This study investigated the ability of two groups of profoundly deaf students (N=40 and ages 8, 11, 14, and 17), using either oral or signed communication, to employ pragmatic skills required for effective face-to-face interactions. Notable differences in pragmatic skills were found between the groups and between deaf and normal hearing students.…

Investigation of student participation in 26 liberal arts and sciences courses at a public university revealed that the amount of participation increased from introductory to upper-division classes, that traditional-age students lagged behind nontraditional students in participation, and that upper-level students participate differently than…

Examined second- through fifth-graders' conceptions of parental control. Found that with grade, children increasingly viewed parental helping, monitoring, and decision-making as indicating child incompetence. Found older children viewed parental praising as motivated by parents' desires to promote competence, and children's conceptions of parental…

Tested competing causal models concerning the relationship between children's social behaviors and theory of mind in 3- and 4-year-olds tested 3 times over 7 months. Found that false belief performance predicted joint planning and role assignment during pretend play, after taking into account initial performance on joint planning and role…

Review of the research on college student persistence summarizes findings in selected areas, including student involvement in campus life, ethnicity, gender, age, on- campus versus off-campus residence, and membership in fraternities and sororities. (Author/DB)

Examined the influence of age and gender on attitudes toward sexist and nonsexist language in sport and nonsport contexts. College students, university personnel, and business people (n=272) completed an attitude measure. Sport was not a special case of resistance to nonsexist language. Age and gender explained 23% of the variance in attitude…

Reports on a program that brought together older adults (n=12) with dementia and preschool children (n=14) in one-on-one interactions, using Montessori activities. Experience indicates that older adults with dementia can still serve as effective mentors and teachers to children in an appropriately structured setting. (RJM)

Examined demographic characteristics of high school tobacco-users across gender and ethnicity using data from the 1991-1995 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Current smoking increased, with one-third of 9th and 12th graders currently smoking in 1995 and 11% of all students using smokeless tobacco. Many students used tobacco before high school. Tobacco…

Reviews data from four surveys using national samples that include questions about violence that were administered to school-aged youth. Assesses risk factors for weapon-carrying and the level of the school violence program. Results show that students' involvement with violence in the community, both as perpetrator and victim, is the most…

Three analytic approaches were used in a framework of classical test theory to examine the construct validity of a mathematics assessment of 16 constructed response items. Results from 280 elementary school students across four age groups suggest a developmental structure of tasks and subdomains that was generally consistent with the test's…

Adolescents (n=414) living with rural Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) families were studied to determine predictors of sexual behavior in blacks and whites. Sex- and age-related differences were noted. The role of family support, welfare, and feelings of frustration were studied along with other variables. (Author/MMU)

Used FITNESSGRAM fitness standards to compare passing rates of Asian and Pacific Islander (API) students with passing rates of National Children and Youth Fitness Study participants, examining body mass index (BMI) and 1-mile run (OMR) rates. The groups had similar BMI but differing OMR passing rates. There were gender- and age-related BMI and OMR…

Outlines techniques for integrating race, class, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, and other categories of socially defined identity into a survey course on women and violence in a student-centered participatory classroom. Early efforts indicate that an open and participatory classroom facilitates dealing with the stresses of this…

This survey examined the prevalence and determinants of corporal punishment in preparatory and secondary schools in Alexandria (Egypt). Findings indicated that 80% of boys and over 61% of girls incurred physical punishment by teachers. Preparatory students were physically punished more often than secondary students. Punishment was also predicted…

A survey of 43 early childhood special-education administrators in California found the programs for infants tended to be home-based, preschoolers with mild disabilities were frequently fully included, and preschoolers with severe disabilities and low-incidence disabilities were more often partially included or placed in special classes only.…