Recounts how an eighth-grade teacher used reflective portfolios with her students to help them overcome their reluctance to write and to get them to see writing as a way to learn about themselves as students and as individuals. States that the teacher wanted students to be enthusiastic about writing as a part of everyday life. (PA)

Presents a broad view with which to survey theory, research, and practice in career exploration. Looks at contributions to career adaptability and applies the "life-career rainbow" to current areas of ambiguity in the career exploration literature. Discusses the theoretical implications of a context-rich view and suggests counseling…

Uses results of laboratory and natural language analyses of 2- to 4-year olds' explanations of human behavior to argue for a theory-type view of biological, psychological, and physical domains of thought. Concludes that children as young as 2 years show three different reasoning systems in their explanations of everyday phenomena, especially human…

Survey of 274 women who completed an all-women outdoor adventure program examined motivations to participate in such a program; expectations, feelings, and perceptions about the program; and the outcomes and effects of the program on their lives. The average respondent was 42 and had at least a four-year college degree. Contains 20 references. (SV)

Presents a resiliency model of job training that emphasizes applicant recruitment, assessment, and development. The model can increase program success rates by using psychological assessment and professional development goals of the individual. Discusses the effectiveness of federal jobs training and the need for training versus the ability to use…

Describes how children develop printed word knowledge when taught with a top-down, sentence-based approach. Cites four stages in word knowledge development: word as a nameable object in text; word as an object with a beginning element; word as an object with a discernible beginning and end; and word as an object with a beginning, middle, and end.…

Gives an overview of the articles that are presented in this edition. Discusses the overall theme of nihilism in the postmodern world, new Deweyan scholarship, and functions of narratives. Gives a brief description and summary of each articles as well as background of the authors. Concludes that despite difficulties philosophers of education have…

A bootstrapping procedure was used to determine whether preverbal infants at 3- and 6-months sequenced (1) vocalizations, (2) gazes at their mothers' faces, and (3) facial expressions into pairs of coordinated patterns nonrandomly. Findings indicated that smiles and frowns were highly coordinated with vocalizations. Smiles were also coordinated…

A case study of the implementation of Scottish Vocational Qualifications in hospitality enterprises included 15 survey responses and 12 interviews. The competency-based approach seems to have enhanced career development, job performance, employability, motivation, and self-confidence. Job satisfaction, however, was more associated with the nature…

A practitioner providing experiential training programs in India reflects on models of training outcomes from the perspective of Indian philosophy about an individual's spiritual development. He suggests that development training programs serve their purpose if they can create moments of insight that might spark lasting change in participants. (SV)

Defines work built around a systems view of consumers and producers to characterize work as seen through different cultures as a mingling of enjoyment. Shows how emerging agricultural settlements and cities resulted in families assuming inherited work or labor specialties to be passed to the next generation. Discusses generational concepts of work…

Examines the working lives of geneticists and journalists to place into perspective what lies behind personal ethics and success. Defines "good work" as productive activity that is valued socially and loved by people engaged in it. Asserts that certain cultural values, social controls, and personal standards are necessary to maintain good work and…

The effect of transformative learning was studied in 197 British adults over 30 who received government fellowships aimed at individual and community change. Significant transformations involved self-validation, transformed relationships, increased educational motivation, career improvement, and better quality of life. Transitions were sustained…

This study measured changes in self-esteem, personal development, and sexual behavior over one academic year in 65 sexuality peer educators from 10 universities. Qualitative data described a positive, though non-statistically significant, increase in peer educators' self-esteem, personal development, and sexual behavior as major program outcomes.…

Investigated intra-individual development of ability to modify the size of a human figure drawing. Found through longitudinal data that children between ages 7 and 9 were able to reduce drawing size. Discovered that the larger the figure initially, the more complex the level of spatial axes system, and the more persons in the picture, the greater…