Surveys some of the research in music education that validates the inclusion of music for its own sake in models for early childhood learning. Focuses on topics that include, but are not limited to, child and vocal development, the importance of movement for children, and adult involvement in music education. (CMK)

Interviews poor urban parents and first-grade students about attitudes toward school and education. Finds parents are committed to their children's success in school. Examines things parents do to keep their children on track; parents' descriptions of teachers in their own lives; how grandparents help keep students "on track"; and the teacher's…

Investigated relations between certain antecedent variables in Lebanese students' academic history and home environment and frequency of grade repetition. Information from 1,633 retainees representing all grade levels indicated that most entered school early, experienced frequent repetitions, and changed schools. Most were male, over-age for their…

Surveys of students attending Seventh-Day Adventist (SDA) high schools assessed sexual and drug-use behaviors that placed them at risk for contracting or transmitting HIV. Comparison of the results with data from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey indicated that SDA students had lower rates of sexual intercourse and substance use. Parental…

Examined the relation of direct parental management of peer relationships with young adolescents' and their best friends' antisocial behavior and academic achievement. Found that subjects reporting higher levels of parental monitoring reported lower levels of drug use and delinquency. As hypothesized, patterns of results for perceptions of…

Summarizes research on parental influences on risk of adolescents becoming pregnant or causing a pregnancy. Findings are most consistent that parent-child closeness, parental supervision/regulation of children's activities, and parents' values against teen intercourse decrease risk. Findings about parent-child sexual communication are…

Provides a social domain theory analysis of the parents' role in moral development. Describes the domains of social knowledge. Proposes that the affective nature and cognitive aspects of parents' interactions with their children may facilitate children's moral development. Discusses the importance for parents to provide domain-specific feedback…

Investigated linkages between aspects of emotional competence and preschoolers' social skills with peers, as well as parental emotion socialization practices as predictors of social skill. Found that emotional competence variables were meaningfully related to the peer variables and that, for non-constructive anger reactions, maternal reports of…

Using structural equation modeling and data on 10th-grade students from the Longitudinal Study of American Youth, a model was developed to show the relationship to career aspiration of eight indicators of "educational productivity": mathematics achievement; motivation; instructional quantity and quality; home, class, and peer environment; and mass…

Compared 2 interventions (n=90) designed to reduce risk of human immunodeficiency virus infection among African Americans. Each group received information on biological and psychological aspects of human sexuality and disease, with experimental group additionally receiving communication and problem-solving skills training. The experimental group…

Notes that, although a great deal is known about affective relations between mothers and young children and affective expression in marital dyads, relatively little is known about emotional development during adolescence. Briefly discusses the studies presented in this issue that represent an integration of work currently being conducted on affect…

Explores spontaneous speech samples from children during the period from one word to multiword utterances in interaction with their French-speaking mothers in order to study the appearance and development of functional changes in their use of language. A longitudinal study of four children revealed the beginnings of references to the past and the…

Explores differences in maternal and paternal parenting styles and involvement, the differences between parents' and adolescents' perceptions of parenting style and involvement, and changes in parenting style and involvement between the adolescents' 9th and 12th grade years. Subjects were 244 ninth graders from the Southeast and Midwest. Discusses…

Examined the relations among single mothers' awareness of their adolescents' stressors, mother-adolescent communication, maternal monitoring, and adolescent adjustment. Findings suggest that when adolescent stress increases and family communication and monitoring change, monitoring by single mothers may increase awareness of adolescent stress and…

Examined: (1) what is the self-concept of a 6-year-old child; (2) what is the picture of a child (real and ideal) in parents' minds; and (3) the relation between self-concept of a child and the picture in parents' minds. Found that perceptions of the child were positive, and clear conformity between parents' image of their child and children's…