Discusses patterns of social interaction used by 28 preschool children who were popular, controversial, neglected, or rejected as playmates. Videotaped social play in which one child joined a dyad was coded in terms of children's direction of communication, inititiations, and responses. (CB)

Investigates recall of toy preferences in the parents of 56 four-year-old children classified either as early readers or as nonreaders. Results indicated that early readers cannot be differentiated by IQ or family demographic information alone and that consistent toy preferences precede the acquisition of early reading skills. (Author/CI)

Reports studies of children's interactions at home with younger siblings and/or best friends. Finds gender and group composition differences in the play activities selected, amount of positive and negative interaction, and assumption of the roles of teacher/learner, manager/manager and playmate. (CB)

Examines teacher effects on activity choices of boys and girls in a German kindergarten. Teacher's differential attraction for boys and girls is also considered. Results indicate that teacher presence has a marked impact on activity choices and suggests that the teacher has a stronger attraction for girls than for boys. (Author/AS)

Describes an experiment in which 43 children aged 12 to 13 years were withdrawn from their regular classes to spend a week in a French immersion program. The week was organized around the theme of the French Revolution; a particular part was assigned to each student. All activities were in French. (SED)

Techniques for categorizing the social and cognitive aspects of children's play on an observational instrument are outlined in this article. Correlates between social cognitive aspects of play and other measures of educational attainment are mentioned. Implications for teacher educators are discussed. (Author/DF)

Identifies and critiques a number of instruments that measure developmental aspects of play and leisure, the meaning and significance of leisure, attitudes toward play, the environment of play, and ethnographic and behavior stream methodology. Information on the reliability and validity of the instruments is presented. (SK)

Twenty matched mother-infant dyads were studied one, two, and three months after expected date of birth. Full-term infants were more active than pre-terms at four weeks, and their interactions were related to maternal experiences. Mothers of pre-terms showed differences in their interactions at all times. Degree of neonatal illness was correlated…

To test the inversion of intensity interpretation based on negative relations between newborn and pre-school intensity behaviors, 106 normal children were examined at the neonatal and pre-school periods. Interpretations of intensity behaviors at both periods and their longitudinal relations are discussed. (Author/SB)

During a brief play period away from the mother, the responses of 10-month-old infants were observed as a function of two factors in a 2x2 design: first, whether the mother or the infant initiated the separation and second, whether the mother was visible or not during the separation. (Author/MS)

Young refugees from many parts of the world are increasingly present in UK early years settings. This book explores the crucial importance of play for young refugee children's development. It considers the implications of war and conflict on young children and notes how opportunities for play are denied. It provides a framework for early years…

Next to playing, matching instructional features with children's characteristics may stimulate children's development in early education. Instructional lines of ordered playing and learning appliances, inclusion of diagnostic and achievement indicators, flexible grouping of students, screening of initial student characteristics, and supportive…

This paper outlines the underlying principles that have guided the development of an observational orientation to assessing children's learning. The development of an observation orientation was achieved through a process of a number of action-type research projects within a range of early years settings in the United Kingdom. The paper outlines a…

Although pretend play has long been part of the early childhood curriculum, recent emphasis on accountability in education seems to have led to a decline in the general understanding of the contribution that high-quality play can make to children's cognitive development in the early years. This Spanish-language Digest defines the cluster of…

Compared to the rest of the school day, recess is a time when children have more freedom to choose what they want to do and with whom. In light of the current climate of school accountability, this Spanish-language Digest discusses research on recess and its relationship to learning, social development, and child health, as well as research on…