This paper examines the problem of defining quality in early childhood centers, the nature of evaluation methods, and the contributions of research to the promotion of high quality. The concept of quality is multidimensional and dynamic, and there is no consensus about a definition of quality in the literature. Quality can be viewed from many…

Intended for 4-H participants who plan and implement activities in the area of child development, this booklet provides a study guide to help young learners: (1) gain understanding of a preschool child's physical, mental, social, and emotional growth; (2) learn to care for a preschooler and promote preschoolers' feelings of security and safety;…

The paper reports on studies involving children having the rare chronic skin diseases of hemangiomas and epidermolysis bullosa (characterized by easy blistering). One study compared the self-concept and psychosocial development of young (mean age 46 months) children (N=19) with hemangiomas with 19 children without hemangiomas. Findings indicated…

Provided in this book are guidelines designed to help teachers of young children implement the movement exploration method in contrast to programmed activities for physical development. Movement exploration activities encourage the child to apply problem-solving techniques and to explore fantasies and relationships with others. The book is divided…

A study examined the differences in the appreciation of language ambiguity as represented in the word play of children aged 6 through 11 years. In six weekly play sessions, students were read stories containing many lexical ambiguities and pictures and were invited to verbalize and to draw similar ambiguities. Criteria necessary to the…

An experiment examined whether children of different developmental stages expressed different levels of fear while viewing episodes of the television program, "The Incredible Hulk." Preoperational (3 to 5 years old) and concrete operational (9 to 11 years old) children were shown short videotaped segments taken from the program. Using…

Reports on an observation study of children's tattling behavior in a classroom setting. General conclusion is that in areas in which there was most interaction between children, there was the most tattling to adults and vice versa. The degree to which children are constrained to cooperate is discussed. (Author/AM)

In interdisciplinary graduate workshop on children's art called "Art Expression in Early Childhood: Implications and Applications" was held for two weeks in July 1973. The workshop stressed the theory that children's art was a primary method by which a child can express his natural, creative, true self. (BP)

This paper examines some of the possible negative side effects of behavioral consultation and suggests that teacher resistance to behavioral methodology may be following basic learning principles that suggest that behaviors which lead to punishing conswquences often are terminated or avoided. Most of the negative consequences identified in this…

The etiology of homosexuality is probably best explained from a multidimensional framework which takes into account socialization, family background, and individual developmental factors. A research review was conducted to examine the influence of parental characteristics in the etiology of homosexuality. The findings of the review support the…

Maternal language directed to 21 nonhandicapped, 21 Down syndrome, and 19 language impaired preschool children was examined. The three groups (all Caucasian and middle-class) were matched in mean length of utterance (MLU) and in developmental skills as measured on the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale. Mother-child language interaction was…

Education programs for 4-year-olds may offer unique opportunities for the growth of services for young children. Currently, the role of state departments of education in preschool instruction is evolving; no single approach to public school programming for 4-year-olds exists. Approximately two-thirds of the 28 state and District of Columbia early…

This classroom research project focused on 10 fifth-grade students, all of whom had been labelled low-average achievers by their school. Students were encouraged to read, write, draw, talk, tell stories, and play freely. Five case studies emerged from the interactions. It became apparent that the children were shaping literature to their…

The Developmental Indicators for the Assessment of Learning--Revised (DIAL-R) is a standardized developmental screening instrument designed to assess the motor, language (both receptive and expressive), and conceptual skill levels of children 2 to 6 years of age. The appropriateness of national norms for children in Kentucky was studied in a…

This report describes the relationship between maternal malnutrition and child development. The report is divided into three sections. The first section, which describes child development, focuses on brain, mental, and psychomotor development. The second section describes the methodological difficulties of measuring effects of malnutrition on the…