Draws from sociolinguistic perspective, human development, school learning, and language policy to discuss conflicting claims about second-language learning in school. Differentiates between cultural context within micro cultures and school content within global macro culture. Asserts that educators should ensure that learners have access to the…

Interviews with four adults over 65 in Learning in Retirement Institutes explored life events, their experience of retirement, and the impact of institute participation. Recurring themes were personal growth, self-esteem, contribution to society, and empowerment. (Contains 22 references.) (SK)

The authors have created the Illness Relationship Impact Inventory as one concrete way of examining each person's personal relationship with illness during their formative years. These early experiences texture the impact on one's experience of illness as an adult. Discussion questions and "next steps" commitment for positive improvement in that…

Describes a pilot mentoring program at the Health Libraries and Information Network (HeLIN) at the University of Oxford that was designed to increase understanding of mentoring for continuing professional and personal development; to investigate existing mentoring schemes; to incorporate a program for accreditation of mentors; and to evaluate the…

When imitated, toddlers were more likely to continue to act on an object; if continuing, repeat the same action on the object; generate games, especially imitation games, and look at their partner's face. These social influence processes are thought to operate naturally in peer interactions and contribute to the behavioral organization that…

Compared disabled (n=45) and nondisabled (n=45) undergraduates to determine how disabled compare to nondisabled in developmental tasks required of college students; whether academic performance can be predicted on basis of developmental skills; and whether age at onset of disability influences college student developmental skills. Found…

Gifted children's education should be based on the appreciation of intellectual, artistic, or psychomotor talent with the object of developing a balanced and mature adult. The focus should not be on specially and narrowly educating talented students to improve national competitiveness and economic growth. (SK)

This review of representative research in cooperative education related to student benefits finds that outcomes can be clustered in three categories: career development, career progress, and personal growth. Variables discussed explore co-op's relationship to each category. (58 references) (JOW)

Two studies investigated the maintenance of focused attention in the first five years of life. Findings revealed changes over age in the way children concentrate and sustain attention spontaneously during free play. Results point to possible developments underlying the increasing duration of focused attention. (RH)

A developmental approach to teaching about aging can help make students sensitive to the needs of the elderly. Such an approach emphasizes individual differences in the aging process and the uniqueness of personal experience, helps student experience physical changes of aging, and encourages attitude change through interaction. (SK)

Investigated development of altruism in children according to a theoretical perspective that integrated Piagetian micromodels accounting for change from preoperational to operational stages. Subjects were 90 children of 5-12 years of age. Older children were more likely to consider an altruistic act in terms of gain construction than cost…

Presents the work of Bronfenbrenner as providing a framework within which the subject matter of human development can be organized and applied. The relevance of Bronfenbrenner's ecological perspective, and implications of adoption of that perspective with reference to studies of families and learning environments, are discussed. (PCB)

Applied two-step cognitive model to relationship between age and creative productivity. Selected ideation and elaboration rates as information-processing parameters that define mathematical function which describes age curves and specifies their variance across disciplines. Applied non-linear estimation program to further validate model. Despite…

Describes personal development as a process of individuals acting and reflecting on the world and themselves. Discusses practical issues faced by facilitators in setting up and running self-development groups; focuses on the structure of the process; and presents guidelines. (JOW)

Examined the disruption effect in two recall experiments with six- and eight-year olds. In the first experiment, vivid irrelevant actions were better recalled than disruptions that were obstacles, but were not better recalled than disruptions that were distractions. Results of the second experiment suggest that disruptions that lead to more…