First, second, and third graders (n=33) were observed in classrooms during a three-year study of the development of private speech and its relationship to behavioral accompaniment to task, attention, and task performance. Findings agreed with Vygotskian predictions that private speech promotes effective task-related behavior. (SH)

The article discusses ways to make mathematics instruction with learning-disabled and other children more developmentally appropriate by building on children's informal understandings in active purposeful learning, using less direct instruction and paper-and-pencil work. Ideas are applied to the teaching of fractions. Instructional materials are…

Examines Piaget's theory of disequilibration as the tension and subsequent growth caused when new information must be assimilated or accommodated to fit one's view of reality. Indicates ways Christian religious educators can use the concept of disequilibration to understand adolescents' emotional and cognitive growth. Suggests implications for…

Describes the interdisciplinary research of Myrtle B. McGraw; examines the controversy about McGraw's concept of critical period; and assesses her impact on current research. McGraw contended that the overlapping phases involved in neuromuscular integration demonstrate that learning and maturation interact during development. (BC)

Review of literature concerning problem solving in genetics and Piagetian stage theory. Authors conclude the research suggests that formal-operational thought is not strictly required for the solution of the majority of classical genetics problems; however, some genetic concepts are difficult for concrete operational students to understand.…

A series of studies examined one to five year olds' developmental changes in reaction to achievement-related outcomes. Results were used to formulate a three-stage model for the development of achievement-related self-evaluation. Concludes that a distinction between achievement standards and prescriptions for behavior is not meaningful with young…

Maintains that the monograph, "Self-Evaluation in Young Children," by Stipek and others, forces a consideration of the "self" in "self-evaluation," and a rethinking of views about emotions. It attests to the lack of information on effects of socialization in early childhood. Monograph should add to research on the connection between cognition and…

Acoustic and video data tracing the development of intrasyllabic coarticulation suggest that young children (n=30; ages three, five, and eight) and adults (n=10) produce similar patterns of anticipatory coarticulation, and perceptual data indicate that coarticulatory cues in the speech of three year olds are less perceptible than those of the…

A discussion of the mentoring relationship between faculty and graduate students looks at the special needs of this population, the two primary goals of transformation and reciprocity, creation of an interpersonal context for successful mentoring, and the dynamics of the reciprocal relationship between mentor and protege. (MSE)

A reflective judgment model of adult intellectual development is proposed, for use by college faculty and staff in helping students question their assumptions about knowing and learning and in making more reflective judgments. The model is based on cognitive development theory and has specific implications for the college years. (MSE)

From making holiday decorations for a local nursing home to serving food at a homeless shelter, students at Friends Academy in upstate New York participate in service activities designed to match their level of social awareness. Maurice Howard's sidebar shows how Maryland high schoolers participate in a state-mandated service-learning program that…

Examines the developmental stages or sensitive periods unique to the toddler. Discusses how Montessori practitioners can provide an environment supportive of these periods and encourage self-awareness. (HTH)

This study assessed the relationship between parent/teacher ratings of hyperactivity and developmental indices in psychiatric clinic children (ages 5-16). Findings suggest that chronological age should be considered when behavior ratings are used to assess cognitively delayed children for hyperactivity but do not support use of mental age in…

Explored whether there are changes with age in understanding the specific distinction between natural and human-made phenomena and whether an appreciation of this distinction influences children's beliefs about the possibility of altering or transforming different categories of objects. Found that this distinction, a powerful organizer for adults,…

Students (n=46) were assigned to one of three instructional groups (descriptive, question design, and hypothesis testing) to test the hypothesis that descriptive learning cycles are not sufficient to stimulate students to reason at a formal operational level. Analyses indicated that the hypothesis-testing group exhibited a significant increase on…