There has been abundant research examining how early life experiences affect achievement. In this article, we investigate the transition from elementary to junior high school at a developmental stage where numerous changes have an impact on students. Using nationally representative survey data, we found no differences in academic achievement…

In an investigation of discourse sensitivity, Catalan-speaking children aged 4 to 8 years were asked two different questions in a picture description task. One was a wide-focus question ("What is happening?"); the other was a narrow-focus question ("What is happening to 'the patient'?"). Children of all age groups displayed sensitivity to the…

A longitudinal study tested the hypothesis that rapid cognitive improvement adversely affects young children's long-term memories encoded prior to cognitive transition. Seventy-one Year One (five- to six-year-old) children were assessed for recall for event and educationally-relevant information and cognitive ability (in operational reasoning) at…

Purpose: This study was conducted to compare the prelinguistic communicative abilities of toddlers with hearing loss and without hearing loss during the 2nd year of life and shortly before the emergence of productive single-word lexicons. Method: The participants were 28 toddlers with hearing loss who participated in an early intervention program…

One way in which theorists have attempted to understand the differences in identity and attitudes of minority groups, and more recently majority groups, has been through theories of racial identity development. In this study factor analysis was applied to J. E. Helms' models of racial identity development: the Black Racial Identity Attitude Scale,…

A study investigated whether developmental patterns found in an earlier study were related to spelling and if salient structural features of words for word recognition contributed to spelling performance. Word recognition (decoding) and spelling data were taken from the normative sample of the Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement. Data were…

A study investigated the contributions of phonemic knowledge, prior knowledge, and listening comprehension to the reading comprehension of elementary age children. Three theoretical perspectives were followed aiming to specify developmental characteristics of these variables to reading comprehension: (1) contributions of prior knowledge should…

A study explored an application of rauding theory to the developmental components that contribute to elementary-age children's reading comprehension. The relationships among cognitive power, auditory accuracy level, pronunciation (word recognition) level, rauding (comprehension) accuracy level, rauding rate (reading rate) level, and rauding…

One of the central developmental tasks of adolescence is the change of the parent-adolescent relationship, which includes the gradual gain of autonomy from parents while at the same time maintaining emotional connectedness to them. Conflicts often arise in this process. This study used a sample of 202 adolescents from 14 to 19 years of age to…

Noting research indicating that the flow of interaction with infants influences their brain development, this viewer's guide and videotape examine characteristics of early brain development and how parents can positively affect the infant's development in a number of areas. The first part of the viewer's guide provides an overview of the…

This report documents the statistical evidence concerning the validity of teacher and parent ratings on The Five P's (Parent/Professional Preschool Performance Profile). Data from 2 studies were obtained from 55 disabled children at the Variety Preschooler's Workshop during 1988-89 and from 370 disabled children at 9 schools across the country…

Most infants consume only breast milk or infant formula for the first 4 months, as their digestive systems and jaw and throat muscles are not ready for solid foods. Most healthcare professionals advise starting solid foods between 4 and 6 months of age, when infants can hold their heads up straight when sitting. The first solid food should be…

To validate a group phonics test designed to measure students' phonics knowledge, a study examined possible causal relationships of phonics knowledge and sight word recognition, sight word fluency, general reading fluency, and reading comprehension. Subjects, 95 first graders, 95 second graders, and 95 third graders chosen at random from 3 schools…

Most teachers persist in using highly structured teaching methods with pre-school pupils and in trying to teach academic skills for which young children are not prepared. This is the case because many teachers teach as they were taught or in ways that students' parents and relatives want. But researchers find these practices dangerous, and stress…

Proficiency in the arts describes the educational growth Indiana students are expected to achieve as they acquire skills and techniques in the arts. Three levels of proficiency statements are described: (1) foundation proficiency statements; (2) specific proficiency statements; and (3) proficiency indicators. Each discipline, music (general music,…