Twenty-two preschool children with cognitive delays were observed during independent play at home and group free play at school. Assessed developmental age was more predictive of play behaviors in home independent play than in classroom free play. Findings highlight the need to consider contextual variation associated with play-based assessment…

The Diffusion of Multisystemic Family Preservation (MFP) Services Project worked successfully with rural African-American and white families who have chronic or violent adolescent offenders at imminent risk for incarceration. The MFP approach is an intensive time-limited intervention predicated on family systems and socioecological…

How different frames of reference affect the formation of mathematics and English self-concepts was studied for 14,825 high school sophomores from the High School and Beyond Study. Results are discussed in terms of the internal/external frame of reference model and the big-fish-little-pond effect. (SLD)

Second and fifth graders from five sociometric status groups were interviewed for their attributional, emotional, and behavioral responses to hypothetical social encounters with same-sex and same-grade peers with the same sociometric status. Results demonstrate that children's manner of processing social information is a complex phenomenon based…

Two studies examined effects of combinations of setting events on social interactions of seven preschool children with language delays and social interaction deficits. The optimal combination of events for promoting peer interaction included teacher absence from the activity, a limited number and form of materials, and children paired with a…

Discusses the failure of filmmaker Spike Lee to grapple with the real politics of Malcolm X before and after he left the Nation of Islam. Acknowledging the complexity of the man and his context would avoid creating a mythical figure similar to Oliver Stone's movie "JFK." (SLD)

This commentary discusses issues from EC 231 901 on services for mentally retarded individuals: emphasis on structural features of the environment rather than its functional dynamics; developmental progress and personal well-being of the individual superseding ideological and civil liberties missions; and the multifaceted role of scientists as…

Effects of previous training and experience in peer tutoring on student interactions were studied for 16 elementary school classes. Student dyads with experience and training in peer tutoring provided more interactional explanations and incorporated sounder instructional principles. In both situations, student explanations tended to be algorithmic…

An analysis is presented of a conceptual change model for describing student learning by applying research on student learning to the process of conceptual change. Four general motivational constructs are suggested as potential mediators of the process. The role of classroom contextual factors is also discussed. (SLD)

Examines technology education through technological problem solving in real-life contexts. Discusses theoretical framework and presents case studies from Ontario (Canada) elementary and secondary schools: writing and producing a play with grade 1 students, and community projects with grade 10 and 11 manufacturing technology students. Outlines…

Uses the systemic-functional concept of "congruence" to analyze media texts related to commentaries and reports surrounding the 1995 Australian Federal Budget. Results present insights into the complexity and inaccessibility of some media texts for students new to English in the context of economics or the Australian media. (17…

Reviews research on factors influencing the child-care-choice behaviors of mothers of infants within the context of a theoretical model that relates such behavior to the environmental context, maternal beliefs related to child care, child characteristics, and mother's demographic characteristics. Concludes with recommendations for future research…

Discusses the research and steps needed to develop performance-based and computer-adaptive assessments that are culturally responsive. Supports the development of a new conceptual framework and more explicit guidelines for designing culturally responsive assessments. (SLD)

Examined relationship between child behavior and peer preference from the person-group similarity and the social-skill models with 2,895 first graders. Found support for both predictive models, with the acceptability aggression and withdrawal varying across classrooms and the effects of inattentive/hyperactive behavior and prosocial behavior…

A study investigated the nature and extent of "impression management" strategies used in Queensland (Australia) school publications and advertising, particularly for private schools, through semiotic analysis, which highlights the degree to which symbolic processes are influenced by context and changing market forces. (MSE)