Caucasian, never-married single mothers aged 18-30, who had opted to keep their babies, were studied longitudinally from the last trimester of pregnancy through the first three years of their children's lives in order to learn the extent to which they had reinterpreted traditional roles and responsibilities and had restructured their lives.…

This paper provides an extensive discussion of children's play, including examination of theoretical, developmental, measurement, and classroom or playgroup perspectives for teachers of children between the ages of 2 and 6 years. The first section offers a brief overview of theories of play and describes several distinguishing features of play,…

This volume of papers, written by professors of education, an administrator, and a clinical psychologist, illustrate how the concept of equity can be woven into the professional components of teacher education. In "A Matter of Linkage: Multicultural Education and Educational Equity," Martha E. Dawson maintains that multicultural education is an…

This digest describes academic creativity and offers suggestions for its development in gifted students. Creative learning and learning by authority are contrasted and examples of each are given. The naturally creative behavior of young children is noted. Among suggestions offered to teachers are: respect the unusual questions of children; show…