Project Work/Learn at Birmingham Southern College, an attempt to build two-way college/community bridges, is described. Two-way requirements for building college/community bridges include: clear and distinct purposes for persons and institutions, mutual utilization of resources, two-way activity, and two-way management. (MLW)

Liberal arts colleges have abandoned their goal of education for the university-college model of education-for-a-job. The need for a new model is discussed. Colleges need to establish a central theme: "a curricular career of learning how to learn and accepting the responsibilities of leadership." (Author/MLW)

Tested a conceptual model of parenting to determine whether maternal child-centered perspectives mediated relations between parenting resources of social support, child-rearing history, and self-esteem and the child's developmental level with parenting behavior. Found that mothers' perspectives directly related to parenting behavior in two…

Reviews research on outcomes of Outdoor Management Development (OMD). Presents the first part of a study in which 12 managers and consultants in OMD programs in large British and Australian companies were interviewed to determine how OMD works. Three broad themes were identified: learning environment, personal insights and outcomes, and emotional…

Raises concerns about the failure of mental health service providers to address the psycho-developmental needs of people with mental retardation, especially incarcerated individuals with severe behavior disturbances and both mental illness and mental retardation. A "flight from developmental theory" is seen in most service providers to this…

Notes that the practice of delaying school entrance for summer-born children, especially boys, to give them some academic advantage, is not substantiated by sufficient research. Describes a subsequent study indicating higher achievement for children held-out than those entering school on time. Argues for more research and consideration of the…

Differentiates "significant" and "important" preschool events. Claims that it is important to increase the frequency and quality of responsive interactions with individual children; increase awareness of the importance of stable families and a secure attachment to parents; improve interactions with parents to strengthen their…

Studied relationship of temperament and same-sex peer interaction with gender differences in adjustment. Found that highly arousable boys who played with same-sex peers had increased problem behaviors. Arousable girls who played with other girls were relatively unlikely to show problem behaviors. The arousability and same-sex peer interaction…

Describes an undergraduate course project where students helped mentally alert senior citizens write their life stories. By assisting senior citizens to organize memories and interpret life decisions, the students experienced stages they had not yet lived through. Students evaluated the course project as a positive learning and personal growth…

Reviews research related to the impact of outdoor adventure programs designed to reduce the criminal behavior of young persons. Suggests that a lack of specific cognitive skills predispose individuals to engage in criminal behavior and that a rational for adventure-based interventions should address such deficits as lack of interpersonal…

Recommends developing a secure, positive sense of one's racial identity through questioning preexisting attitudes and examining the past and present relationships between one's own and other groups. Describes several models of positive ethnic identity development for minority and white students. Discusses the implications of this research for…

For 30 years, Project Adventure (PA) has created adventure education programs that help participants face their fears, understand how others feel, and build creative group process. School-based PA programs help students take responsibility for their own behavior, while PA techniques are widely used in adventure programs for at-risk and adjudicated…

Examines educational resistance to nature study, focusing on the subtle resistance evident in the vicarious approach that limits nature study to books and videos, while ignoring the sensory richness and kinship developed through direct connection with the natural world. Suggests that environmental science, citizen education, inquiry learning,…

Outlines self-enrichment activities for faculty, administrators, and students that can improve working conditions and promotion opportunities, e.g., getting a personal business card, developing a contacts list, examining the institution, conducting research on classroom and business trends, joining "power organizations," and making a master…

Reports on the results of 2 studies that use a non-Kohlbergian approach to categorizing justifications for moral judgments by Australian subjects from 7 to 15 and from 7 to 21 years. These studies support the view that moral reasoning up to late adolescence is largely a product of socialization. (KO)