Analysis of mothers' pragmatic language use and children's language levels during free play sessions suggested that a mother-driven, direct influence model may be inappropriate for many mother speech-child language development relationships and points to the feasibility of child- and mother-driven explanatory models for indirect relationships.…

A total of 69 male and 132 female undergraduate students rated the extent of their experience in a variety of child-rearing activities that involved routine physical care and play. Males reported lower levels of experience than did females. The discrepancy was greater with care activities than with play activities. (RJC)

The study compared social interaction behavior between eight nondisabled and eight disabled elementary students in either an individualistic goal-structured condition or a cooperative condition. For disabled students, the cooperative condition was associated with more social interaction during activity sessions, but not during free play sessions.…

The verbal exchanges between mothers and their 30 children, aged 3-4, were observed during semistructured play. Results showed that mothers of gifted children were more likely than mothers of normal-ability children to model metacognitive strategies in 3 areas: predicting consequences, activity monitoring, and reality testing. (JDD)

Consideration of underlying neurological and psychological deficits suggests that the autistic syndrome results from the coexistence of at least two distinct constellations of functional impairments: deficits in mechanical language skills, as in the developmental dysphasias; and deficits in social relatedness, play, and nonverbal communication, as…

Results of research based on observations of four- and five-year-olds indicate that in pretend play, children acted more mature, played together more, and were more social than in nonpretend settings. Suggestions are offered for classroom activities, for preschool through middle school, that incorporate pretend play. (IAH)

Defines theater as a medium in which students can channel their energies in positive and creative ways. Addresses the issue that major universities should concentrate on training secondary theater teachers rather than performance actors in order to improve theater education at the secondary level. Recommends a unification of the national theater…

The article criticizes a previous article (EC 212 323) on the play behavior of hearing-impaired children in integrated or segregated settings. It notes the use of terminology suggesting author bias against special class or school placement and failure to consider such variables as level of auditory function and availability of manual communication…

Studied the play of 106 Zimbabwean children of 57-84 months to determine how they acquired necessary practical and intellectual skills. Home play activities were ideally suited to the cultural and economic environment of rural communities. (RJC)

Used Brennan Social Background Questionnaire Item Checklist to compare self-reported childhood games, toys, and activities of 214 male and 51 female college freshmen entering the male-dominated engineering and technical science career fields. Results support a possible connection between childhood play activities and later career choices, and…

Describes a class activity demonstrating the reality of revolution to introductory political science students. Student "plants" rebel against a teacher's "injustice," overthrow the teacher when he calls on a higher authority, and mobilize the class to sign a petition. Follow-up discussion covers elements required for revolution. (LS)

Describes differences in the socialization setting provided by all-boy and all-girl play groups, and explores possible reasons for children's tendency to congregate in same-sex groups. Considers three classes of possible explanatory processes: biological factors, socialization pressures from adults, and gender cognitions. (RH)

Interactions of two Down Syndrome child-mother dyads were observed during which the level of maternal responding was experimentally decreased. As the percent of maternal utterances decreased, the percent of child revision behaviors increased significantly. As mothers returned to initial levels of responding, the four-year-olds decreased their rate…

Studies gender patterns in five- and six-year-old children's social interactions with one another and variables that may influence these patterns. Findings suggest that differences between boys and girls in the use of aggravated behavior in interaction style is strongly influenced by the nature of the activity being performed and by the gender of…

The methods of 27 studies focusing on toy play among young children with mental retardation were reviewed. Considerable variability was noted with respect to sample characteristics, contextual parameters, and type of measurement. Researchers frequently neglected to provide potentially useful methodological information. Suggestions for future…