Early results from a Montessori nursery program initiated by Toronto, Canada, in 1971, to help inner-city children prepare for formal education indicate that the mothers of the 15 three- and four-year-old children were pleased with the program. Specifically, they felt that the children had increased their verbal skills, preparedness for junior…

The papers in this document represent statements prepared by scholars involved in various stages of 4 multi-state regional research projects on rural community services and presented at a 1971 national workshop on research problems in delivery of community services. The 2 major foci of these papers are (1) problems of measurement and assessment of…

This study examined how relevant cues given by an experimenter might differentially affect the performance of task versus socially oriented children on two games. On the basis of past research, two independent variables were chosen: field dependence-independence and sex. It was expected that field-dependent children and girls would tend to be more…

The content and process of incidental learning of sex role related characteristics through play behavior was explored in a study of more than 6000 toys sold by Sears, Roebuck & Company between 1900 and 1970, as represented in their mail order catalogs. Sixty percent of all toys were sex typed by Sears. The nature of the play behavior…

This paper was written for high school teachers and other youth workers, who are looking for effective ways to support and assist adolescents as they deal with their complex, and often painful, changing family relationships. It describes A Family Drama Workshop, a series of seminars on families and communication, which was developed and presented…

The intent of this report of the Phi Delta Kappa Task Force on Compulsory Education and Transitions for Youth is to offer a comprehensive model for educational change--to provide both recommendations and procedures for far-reaching change in secondary education. The author emphasizes that simple revision of existing educational systems will not…

This is a study of how young children gain social competence through pretend play or role playing. Subjects were 38 Caucasian children (19 females, 19 males) who were observed at four ages: 12, 18, 24 and 30 months. The same set of toys, which included a doll, a saucepan, doll bottles, coffee mug, teacup, teaspoon, doll crib, blanket, toy phone…

Two types of information that should condition federal decisions about day care are summarized. These include data concerning the supply and demand for day care and the effects of day care on children's development. (Author)

The paper analyzes the expectations and potential of a comprehensive education curriculum for the severely and profoundly handicapped. (CL)

A refresher course on the needs of children with special abilities was organized for New Zealand primary teachers. The course covered identifying pupils' needs; organizing programs within the classroom, school, and community; understanding the child's social and emotional needs; and examining philosophical issues in providing for individual…

A survey of 612 extremely gifted adolescents attending the Talent Identification Program identified three groups: (1) academically oriented; (2) socially oriented; and (3) highly motivated-gregarious. The tendency among gifted females to be more social and gregarious and better balanced between social and achievement interests than males warrants…

Collateral teaching offers an alternative to using commercially prepared social skills programs for learning-disabled students, by enabling teachers to instruct social skills that are required of their students as opportunities arise in normal contexts. Strategies for instructing social skills include coaching, modeling, reinforcement, cognitive…

Reviews Jay Belsky's "The 'Effects' of Infant Day Care Reconsidered," and offers a different conclusion: that the mother's attitudes toward the infant and toward her employment status may mediate day care effects on attachment and aggression. (SKC)

Reviews the literature on some of the major ways that parents and teachers influence the development of prosocial tendencies in children; they include child-rearing practices, social cognition, mood, modeling, and training. Also provides suggestions for parents and teachers to help children behave prosocially. (Author/BB)

Examines the varieties, tensions, and functions of friendship as described by 32 high school juniors in open-ended interviews. Findings revealed considerable tension between popularity as public comportment and friendship as private communication. Illustrates and examines two modes of violating trust, revealing a secret and backstabbing, and…