Suggests that Kohlberg's cognitive-developmental approach and narrative, relativistic, approaches to moral development--which are seemingly opposed--may be integrated, each addressing an aspect of moral concerns. Explains how the approaches may address different aspects of theories of self, stresses the need for better interpretive rationale in…

Examines personal preferences in the development of categorical folders for bookmarks in terms of both the choice and definition of folder domain and the overall structure of the folder system. Considers contextual factors, such as intended use and relevancy to current projects; and navigational preferences. (Author/LRW)

Investigated the relationship between the school context and teachers' views of themselves as professionals. Israeli vocational high school teachers, who taught high- and low-achieving students, matched images of themselves as teachers with drawings of other occupations and commented on their choices. These metaphors helped raise teachers'…

Draws on research in cultural anthropology and cultural psychology to place the current movement toward qualitative methods of inquiry in historical perspective. Asserts that a new methodology of achievement motivation--one that seeks to identify the cultural and personal meanings of educational performance through methods that clarify its…

Three experiments tested 3- and 4-year-olds' use of abstract principles to classify and label objects by shape or function. Findings indicated that 4-year-olds readily adopted either rule when instructed to match objects by shape or function, but 3-year-olds followed only the shape rule. Without a rule, 4-year-olds tended to match by shape unless…

Investigated: (1) influence of maternal context on frequency and types of conflicts of sibling dyads in middle childhood, and (2) the stability of maternal and sibling interaction over 4 years. Found that maternal presence depressed conflict frequency and aggression. Earlier patterns of family interaction were related to later indices of sibling…

Examines ways in which the North American experience has influenced youth mentoring programs in the United Kingdom and focuses on the theoretical assumptions about young people which have underpinned mentoring interventions. Suggests that alternative theoretical frameworks which address the complexity and multiplicity of youth transitions hold…

Notes that when making requests, speakers often pursue an influence goal and a secondary goal. Examines whether effects of situation features on the importance of secondary goals depend on the kind of request being made. Finds the effect of situation features on the importance of secondary goals often depends on request type. Suggests implications…

Tracks the language preferences of three French/English bilingual children, twin girls aged 13 and a boy aged 15, over a 72-month period. Using weekly tape recorded conversations of family dinnertime conversations both in the children's Louisiana home, and a summer residence in French-speaking Quebec, the bilingual authors--who are also the…

Using Erikson's theories on identity development as a framework, this paper examines the motives for and contexts of suicide among preadolescents, adolescents, and young adults, identifies specific school-age populations that are vulnerable to suicide, and discusses implications. (Contains 45 references.) (GCP)

Mezirow's theory of transformational learning--extraction of meaning from experience--fails to account for context. Locating perspective transformation in the individual and basing it on a decontextualized concept of rationality ignores the relationship between individuals and the sociocultural, political, and historical contexts in which they are…

Findings indicated that: (1) 10- and 13-year-olds had difficulty accepting contrary-to-fact premises as a basis for reasoning; (2) 15- and 18-year-olds found reasoning correctly more difficult with contrary-to-fact premises; and (3) among 5- and 7-year-olds, a fantasy context decreased the extent to which empirical knowledge interfered with…

Results of three studies suggested that children's play was mediated by their age, playmates' sex, and play props. Children's behavior seemed to change with age and with the children's consideration of the sex-role appropriateness of interacting in particular play areas and with particular peers. (RH)

Argues that the world view of contemporary behavior analysis, especially behavior analysis of child development, is contextualistic, not mechanistic. The history of behavior analysis is presented in a revised account that focuses on philosophic movements. Contextualism of behavior analysis is contrasted with mechanism with respect to five core…

Observed mothers playing with their 40-month-old children and eliciting their children's memories of shared experiences. Cluster analysis found two distinct maternal interaction styles in each of these contexts. Individual mothers' styles varied across the contexts, suggesting that infant-mother dyads must be observed in multiple contexts to…