Explored relationships between second graders' multidimensional self-concepts (SC) and their teachers' beliefs about developmentally appropriate practices (DAP). Survey data indicated that neither beliefs about traditional practices nor about developmental practices predicted any dimension of SC for girls. Beliefs about traditional practices…

Analyzes accreditation for early childhood education programs in the context of two major schools of thought: "academic" learning versus "developmentally appropriate" learning. Suggests that the accreditation criteria of the National Association for the Education of Young Children be integrated with those of the North Central…

States that theories of intellectual development offer writing teachers productive ways to analyze student writing; help students develop strategies for improving their writing processes; and consider the implications of writing assignments. Finds that frameworks posited by Jean Piaget and by others contribute useful ways of understanding why…

This article discusses the importance of learning to define a word. It provides a brief background on the contribution of the definitional skills to communication and school success, information on children's development of definitions, and teacher and family strategies for enhancing young children's definitions in relation to other skills.…

Discusses five Montessori insights about children's development as they relate to family and school life: independence and autonomy, community and socialization, interest in culture and morality, preadolescents' apprenticeship for adulthood, and adult acceptance of the evidence of change. Notes that underlying dynamics of home and school are alike…

This article offers guidelines to help young children who are deaf move through six developmental stages of learning to write: (1) observing writing; (2) scribbling and drawing; (3) communicating writing to others; (4) requesting assistance in writing; (5) copying writing; and (6) beginning to write independently. (DB)

Describes Erikson's theory of developmentally appropriate curriculum and the eight stages of the life cycle. Provides brief descriptions of these stages and some possible professional applications that early childhood educators can use in pursuing professional development. (MOK)

Describes the application of positive youth development principles to challenges faced by adolescent females in South Africa. A mainline, Euro-centric theory, Erikson's life stages (1963), is compared with the Circle of Courage model based on Native American Tribal wisdom. The differences and correlation in these approaches are explored through…

Analyzed records of Slovene children's speech from a linguistic point of view and established differences in communication patterns with regard to the children's ages and the type of symbolic play. Found a shift in play from make-believe with regard to objects to roleplay related to social context. The older the child, the more language functions…

A longitudinal study of 12 children (ages 1-3), investigated why some prefer to replace "I" with "me", whereas others prefer to replace "I" with "my". The percentage of errors in which "me" replaced "I" was positively correlated with the correct production of "me" as an objective pronoun. (Author/CR)

Teacher Assistance Teams are offered as a way to consider the role that culture plays in defining the teaching-learning process, as well as how students achieve within it. The developmental stages of cultural competence, sociocultural contexts that affect teaching and learning, and building culturally competent Teacher Assistance Teams are…

Examined in six experiments toddlers' use of syntactic cues to learn proper names and count nouns. Found that by 24 months, both girls and boys were significantly more likely to select a labeled object if they had heard a proper name than if they had heard a count noun. At 20 months, neither girls nor boys demonstrated this effect. (Author/KB)

Adolescents in rural and small city high schools in the western United States (N = 159) reported their perceptions of marriage and marriage education. They considered preparation for marriage important, but expressed lower familiarity with and lower intentions to attend programs than college students assessed previously. Youth valued parents,…

Social cognitive neuroscience can offer a scientific framework for developmental learning in the mentor-learner relationship.

Spatial concepts such as a sense of distance are learned through movement and exploration which is the most effective way for children to gain body awareness and an understanding of spatial relationships. It simultaneously develops muscle strength, coordination, self-confidence, and thinking skills. Spatial awareness can be defined as "an…