Examined longitudinally the relationship between mother-child spontaneous joint play and development of conduct problems in 60 preschoolers. Found that amount of joint play at age 3 predicted individual improvement in conduct problems at age 4, and this association was independent of initial level of conduct problems and hyperactivity, social…

Clarifies the meanings of the terms "normalization" and "normality," broadens the discussion of normality beyond Montessori's first plane of development, and explores the unique conditions conducive to normality in the second and third planes. (EV)

Maintains that, although Leontiev's sociocultural orientation and its activity emphasis were inherited from Vygotsky's theory, the two men's theoretical motives and goals differed. Vygotsky's focus on symbolic mediation transforming psychological processes and Leontiev's on activities leading to internalization of action in mental processes were…

Traces continuities between current approaches and earlier traditions in developmental psychology. Contends that current work often ignores commonalities with previous work within psychology. Explores the fate of Piaget's clinical method and its continuities and contrasts with current approaches. Maintains that the conflict generated by the…

Conducted a three-year longitudinal analysis of morphological spelling strategies in second through fourth graders. Found that, when children first adopt morphologically determined spelling patterns, they disregard the morphological basis. Generalization progresses from grammatically inappropriate words to the right grammatical category to the…

Examined electrical brain activity during negative and positive emotion expression in infants of depressed and nondepressed mothers. Found that, compared with infants of nondepressed mothers, infants of depressed mothers exhibited increased EEG activation in the frontal but not parietal region when expressing negative emotions. There were no…

Perceptions of parents and their adolescent children about a number of developmental tasks were compared for 508 Dutch families. Parents consistently indicated later ages for the achievement of developmental tasks than did adolescents, but they had similar views of the sequence in which achievement of developmental tasks should occur. (SLD)

Campers at the Virginia 4-H Shooting Education Camp receive intensive training from certified range coaches in shotgun, rifle, air rifle, air pistol, and archery. Such programs teach campers responsibility; develop character and self-concept; and promote safety, sportsmanship, and ethical behavior. Includes resources for developing a shooting…

A demonstration project providing job skills training for the homeless was conducted to evaluate the potential for moving the homeless into the mainstream. Of the 30 men and women who participated in the project, 26 successfully completed the program. Intensive case management contributed to program success. (RJM)

Continual additions of discrete educational programs are ineffective and deleterious to the educational system. The New American Schools Development Corporation and Goals 2000 are examples of systemic school-improvement initiatives. A new paradigm based on lifelong learning and individual and team growth is essential. A learning organization must…

Describes the author's experiences in conducting research on the teaching process. Discusses classroom observations conducted with two kindergarten teachers, suggesting that the personal interaction with the teachers changed both the author's and the teachers' lives. Suggests that the research played a transformational role in the author's life.…

Examined evidence for transitions in first and second graders' analogical reasoning, over a six-month period. Found strong evidence for bimodality in test performance frequency distributions and weaker evidence for inaccessibility in frequency distributions. Transitional subjects showed a temporary increase of inconsistent solution behavior and…

The lukasa, an African mnemonic device, illustrates the way in which individual meaning-making enables adults to interpret and shape organizational meaning-making. This may be limited by power abuses, lack of learning skills or developmental capacity, and the changing social contract. (SK)

The perceptions of 223 high school seniors were studied with regard to three sibling relationship characteristics: advice about life plans and personal problems; satisfaction with support; and sibling influence on interests and goals. Findings show that adolescents sometimes rely on their siblings for advice. (SLD)

Studied perceptions of self-competence and task values, documenting domain-specific growth trajectories for 761 children from grade 1 through 12. Found that self- perceptions of competence and subjective task values declined as children got older, although extent and rate of decline varied across domains. Found significant gender differences in…