Attempts to demonstrate that there is a "cultural communicative style" operating in the issuance of directives that is distinct for different cultures. Emphasis is placed on investigation of children's strategies in their total communicative behavior, both linguistic and nonlinguistic. (EJS)

Examines whether young children make explicit references to beliefs, ideas, thoughts, and intentions. Relates that three-year-old children correctly distinguish between real and mental items and that they think and dream about things that are not real. Concludes that conceptual development theories portraying early development as concrete and…

Offers a variety of practical writing ideas that can help first-grade teachers encourage writing across the curriculum. (FL)

Notes that the concept of children's needs is central to rationales for education and attempts to unravel the basis on which children's needs are stipulated. Identifies the bases for stating children's needs as (1) basic qualities of human nature, (2) prerequisites for mental health, (3) processes of cultural adaptation, and (4) conformity with…

Investigation of the extent to which various factors were associated with observed developmental gains in developmentally-delayed young children (N=83) revealed that potential predictors of overall child progress included test score derivatives, number of assessments and home visits, mother's age, child's age at initial testing, and medical risk…

Discusses general issues that have shaped research on whether depictions of violence in television and other media significantly influence real-life aggressive behavior. Presents a theoretical framework for understanding media effects on the psychological processes of acquisition, maintenance, and emission of aggression. Outlines contents of this…

A renewed interest in early childhood programs has sparked a debate at local, state, and national levels over the content of such programs, the sponsorship, and the question of who should pay. A variety of locally run early childhood services are described. (TE)

Parents should realize the importance of being their child's first teacher and should project an attitude of respect in helping children acquire skills while maintaining self-esteem. The five basic tools necessary for teaching children include: nonjudgmental feedback, task analysis, starting with the last step first, prompting, and praise. (JDD)

Key factors involved in successfully raising a gifted/talented/creative child are identified. Four factors found to be crucial for talent development include genuine interest and respect for the child, ongoing communication and involvement, conveying an attitude of persistence, and allowing freedom. (JDD)

A program designed to introduce residents and medical students to community resources for children and increase their knowledge of the factors affecting children's development is described. Trainees spend approximately one-third of their time in program activities that involve 25 community agencies. (Author/MLW)

Summarizes the benefits of early childhood education programs offering new hope to disadvantaged children and long-range savings to taxpayers. Reviews major issues concerning public preschool education, including funding, eligibility, need for high quality programs with a child development emphasis, adequate staffing, and appropriate child and…

Examines whether there are sex differences during middle childhood in children's choices to participate in activities differing in level of adult-provided structure; effects of structure on children's compliance, leadership, and recognition seeking directed to adults and to peers; and relation of sex-typed social skills or dispositions and…

Argues that while many publishers may simplify the sentence structure in the basal reader to facilitate the process of learning to read, this practice may result in texts with stylistic features and text formats that are unnatural and uncharacteristic of written English or the language development level of the children. (FL)

The study, "Young Children Learning," used a sample of 30 four-year-old girls to examine children's language development, their cognitive processing, and the differential effects of home backgrounds. Discussed are the development of girls and the ideas that are being presented to them both implicitly and explicitly by home and school.…

Demonstrates how home economics teachers can incorporate writing into daily lesson plans. Steps in the writing process (rehearsing, drafting, revising) are discussed and examples are presented for clothing, consumerism, parenting, nutrition, interior design, substance abuse, foods, time management, child development, and home economics. (CT)