Exploring whether deductive reasoning can develop adequately without special instruction, this paper presents two studies that examine the development of meta-components of deductive reasoning, first in algebra, and second in verbal reasoning. The first study examined students' understanding of logical necessity in algebraic tasks in different…

Seventy-two Australian children aged from 4 years 6 months to 9 years 10 months were individually administered a set of six combinatorial problems involving the dressing of toy bears in all possible combinations of clothing items. Six age groups were represented: eight children were in each of the 4, 5, and 6 year categories; and 16 children were…

This study reviews the literature on gender issues in human development, focuses on student revealing differences in specific abilities of males and females, and discusses whether those differences are as well established as the literature suggests. The research literature is examined from the following perspectives: perception, physical/motor…

A study explored girls' emerging attitudes toward breast care and breast self-exam (BSE) and the extent to which girls had given thought to these issues. Analyses focused specifically on individual differences related to age, stage of breast development, perceived normalcy of breast development, and body image. The sample consisted of 43 white,…

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether differences in the level of visual complexity in motion visuals have an effect on cognitive learning of students in different grade levels. The instructional content was a 14-minute video lesson concerning the motion of objects in the universe. A 3 (levels of visual complexity) x 2 (grade…

This study investigated teachers' perceptions of their students' behavior problems in nursery classes. A total of 154 female teachers from rural, small town, and urban areas in Greece completed a self-reporting questionnaire and an evaluation of their students' behavior. The overall prevalence rate identified by teachers for all behavior problems…

Despite previous research indicating that early negative child behavior and the quality of parent-child relationships are predictive of later externalizing problems, few investigators have attempted to trace these antecedents back to infancy. In a sample of 100 infants from low-income families, infant persistence and maternal responsiveness were…

This study examined the prevalence of bullying and victimization among Canadian school children. Using a questionnaire developed by Olweus, the study surveyed 4,743 children in grades 1 through 8. Six percent of children acknowledged bullying others "more than once or twice" in the preceding 6 weeks, and 15 percent of children reported…

This study examined the way medical clinicians speak about numbers in orally presenting the results of research. Presentations by a sample of eight physicians and surgeons were selected and the manner in which numerical data on the slides were referred to was analyzed. Overall in the sample, it was four times more common to speak about data on…

This paper addresses common concerns of parents about the social development of gifted children. It stresses the importance of three key factors: (1) a responsive home environment where the child is respected; (2) opportunities to relate to other gifted children, especially during the early years, when self-concept is formed; and (3) opportunities…

Several current television series for preschool children convey stories, not through meaningful dialogue, but through visual information and intonational cues embedded within nonsensical dialogue. This study examined young children's ability to construct meaning from such materials. Participating were 135 preschoolers, 3 to 5 years old. Subjects…

Recent research has investigated the impact of neighborhood violence on children's mental health and moral development. Based on the view that the way in which children construe their experiences of violence mediates the impact of unsafe neighborhoods and that children's narrative is important for children's construction of self and incorporation…

The purpose of this study was to compare differences in alcohol use and associated problems between two Hispanic youth groups. The subjects, from two different southwest sites, were self-identified Hispanics. Seventh and 12th graders from a northern New Mexico (NNM) (N=64) school and from a school on the U.S.-Mexico border (USM) (N=88) were…

A national survey to obtain adolescent drug use patterns in Malta was conducted on November 29, 1991. A total of 20,815 students were surveyed in Malta and Gozo. Ages ranged from 11 to 17 years. Tabular reports were prepared for each participating school, regionally, and for the total or national sample. The overwhelming majority of students…

This study explored children's perceptions of good parenting. An open-ended question "What makes a good parent?" was asked of children aged 8 to 9 years, 14 to 15 years, and 17 to 18 years of age to investigate developmental processes. Adolescents' perceptions were compared to parents' perceptions using the same measure among 14- to…