Sylwester says education must begin relying more on biology than social and behavioral science. All brain systems move from a slow, awkward functional level to a fast, efficient level. Contributions of metacognition, self-regulation, emotions, reflective and reflexive responses, comparison, and classification to cognitive development are…

Examined differences in teacher qualifications, inservice training, program quality, and children's development in Head Start, public school, and private nonprofit early childhood classrooms. More formal education for public school teachers was offset by better inservice training for Head Start teachers, as programs achieved equal levels of…

Investigated the relationship between developmentally appropriate practices in the classroom and preschoolers' perception of self-confidence. Found that developmentally appropriate practice influenced social development, and that teaching strategies, curriculum goals, motivation, and guidance of social-emotional development predicted peer…

Discussion of the role of play in development of young children with disabilities considers the different forms of play as the child develops, the social nature of play, contexts and play materials, and the value of including play goals and strategies in the individualized family service plan or individual education program developed cooperatively…

Explored relationships between second graders' multidimensional self-concepts (SC) and their teachers' beliefs about developmentally appropriate practices (DAP). Survey data indicated that neither beliefs about traditional practices nor about developmental practices predicted any dimension of SC for girls. Beliefs about traditional practices…

Evaluates a teaching program called TRAC (Talk, Reasoning, and Computers) that is used for scaffolding children's effective use of language as a tool for reasoning and collaborative activity. Finds that using the TRAC program can increase the amount of exploratory talk used by children working together in the classroom. (CMK)

Provides a conceptual and empirical analysis of the associations between the fundamental sociometric dimensions of acceptance, rejection, and social preference. Examines whether nomination and rating scale measures index the same constructs. Notes that sociometric ratings measure social preference, but can also yield indicators of acceptance and…

Explores a study that quantifies preschool children's music learning preferences in teacher-intitiated environments by observing the children on video to determine their flow experiences where the challenge level and skill level are both high. Stresses that using flow to measure music experiences provides a means for teachers to evaluate student…

Examines risk and protective factors to identify processes in rural, single-parent families that are linked with positive child outcomes. Protective domains promoted greater child self-regulation; parenting protective factors promoted greater self-regulation. Maternal risk had the greatest negative effect on child self-worth. Results also reveal…

Examined how quality of center-based child care related to early cognitive and language development from 6 to 36 months among 89 African American children. Found that higher quality care was related to higher measures of cognitive, language, and communication development, even after adjusting for selected child and family characteristics.…

Examines the basis for decision-making about quality in early childhood programs. Challenges the view of universalist assumptions and argues that quality is relative, but not arbitrary. Maintains that quality perspectives depend on a framework of knowledge, beliefs, and values about childhood, child development, and early childhood programs that…

A study assessed the effect of family-centered early intervention services on 47 children and their families during a 12-month period. During family-centered intervention, children's developmental gains were equivalent to their rate of development prior to intervention. The intervention also did not reduce parental stress or enhance family…

Mothers ranging in age from 14 to 18 years enrolled in a high school program for teenage mothers evaluated a parenting manual. Overall comments about the manual were favorable. However, responses indicated that the manual may not be as relevant for adolescents expecting their first child. Suggestions were given and the manual was updated.…

Reviews recent long-term outcome studies concerning the psycho-educational functioning of children who were born with very low birth weight (2.20 to 3.31 pounds). Findings indicate that these children develop without problems in some, but not all, areas. The areas most consistently affected were neuro-motor and mathematics. (Author/CR)

Three analytic approaches were used in a framework of classical test theory to examine the construct validity of a mathematics assessment of 16 constructed response items. Results from 280 elementary school students across four age groups suggest a developmental structure of tasks and subdomains that was generally consistent with the test's…