A study examined the effectiveness of the Parent Readers program, an intergenerational reading project which attempted to change the reading behaviors of underprepared community college students who are parents and to affect the literacy environment of the home in ways that promote the literacy status of the parents/students and their children.…

A study examined (1) a nine-year-old girl's view of writing, (2) the factors contributing to the construction of that view, (3) her parents' and teacher's views, and (4) the relationship among these various views. Both samples of writing and an interview schedule were used to elicit writing views from each of the participants concerning their…

Technologically Advanced Families (Taffies) were profiled in a study that compared media technologies penetration in North Carolina with national media penetration data. Telephone surveys were conducted in February 1986 by journalism students at the University of North Carolina. Subjects interviewed were 585 North Carolina households to determine…

During 1986, a movement against the production and sale of pornography brought together two extremely different factions--radical feminists and evangelical church groups. The two groups' reasons for attacking pornography and their tactics in attempting to halt its production and distribution differ significantly. Feminists have argued that…

This planning paper offers background information and recommendations for the establishment of a research center for the study of educating the disadvantaged. It is based on a seminar comprised of educational researchers held to consider how low achieving students can best be helped. The research agenda for such a center should consider the…

The vulnerability of children to developmental problems was studied in three groups of young children: (1) children with schizophrenic mothers (N=35); (2) children with severely depressed mothers (N=19); and children with well mothers (N=21). The children ranged in age from birth to 5 years, with 64 percent under age 2, and came from families who…

This presentation uses the premise that educational practice currently derives little benefit from the mass of ongoing research as a starting point for a reassessment of the values and goals of research. Particular emphasis is placed on the relation between research and educational practices involving 4-year-olds. The first part of the discussion…

This teacher's guide is designed to provide elementary and secondary students with an orientation to material culture studies and an exposure to such artifacts as sad irons, washboards, butter churns, butter molds, and waffle irons. Information is also provided about wages, employment, industrial development, and advertising in the United States…

This report summarizes the data from the baseline survey for Project Redirection, a national demonstration aimed at testing a comprehensive service program model for welfare-eligible pregnant teenagers and teen mothers. The baseline survey, the first part of a program impact analysis, provides a highly descriptive profile of the characteristics…

In a multicultural study involving three ethnic groups, an attempt was made to evaluate features of an infant's developmental niche in the context of immigration. Four dimensions are reported: (1) parental beliefs about child development; (2) aspects of the baby's physical and social environment, including number of caretakers, crowding of the…

Using 20 comparative research studies, this paper compares advantages and disadvantages of family day care and center care. The results are discussed in terms of (1) the effects of family day care and center care on the intellectual, emotional, social, and physical development of young children and their parents; (2) the environmental differences…

The study deals with inter- and intracultural differences in the perception of family roles. One hundred and fifty-six Japanese students (40 modern females, 76 traditional females, and 40 males) and 148 German students (58 modern females, 49 traditional females, and 41 males) answered questionnaires concerning the ideal and real decision-making…

The purpose of this report is to identify the issues that policy makers and practitioners ought to consider when formulating and establishing social policies and services for young children. The six chapters included are grouped according to three parts. Part 1 describes the context of social and family environments for children living in the…

This report describes the ethnographic phase of a 2-year study (consisting of ethnographic observation and a survey) on how perceptions of home and school climates and interaction between the two factors might affect school performance among students of different racial/ethnic groups, sex, and socioeconomic status. Ethnographic case studies of…

A human-ecological dimension is needed to safeguard the development of children. This "child ecology" will protect children against alienating forces of modern civilization caused by rapid social, cultural, and technical changes. The human-ecological dimension is a contribution toward regaining an overall framework for human…