This exploratory study examined the relationship between reading performance scores and three measures of home environment among kindergarten students of differing racial and ethnic background. It also determined whether there was evidence that participation in a Follow Through Program had been effective in overcoming educational disadvantages…

Relationships between patterns of family interaction and child development are investigated in this study on how family environment and quality of interaction relate to an adolescent's psychological and social functioning. A sample of 99 white middle-class families participated in a 2-hour structured interview in their homes. The interview…

This study examines the relationship between family environment and children's language ability. Language is examined on the basis of a model which specifies that the following characteristics of family environments influence language development most: quality of language usage of the mother, opportunities for the enlargement and use of vocabulary…

This paper summarizes evaluations of 28 preschool intervention programs designed to train parents to prepare their young children for school achievement. Evaluations selected for review were internal assessments by program staffs. The summary is organized around three questions: (1) Do parent training programs affect children's cognitive…

The experiences of children are affected by both their ethnicity and socioeconomic status. Black children's performance in school reflects the group's marginality. The following issues affect the child's educability: (1) double stratification; (2) psychological risk; (3) adaptational processes; and (4) the relationship between psychological health…

Among results of a cross-cultural study of elementary age trainable mentally retarded children in Japan (N=103) and their families, and a similar sample in the United States (N=88) were that the relationship between affective and emotional aspects of parental behavior and children's emotional adjustment appeared to be culture-specific. (Author/JW)

Presents findings from two studies, one concerning the home backgrounds of high volume and low volume readers, and the other a collection of case studies of three generations from several families examining how scholars are produced from relatively uneducated backgrounds. (JC)

Discusses the impact educational technology could have on education in developing nations where rural to urban migration is taking place, its cultural impact in a climate of social and cultural change, and what effects culture will have on the way educational technology is perceived, received, and utilized. (MBR)

In a study of over 500 16-year-old Australian students from different social classes, differences in educational and occupational aspirations were found to be related most strongly to students' perceptions of their family learning environments. Social class differences were also noted; students' perceptions of school environments were least…

Educated parents tend to have educated children. But is intergenerational transmission of human capital more nature, more nurture, or both? This paper uses household survey data from Rwanda that contains a large proportion of children living in households without their biological parents. The data should allow us to separate genetic from…

The Rural Appalachian Infant Temperament Project followed a group of 80 low-income rural Appalachian children from birth to kindergarten, focusing on two areas of child development: social/emotional functioning and cognitive skills. Subjects were recruited at a Lincoln County, West Virginia, clinic; all were white; and 73 percent had family…

Using panel data from Peru, this paper investigates the determinants of the allocation of boys' and girls' time to schooling, housework, and income-generating activities. Specifically, it explores whether sickness, employment of adult women, infrastructure, and female headship have different impacts on the time use of boys and girls. Girls mostly…

This brochure, written in Spanish, discusses strategies that Spanish-speaking parents can use to support the interests of their children and how to recognize and extend their children's talents. Parents are urged to: (1) be aware of what their child likes to do and be patient with the changing patterns as the child explores areas of interests and…

This fact sheet on cerebral palsy is written in both English and Spanish. First, it provides a definition of cerebral palsy and considers various causes (e.g., an insufficient amount of oxygen reaching the fetal or newborn brain). The fact sheet then offers incidence figures and explains characteristics of the three main types of cerebral palsy:…

Sixty-five first graders from various sociocultural backgrounds and their parents/caregivers participated in a study designed to look at the relationship between home literacy environments and children's motivations for reading. Each child completed a Motivations for Reading interview, and parents of all children were interviewed regarding their…