Although the literature abounds with speculation about open education, there are few experimental studies designed to test its effects. This research compared an open education program with a traditional program at the middle school level. Subjects were randomly assigned to comparison groups. Dependent measures included a self-concept scale, a…

An historical record is presented of the processes by which the children's television program, Sesame Street, was created, developed, and implemented. Particular attention is focused on the concept of using a team of educational advisors, professional researchers, and television production specialists to blend the technology of television and the…

American Indian paraprofessionals were trained to teach parents to use social learning principles to develop question-asking skills in their first-grade children. Subjects were assigned to three treatment groups of 10 subjects each for a time lag control form of multiple baseline design. Two hypotheses were tested: (1) instruction by parents would…

The important role of spontaneous play in preschool education programs is emphasized. At present too much emphasis is placed on structured learning activities and it's suggested that more "open spaces" be allowed for in a child's day. In spontaneous play, adequate space and time must be allotted for investigation and unhurried experience. Good…

This monograph, a Planned Variation study, examines the impact of Project Follow Through (FT) on three sets of analyses, each of which approaches parent data exclusively, and assumes the relationship of parental attitudes and behaviors to pupil cognitive and affective growth. The first set of analyses summarizes the initial demographic…

Students in grades K, 1, 3, and 5 were administered the Rod and Frame Test (RFT), the Matching Familiar Figures (MFF) Test, and the Piagetian tasks of Discontinuous Quantity, Class Inclusion, Multiplication of Classes, and Multiplication of Relations. Cross-sectional trends were found in all tasks with older children being less impulsive, more…

This is an initial examination of findings from laboratory and field studies done in Israel on the cognition-cultivating functions of media. The studies reasoned that highly explicit presentations of film-mediated operations can be imitated by observers, and that once imitated, they are internalized and can serve as modified mental skills. Two…

The aim of this paper is to delineate some of the central issues confronting psychologists and educators in the application of psychological theory and research to early childhood education. Three approaches to early childhood programming are presented: the behavioristic-learning theory perspective, the Piagetian cognitive-developmental, and the…

The major purpose of this study was to investigate developmental patterns of understandings of four types of selected phenomena possessed by economically and racially different boys and girls. A total of 64 boys and girls, 32 blacks and 32 whites, were selected from Head Start, kindergarten, nursery, and primary schooling environments and then…

Two techniques were used to modify an impulsive conceptual tempo on a visual discrimination task. The subjects were 42 first grade white children who had previously been classified as impulsive or near-impulsive on the Matching Familiar Figures Test given to 82 children. These subjects, who had scored above the median on errors and below the…

Reported is a study related to diagnosing elements of propositional thinking in the cognitive functioning of 62 sixth- and seventh-grade students. The rationale is based on the work of Piaget and others. Instruments used to diagnose levels of abstract thinking involved using computer simulated experiments (CSE). The direct and indirect effects of…

This review of educational research pertaining to school readiness criticizes the current movement towards earlier schooling for children. Research findings in any one of a number of areas suggest the undesirability of schooling for 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds. Four areas of study investigated in this review which support the above hypothesis are…

Articles pertinent to aiding the pre-school blind child are collected in this publication. Topics include discussion of attitudes and emotional reactions important for parents and teachers of blind children, and optimal development in regard to early motor behavior and emotional and social needs. Common areas of parental concern such as discipline…

Some studies of early readers are discussed. It is pointed out that study of early readers has relevance for practical and theoretical issues in psychology and education. Of interest in this document are the following questions: (1) Are there any special talents or traits distinguishing early from non-early readers? (2) Do children who read early…

Digraphs, graphs and task analysis were used to map out the content structure of a programed text (SMSG) in elementary probability; mathematical structure was operationally defined as the relationship between concepts within a set of abstract systems. The word association technique (WA) and paragraph construction technique (PC) were used to…