This overview reflects on the determinants and practice of child rearing in Australia over the past century, examining prevailing theories of children and childhood over this time and outlining key societal shifts affecting family life and the parent role. The article illustrates challenges facing researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and…

Using national longitudinal data on 10,860 adolescents, a comparative analysis of community contextual effects on delinquency examined variables derived from three theories. Youths in areas of high male joblessness who experienced stressful life events or little parental supervision were especially likely to be involved in delinquency. The…

Studied 51 imprisoned male offenders who reported having stopped or reduced their alcohol consumption without formal intervention to discover which self-control strategies helped them change. Most commonly used strategies involved social change: finding alternative activities, avoiding heavy-drinking friends, and avoiding situations where heavy…

Discusses staff development, examining data from a project involving the University of Houston and seven schools. Teacher interviews revealed five dimensions of school context affecting opportunities for their professional development (interpersonal, structural, individual, leadership, and synergistic). (SM)

Discusses the differences between mathematical problem solving typically used in the classroom and problem solving that is a part of everyday situations out of school. Suggests some teaching methods to align classroom instruction with the real world. Seventeen references are listed. (YP)

Examined effects of orthographic context on the letter recognition skills of dyslexic children, comparing their performance to that of adults and of chronological and reading age-matched groups. Results showed that the two matched groups showed strong word superiority effect (WSE) for words and pseudowords over nonwords. Dyslexic readers did not…

Effective deliberation in teaching relies upon situational appreciation. This article examines some of the central issues and confusing claims in the current debate over the notion of practical arguments as a way of better understanding how teachers think when they deliberate about what to do in the classroom. (IAH)

Experiments revealed that children seemed able to integrate multiple sources of information but were more dependent on clue support and generally less likely to infer reason than adults. Children were more likely than adults to reject premise as an explanation of outcome. Only fourth-graders and adults modified inferences in response to resolution…

Discusses the changing knowledge base for pedagogy, the domain of the pedagogical sciences, and the intersection between these pedagogical sciences and culture. The paper draws on cultural psychology as a basis for pedagogy and details the implications for teacher education of the view that knowledge is shaped by the cultural contexts in which it…

Analyzes teacher professionalism as an outcome of collegial interaction in local school contexts, drawing on a multiyear study in 16 high schools. Data suggest that professionalism evolves within active learning communities but also suggest some tension between a strong service ethic and the technical culture within some schools. (SLD)

Systematically explored how three different initial training contexts affect children's and adults' interpretation of novel action verbs. Subjects included 54 3-yearolds, 60 10-year olds, and 60 college-age adults. Findings suggest a hierarchy of verb learning strategies, especially among the youngest children. (DR)

A cross-sectional design with equivalent measures involving 200 college students and 325 high school students investigated the rates of depression reported by college males and females relative to those reported by high school students, as well as variables explaining shifts. Lower depression levels are found in college females. (SLD)

Five authors representing diverse perspectives comment on the revised "Program Evaluation Standards" approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Standards are considered in light of their development; measurement issues; program evaluation; evaluation in the local education agency; and the context of evaluation…

The summary cloze technique offers an alternative to multiple choice. Summary cloze exercises are prepared by summarizing the content of the original text. The shortened text is transformed into a rational cloze exercise. The learner completes the summary text using the list of choices provided. This technique is a good measure of reading…

Reports a study to examine the role of context on the ability to interpret graphs. Graph tests involving 2 ecological contexts were presented to 14- and 15-year-old students (n=23) in the form of an interview. Results indicated how students used their contextual knowledge in interpreting the graphs. (MDH)