Children are unique. They need different things at different times. Parents and educators should listen thoughtfully to children to determine how best to support them. Describes how a New Hampshire Quaker boarding school implements a thoughtful mix of direction and freedom based on participatory decision making and listening. "Clearness…

The contributions of dating status, grade, gender, and family structure to the frequency and intensity of normative conflict and to behavioral autonomy were studied in 859 10th and 12th graders. The importance of focusing on developmental patterns as well as age in assessing adolescent conflict is highlighted by the findings. (SLD)

Summarizes a wealth of recent information concerning the effects of electronic mass media on the socialization of young people. Argues that significant changes have occurred in both the pervasiveness of the effects of mass media and the nature of the relationship between that and other socializing factors.(MJP)

Argues that genetics, as popularized in "The Bell Curve" (Herrnstein and Murray, 1994), does not affect educational attainment and personal development, but environmental upheavals do. The environmental changes that effect educational and personal development are highlighted. It cautions that works involving pseudoscience, like "The…

Recommends that teachers nurture students' emotional intelligence by teaching coping skills, how to acquire and use information, how to work with others, and how to manage personal growth. Discusses usefulness of emotional intelligence during transition to middle school, and suggests educators involve students in common activities that foster…

Studied adaptive choice behavior of older, independently living persons faced with complications in their houses. The goal was to gain insight into the coping process and its outcome--in terms of assimilative vs. accommodative strategies--and in the role of three determinants on this process. Determinants were perceived self efficacy, importance…

Discusses how social trends changed father involvement and family life, and in turn affected children's and fathers' developmental trajectories. Examines how today's children will construct expectations about fathers' and mothers' roles. Maintains that a life-span approach considers the broader sociohistorical context in which fatherhood develops.…

Extends dynamic model of cognitive growth proposed by van Geert in three directions: (1) added a term to consider exposure to material to be learned; (2) developed method to apply model to cross-sectional studies; and (3) developed procedure to scale cognitive abilities tests with items of varying difficulty. Tests model with 2- to 15-year-olds'…

This narrative distinguishes the covert racism of self-hatred that developed from divided cultural loyalty in this immigrant family. The author developed understanding of both the racist and the victim through life experiences and self-confrontation. The question is not: "Am I a racist?"; but: "How racist am I?" (EMK)

Describes the central concept of Mayan culture, the possession of the soul, or ch'ulel, in the process of forming a knowledgeable person. Soul acquisition is important to becoming the ideal person, and to the educational formation of future generations. Looks at the role language plays in culture as memory, thought formation, and learning process.…

In a rural Ontario high school, students can spend a semester in the Environmental Studies Program, which features holistic outdoor experiences and high school students teaching elementary students outdoors. Post-course surveys revealed positive student attitudes toward the course and major themes of experiential learning, interpersonal skills…

This qualitative study investigated contextual influences involved in college student identity development. It examined events, experiences, and relationships that alumni suggest either nourished or thwarted their perceptions of multiple dimensions of their identity during college. Findings suggest that self-perceptions of identity often change as…

This emergent theory describes the relationships and factors within the context of home, school, and community that enabled six Hispanic students to participate in an advanced diploma program. The research is in keeping with the mandates from several federal initiatives to develop "asset-based" paradigms for educating Hispanic youth.…

The rise in the numbers of social orphans in Russia is due to a number of causes, such as the drastic decline in the standard of living of the larger portion of the population, the lack of a clear and well-thought-out program of support for mothers and children, the decline in the value of the family and family relations, and so on. The…

Six Education For All (EFA) goals were agreed to in the World Education Forum in Dakar, Senegal in 2000. Since then, UNESCO Bangkok, UNICEF and the Regional Thematic Working Group on EFA have been jointly assisting countries in conducting assessment of progress and gaps towards the EFA goals and mid-term review of policies and reforms. In October…