Considers that because literature can exert such a powerful hold on the imagination, certain works can be used to invite students to become more literate and to encourage students to take responsibility for their ongoing personal development. Notes that reading and other ways of learning are shown in fictional works of Louis L'Amour to be a rich…

As an outgrowth of the theory of flow, looks at some fine distinctions regarding the adolescent's optimal conditions for growth. Points to the importance of the adolescent's ability to reinterpret conflicts which crop up in raw experience, to overcome psychic entropy with long-term challenges or "life themes," and to find new meaning and…

Examines the role attributed to cultural mediation in Piaget's and Vygotsky's theories. Mediation of human action by cultural artifacts was central to Vygotsky's account of human development, but less important for Piaget. Vygotsky's claims regarding social origins of individual mental processes need to be understood in light of claims regarding…

Piaget's theory has been characterized as descriptive and not explanatory, not qualifying as causal explanation. Piaget was consistent in showing how his theory was both explanatory and causal. Vygotsky also endorsed causal-genetic explanation but, on the basis of knowledge of only Piaget's earliest works, he claimed that Piaget's theory was not…

The Youth Leadership and Life Skills Development Scale was completed by 282 of 316 Iowa Future Farmers of America (FFA) members. The strongest relationship appeared between their scores and FFA leadership activities. Other factors affecting life/leadership skills development included after-school jobs, years in FFA, grades, and gender. (SK)

An interview with Vladimir Feltsman, a piano virtuoso and educational innovator, covers his views on development of musical talent in Russia, identification of talent in children, his training at a special music school, his mentors, choosing a musical career, the ideal school for young musicians, and the maximum age for beginning to develop…

Notes nursing education is supposed to facilitate both personal and professional development, but inattention to self-assessment limits the former. Problems with self-assessment include conflicts between student self-ratings and teacher evaluations of students, focus on professional demands instead of the whole person, and differences in…

Generalizes the corporate mission, values, strategy, tactics model and applies it to basic personal life questions based on experiences at the Performance Development group of Walgreens. (Author/LRW)

Reviews the cognitive development of children, with a focus on Piagetian theory as a framework for understanding Developmental Counseling and Therapy (DCT). Describes both the assessment process and intervention planning, and provides specific applications to counseling children in school settings. (Contains 35 references.) (GCP)

Explores the ultimate goals of today's practices career guidance practices. Notes that it seems unlikely that the individual development model, prevalent in guidance for several decades, could stand up to ethical questioning of its presumptions. The author suggests another model, that of human development. (Contains 62 references.) (GCP)

Searches for an understanding of developmental scholar William Kessen, and of what he was trying to teach in his later years. Discusses possible sources of Kessen's dissatisfaction with the field of child development, and whether any of these issues can be resolved in ways that Kessen might not have fully anticipated. Summarizes the main lessons…

Notes that Jenny Gilsdorf and Jone Rymer offer poignant stories about their personal and professional growth in two articles in this issue. Provides an integrating framework for exploring the linkages between the ideas put forth by Gilsdorf and Rymer. Uses a psychodynamics perspective to examine the connections among individual development, an…

Explores a link between the psychologically oriented identity status paradigm, and the sociologically oriented individualization theory. The primary link between these two approaches appears to be that the individualization process can be operationalized in terms of agency in identity formation. Concludes that identity statuses representing…

Examined the effects of variations in acculturation and gender on identity processes and outcomes in a sample of 357 students at a culturally diverse university. Results indicate that the processes underlying identity development are consistent across variations in acculturation and gender. Supplemental analyses revealed effects of acculturation…

Examines the literacy myth: the belief that literacy can solve complex personal and social problems. Explores links between "literacy for life" and Dewey's concept of growth. Makes the case for a pragmatic middle ground between structural-functional and radical-transformative interpretations of adult literacy education. Presents a case…