American schools often fail to provide opportunities for students at the highest levels of ability to test their ceilings of performance in a given talent area. Gifted education provides an essential voice addressing the importance of recognizing and developing "apex talent" and genuine "excellence" in American education.…

Participants in the Cornell Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth Development Program ranked concept maps of the meaning of the program's new vision and mapped their own perceptions. Differing perspectives were refined into a shared vision and highlighted the need for understanding client characteristics and the social climate of the program. (SK)

Used multiple measures with nine supervisors-in-training to explore supervisor development. In terms of content of thoughts in response to particular vignette, participants' thoughts were primarily neutral, suggesting they were able to be nonjudgmental and objective. Participants seemed particularly challenged by situations that required…

Study of Greek-letter social group members (n=321) at midwestern university found significant correlations between members' levels of involvement and their psychosocial development as measured by Student Development Task and Lifestyle Inventory. Differences in the relationship between involvement and psychosocial development were established by…

Reviews strengths and weaknesses of value-added model of outcomes assessment in higher education. Explores important measurement issues that student development specialists who are currently involved in assessment may confront. Makes recommendations for researchers choosing the value-added outcomes assessment model. (NB)

Provides convergent evidence of a developmental sequence in kindergartners' emerging knowledge of word: beginning consonant knowledge facilitates a child's concept of word in text, which in turn facilitates phoneme segmentation, which in turn facilitates word recognition. (SR)

Provides review of current literature to support position that academic dishonesty is student development problem best addressed from student development perspective. Examines academic dishonesty as contemporary problem in higher education; explores contentions about what causes academic dishonesty; addresses student development perspective; and…

This paper discusses links among the process of creativity, symbolization, and learning. The importance of symbolization in thinking, in school learning, in child development, and in the behavior of creative learners is stressed. (DB)

Compared freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior majors in the same academic discipline for differences in My Vocational Situation (MVS) scores. The MVS was effective in measuring developmental changes in vocational identity and perceived need for occupational information among the students. Women reported higher occupational information needs…

Mailed questionnaires to 25% random sample of directors of counseling centers at four-year institutions of higher learning in the United States. Findings from 96 responding institutions were compared to findings from similar study conducted in 1974. Results revealed a growing trend toward use of undergraduate paraprofessionals in student…

Borderline-personality disorder in adolescence is thought to develop through environmental sources, and object-relations theory posits a developmental arrest in the separation-individuation phase of development. This article discusses gender and race considerations, issues related to counseling, general treatment strategies such as coping-skills…

Graduate students acquire procedural knowledge as well as declarative knowledge through preparation of databased research for participation in a poster session. The pedagogical framework for the method is reviewed; specific steps are delineated; feedback and evaluation are discussed.(EMK)

Reports how one major state university has successfully integrated campus ministers into student affairs programming. Following a brief history of campus ministry, supplies data to document the amount and type of involvement which campus ministers provided in support of broader student affairs goals. Attention is also paid to the pitfalls…

Review of clinical studies providing empirical data on stress management programs in medical education found that student participants in such programs demonstrated improved immunologic functioning, decreased depression and anxiety, increased spirituality and empathy, enhanced knowledge of alternative therapies, improved knowledge of stress…

This article offers strategies and resources to help educators assess the impact of inclusion programs on the academic performance and social and behavioral development of students with and without disabilities. Suggested guidelines are intended to identify program strengths and aspects in need of revision. (Contains extensive references.)…