Reports on part of a study that was conducted with individual students (n=5) and five groups of students who worked together in the first course of experimental calculus classes. The goal of the study was to discover how the concept of inverse function can be learned. (26 references) (DDR)

The second of two articles on play reviews the construct of play and its development in typically developing infants, toddlers, and young children. It considers developmental levels of play from early sensorimotor-exploratory to symbolic play involving the functional components of agent, instrument, and scheme. A developmentally based,…

Analyzes how the figure of the child has been used to authorize a series of boundaries that have been constituted the limit points of educational theories or philosophies. Concludes that the meaning-space that the child can occupy has been important to depicting Utopian and cosmological imaginings at different historical moments. (Contains 37…

Observed 10-, 26-, and 42-month-olds playing under several distraction conditions to describe development of attention and distractibility. Found that casual attention decreased and focused attention increased with age. Ten-month-olds were more distractible than older children, even during focused attention. Infants were most distracted by the…

Examined awareness of the causal relation between strategy use and recall performance among preschoolers, first graders, and third graders, and the relation of this awareness to children's study behavior and recall. Found age-related differences in awareness, with children who understood this relationship more likely to give mentalistic…

Investigated mechanisms underlying reductions in susceptibility to interference from irrelevant information that are evident in the developing child. Used two experiments requiring attention to one stimulus out of many. Found that age changes in selective attention are mediated to an important extent by changes in the speed and efficiency of…

Grammatical morpheme (GM) production was studied in 15-minute spontaneous language samples from 100 4-year-olds. Substantial variability was observed in both the frequency of obligatory contexts and in the percentages of correct usage of GM. For only one morpheme did all 100 participants contain the minimum number of 3 obligatory contexts.…

Lists tips to enhance toddler-adult relationships focusing on respectful interactions and a constructive environment. Emphasizes the following developmental needs and interests of toddlers: (1) supporting development; (2) planning the environment; (3) guidance for toddlers; (4) toddler play; (5) developmental milestones for toddlers; and (6) what…

Utilizes Robert Kegan's model of cognitive development to explain the challenges of achieving substantive institutional change. Asserts that effective leaders must create learning environments that support the reflective practice of "surfacing, sharing, and testing" new mental models (e.g., images and assumptions) in order to sustain…

The relationship between the development of object permanence and early words was studied in three young boys, two totally blind from birth and one severely visually impaired. Subjects acquired early words within the age range for sighted children but their word usage was different. The two blind children were delayed in their development of…

Examines the progress of seven children, ages three to five years old, in the acquisition of written language. Relates findings to suggestions for types of writing experiences to provide in preschool programs. (PCB)

Focuses specifically on Jean Piaget's theory of development. Examines Piaget's ideas about constructivism and explores the application of this theoretical perspective to the conceptualization of curriculum development. (MG)

The paper notes A. Hore and W. Tryon's support of the developmental position that persons with and without mental retardation of similar mental age show similar cognitive patterns, but suggests that mental age is psychometrically invalid and Piagetian tasks are inappropriate to evaluate this position. An information processing approach is…

Proposes framework for planning developmental interventions for adult college students. Outlines developmental tasks and provides overview of transitional processes of adulthood. Compares developmental versus mental health models of intervention. Delineates functional roles of student affairs staff in meeting developmental needs of adult students.…

Preservice and inservice teachers (N=1,193) were surveyed in a study that investigated purported developmental changes in teachers from early preservice training through the fifth year of teaching experience. Results indicated changes in teachers' concerns and attitudes do occur and some of these changes are related to gender and teaching field.…