The major interest of this study is the amount of time children spend reading. Data was gathered unobtrusively by having the 150 5th grade subjects keep time records of all their activities for a 2 week period. These were coded into 7 categories and scores were related to those derived from tests of ability, achievement, self-concept and reading…

The research presented in this document has two main hypotheses: (1) From locus of control theory, it was predicted that a warm, supportive, and consistent or stable home environment relates positively to internal control; (2) Methods derived from locus of control theory which increase an individual's observation and experience of behavior-effect…

The major objective of this series of studies was to clarify the concept of mastery motivation and to develop measures of this concept applicable to 1-year-old children. Three studies were made with 44 infants, aged 12 to 13 months. The first study, "Aspects of Mastery Motivation and Cognitive Functioning," utilized structured situations…

A description of an experimental, social agency program which helps parents cope with their children's behavior problems within the home. (BRT)

Recent research with first year college students indicated that emotional closeness to parents was associated with social and intellectual competence during the leaving home period. Secure parental attachment fostered self-confidence, willingness to explore the environment, and the development of social skills. Students describing themselves as…

School social workers can foster partnerships between family and school. Both the home environment and the amount of parent involvement can add or detract from educational productivity for students. Aspirations for excellence have a better chance if the social worker helps to forge relationships between families, communities and schools. (VM)

Examined are problems confronted by women who try to rise in social class from their class of origin to a higher class, and the strategies they employ while making this transition. Data are derived from biographical interviews with German women, who as adults achieved the school certificate called the "Abitur." (RM)

Research studies concerning how nutrition affects educational performance are examined. From a developmental perspective it seems likely that the earlier the onset and the longer the duration of the nutritional deficiency the higher the probabilities of a cognitive deficit and poor school achievement in childhood and adolescence. (RM)

A wide array of data was gathered in a nationwide study, including parent and child interviews, intelligence test and achievement test scores, and teacher ratings of children's classroom performance. Results indicated extensive differences favoring intact family children, which persisted when IQ and socioeconomic status measures were controlled.…

A significant amount of research treats students who speak a language other than English at home, or language-minority students, as a single demographic group and compares them to students who speak only English at home. If important disparities in early school experiences among language-minority students have been overlooked, then policies aimed…

This brochure, written in Spanish, for Spanish-speaking parents of gifted adolescents discusses strategies to use to support the interests of their children and how to recognize and extend their children's talents. Parents are urged to: (1) increase their knowledge about the child's areas of interest; (2) discuss the child's present and future…

Student mobility (students moving from one school to another for reasons other than being promoted to the next school level) is widespread in the United States. This Spanish-language Digest examines the research on the academic consequences of mobility for elementary school students and discusses what schools and parents can do to mitigate the…

Often obscured by the multiple problems that plague some American families is the compelling evidence that many families have inner strengths that enable them to do a good job of raising their children and supporting one another. Because family strengths are not easily measured, they tend to be overlooked, resulting in a significant gap in the…

New research suggests that exceptionally stressful experiences early in life may have long-term consequences for a child's learning, behavior, and both physical and mental health. Some types of "positive stress" in a child's life--overcoming the challenges and frustrations of learning a new, difficult task, for instance--can be beneficial. Severe,…

The Enriching a Child's Literacy Environment (ECLE) program was designed to establish a model for teaching parents, teachers, and other care providers how to develop the oral language, thinking abilities and motor skills of young children (ages six months to three years). ECLE trainers instruct the parents or other care providers by first modeling…