This paper examines the attitudes and perceptions that adolescents have of adoption. Based on responses given by 175 high school students, the study found that adoption was the least discussed option for pregnancy resolution, and the adoption process was perceived as complicated and of questionable legality. (GLR)

Effects of varying the complexity of written Chinese characters in a lexical decision task were studied for 40 adult Chinese students. Results suggest that complexity affects reaction time when subjects identify characters they often read. Theoretical implications are discussed in terms of the interaction of basic perceptual processes and…

Describes a project designed to test the feminist hypothesis that the Cinderella-style fairytales promoted by Anglo-American society harmfully reinforce restrictive images of girlhood and womanhood. Results indicate that girls 9 to 11 years of age are "resisting readers," able to criticize and manipulate--as well as enjoy--the gender images…

Questionnaire responses of 108 older adults revealed 5 correlates of sense of usefulness: continuity in respect from younger age, involvement with family, involvement with significant others, involvement with community, and meeting one's expectations for old age. Continuity in respect, meeting one's expectations, and sense of usefulness combined…

Summarizes research into how children perceive three-dimensional objects. Focuses on the difficulty that students have in appreciating how the orientation of the semicircular canals affects balance and space perception. (DDR)

Scrutinizes an academic lecture in the subsequent question and answer period in order to decompose the speech roles associated with this speech event and to increase understanding of the factors influencing the participants and the event in order to design a useful framework for language teaching. (14 references) (Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse for…

This study compared improvements in visual function of 20 Spanish children with low vision, ages 4 to 6 years. Children received either the Barraga and Morris program or the Frostig program, or placebo control or no treatment. No significant differences between treatment groups were found. (DB)

Outlines the patterns and processes of visual representation which occur during early childhood and suggests some differences that may be apparent in relation to the young gifted child. Stages of development are described and the use of children's drawings as indicators of giftedness is also outlined. (Author/CR)

Investigates the board of trustees' role, based on a survey of 415 trustees of Ohio public and private institutions of higher education. Role differences existed among sectors. There were limited differences based on gender, educational levels, and years of experience. Trustees' traditional role was upheld as primary. (14 references) (MLH)

Uses a self-report instrument to examine the relationship of family structure to adolescent drug use and peer-related factors. Finds significant differences in drug use variables, with adolescents from intact families reporting less frequent drug use, fewer drug-using friends, and more perceptions of peer disapproval of drug use. (GCP)

This article outlines historical, socio-cultural, and research information that attests to the fundamental relationship between touch and child development. It describes applications including touch therapies with very low-birthweight infants, with fragile premature infants, and with infants of depressed mothers. (Contains extensive references.)…

In the 1980s, dance split from physical education and began to earn credibility as a serious, independent discipline with special characteristics fostering many kinds of learning. K-12 curricula should include dance, as the National Education Goals specify. Dance education also has great cognitive and transfer-of-learning potential. (MLH)

Investigated visual word recognition of first- through fifth-graders. Found that the "viewing position effect" typically seen in skilled readers and visual field asymmetries in recognizing individual letters in words emerged early at the end of the first year of reading instruction. Noted that findings support the view that basic reading…

Examined persistence of sensory memory by studying developmental differences in recall of attended and ignored lists of digits for second-graders, fifth-graders, and adults. Found developmental increase in the persistence of memory only for the final item in an ignored list, which is the item for which sensory memory is thought to be the most…

A survey of superintendents from seven New Jersey counties revealed that most districts provided little training for substitutes or teachers using them, despite employing an average of 5,320 subs weekly. Teachers, substitutes, and students provided suggestions for improvement. Substitutes prefer schools with strong support systems. (MLH)