Discusses Vygotsky's theory and the research stimulated by it. Notes that the vast literature on children's play reveals that its contributions to child development can be looked at from diverse vantage points. Suggests that Vygotsky's theory has much to say to teachers about the importance of promoting make-believe in preschool and child care…

Cultural, racial, and gender differences in the workplace can cause frustration, misunderstanding, and other problems. Provides an Asian female perspective and finds the positive aspects outweigh the negative ones. Discusses communication and a focus on commonalities to develop interpersonal relationships. (AEF)

Female clients (n=76) at 4 university and community agencies completed surveys containing questionnaires concerning parental bonding, self-efficacy, adult attachment, and working alliance. Results indicated that parental bonds, especially with fathers, were significantly associated with social competencies, although working alliance was negatively…

Over one year, mothers observed the responses of their one-year-old children to distresses the children caused and witnessed in others. Children's prosocial behaviors, and reparative behaviors after they had caused distress, increased in frequency over the year. These behaviors were accompanied by changes in self-recognition. (BC)

This study compared perceptions of parents of 19 children with Down's syndrome (DS) who had undergone plastic facial surgery with perceptions of parents of DS children who had not received surgery. The comparison found little evidence of positive impact of the surgery on parents' perceptions of their children's physical, personal, and social…

Compared mothers' ratings of childhood problems of 4- to 9-year-old Sudanese children. Compared to children in extended families, children in nuclear families had more conduct, emotional, and sleep problems; exhibited poorer self-care and greater overdependence; and were less likely to be breastfed and have grandmothers involved in their care. (BC)

Several short articles outline services of information clearinghouses in special education, how to access them, collaborative activities among clearinghouses, types of information requests received by the ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education and by the National Clearinghouse for Professions in Special Education, documents about…

Offers a rebuttal to Giyoo Hatano's commentary on a study on sociomoral development in the kindergarten classroom. It is suggested that the danger in restricting evaluation to stated goals is that unintended negative effects will not be recognized. (LB)

The role that talk plays in socialization, social development, and possibly cognitive development is described. Research on talk is categorized as follows: studies that consider talk as a tool for investigation; studies that focus on development of grammar or language acquisition; and studies that fall between those extremes. (LB)

This paper highlights the need for research on the motor, cognitive, and psychological development of children with congenital limb deficiencies. Issues reviewed include optimal age for prosthesis fitting, training procedures, prosthesis usage, cognitive deficits, and vulnerability to psychosocial problems. (Author/DB)

Grandparents' and mothers' drug use predicted hyperactivity, psychosomatic complaints, and social problems for boys, and acting-out behaviors for boys and girls. Maternal drug use predicted fearfulness, hyperactivity, and social problems for boys, and developmental problems for boys and girls. (BC)

Advocates focusing on personal and social education in outdoor education, before addressing subjects in the National Curriculum in Britain. Discusses the development of professionalism in outdoor educators. Provides an assessment of progress scale for the goals related to professionalism. Proposes that outdoor education may be more secure as part…

This guide to developing a physical fitness and wellness program for preschool children with disabilities stresses a holistic approach to wellness, the importance of play choices and food preferences, play experiences which develop spiritual values and ethics, emotional health, social development, and intellectual aspects of development. (DB)

Discusses the shift of emphasis from the cognitive to the moral and ethical in secondary and higher education. Considers the possibility of a genetic basis for morality and the importance of understanding the social context for transmitting moral values in the academic setting. Suggests techniques for facilitating moral development in…

Colleges can create conditions to maximize the learning that occurs in an environment with a diverse student population. Studies indicate that students who interact with diverse peers demonstrate more complex thinking linked to both cognitive and to social development. Research literature provides strong support for institutional commitment to…