Considers the difficulties experienced by the East German School system adjusting to a more progressive educational philosophy. Specifically, contrasts the traditional East German geography instruction (focused solely on physical geography) with the West German emphasis on social issues and problem solving. Many East German instructors distrust…

Survival analysis computes functions for occurrence or non-occurrence of an event over a time period for a particular group of subjects. This study compared survival analyses to traditional ANOVAs and Chi-square analyses on a data set of imitation scores of 18-month-old toddlers. The 48 subjects were randomly assigned to two experimental…

An often-quoted Nigerian proverb holds that it is the responsibility of the whole village to teach a child. This paper argues that this goal might not even be possible, given the complex educational system of the 1990s. The paper provides a framework for effective change based on an understanding of the complexity of the educational system. It…

Using the framework of cultural context analysis, this paper examines how cultural myopia can lead to inaccurate generalizations regarding play and development among children in diverse sociocultural groups in the United States. The paper argues that analyses drawing causal connections between playing with particular toys or in certain ways and…

This study examined gender differences in interactional style between parents and children, focusing on gender socialization and emotional expression. The subjects were 38 mother-child and father-child dyads from intact families, of which about 75 percent were Caucasian; 15 percent, Hispanic; and 10 percent, African American or Asian. Parents…

A preliminary study explored the components of the assimilation stage of graduate teaching assistant (GTA) socialization. Subjects, 64 GTAs attending a large midwestern university, completed 4 survey instruments concerning their attitudes on mentoring and communication support, information seeking strategies, teacher communication concerns, and…

Integrating concepts from family systems theory, attachment theory, and family socialization theory within a systems theory of public opinion and social movements, this paper concentrates on linkages between family socialization and political attitudes, adding the influence of social structure. The paper holds that family systems theory…

Factors such as an expected reward have been shown to severely undermine individuals' intrinsic interest in a given task. This "overjustification effect," or "discounting principle," has been demonstrated across the life span, except in the case of young children, who have been shown to be incapable of engaging in this…

It is maintained in this paper that, though rarely acknowledged, gender neutrality operates as an official curricular ideology, and thus the organizational force of gender in school settings is often hidden in unnoticed interactional and discourse practices. To examine this phenomenon, the play activities of 4- and 5-year-old girls and boys in an…

This document examines the role of education in cultural development. Culture itself is difficult to define, but involves behavior that is shared, transmitted, imitated, adapted, and altered within a society. Each social group has a cultural identity--that core of concepts, ideas, values, behavior, and purposes by which members of the group…

To examine socialization practices of mothers and fathers toward first-born children with and without a sibling, this study surveyed 151 adult first-born children (22 only-child females, 59 females with a sibling, 25 only-child males, and 45 males with a sibling) who completed a child-rearing practices report for each of their parents. The…

This document describes the ways in which Japan and the German nations have taught the history of World War II. According to the document, the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) took a pro-communist and anti-fascist approach to the subject. At the same time, the Western Allies pressured the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) to institute a…

Describes the increasingly hostile and complicated parent and student behavior which teacher education must currently prepare teachers to cope with. (CD)

In a special introduction to his new anthology of children's writing, the author looked at the political aspects of classroom work. (Editor/RK)

An attempt by groups in England during the 1930's to take over and control political education curriculum policy is described. (DE)