This three-year study of early learning programs in Washington (District of Columbia) public schools found that the extension of formal educational experiences to preschool and kindergarten classrooms does little to promote academic preparation and can actually hinder future academic achievement and overall child development. The Vineland Adaptive…

In establishing high quality programs for young children, it is imperative that teachers focus on individual differences, growth patterns, and learning styles while providing educational experiences that develop the physical, social, emotional and cognitive domains without regard to chronological age. Research affirms that a play-oriented approach…

A 7-year, longitudinal study of children's social development from kindergarten through sixth grade was designed to identify unusually prosocial children and characteristics that differentiated them from average and antisocial peers. Another objective was to identify functional socioemotional predictors of changes in children's social adjustment.…

This theme newsletter issue presents seven articles describing toddler behavior and development, services for toddlers, and toddlers with special needs. The first article, "Toddlers: Themes and Variations" (Lois Barclay Murphy and Colleen Small) focuses on variations in toddler development, noting emerging skills, language, and the caregiver role.…

This study was planned (1) to identify factors, both social and academic, associated with the gender-role and self-concept perceptions of seventh and eighth grade adolescent girls relative to their participation in science; and (2) to determine the relationship of these emerging concepts of self to the attitudes and achievement of these girls…

An intensive study of boys' experiences in two Boy Scout groups shows that scout programs provide important educational functions that schools and homes do not. Detailed field notes were taken on 75 events of the 2 groups, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 boys and their parents to explore what parents and boys felt they were…

A survey of 136 junior high and middle school teachers focused primarily on teachers' knowledge about and opinions relative to curriculum and teaching strategies appropriate for the early adolescent or transescent. The teachers came from four states (Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania), taught in schools in four socio-economic settings, and…

As a part of an effort to bolster the United Nations Children's Fund's (UNICEF) capacity to promote child development, this report examines the psychosocial development of the child. The intent is not to shift UNICEF's attention to the psychosocial elements of children's needs, but to help UNICEF to implement early childhood development efforts…

An overview of some of the recent developments in experimental research on early infantile autism considers related issues such as language impairments, cognitive and affective deficits, nonverbal communication, social behavior, and therapeutic interventions. Research indicates that difficulty with abstract use of language and with pragmatic…

Part of a longitudinal study of women and their first-born children who have different employment and day care experiences during the children's first three years of life, this study focuses on the socioemotional development of children at 18 months of age, who had received at least nine months of continuous day care. Particular attention is given…

This paper reviews the research and theories on ethnic identity development, and draws some implications from these ideas for improving curriculum design for, and instructional effectiveness with, ethnically different students, especially Black Americans. The paradigm of "the developmental stages of ethnic identity transformation"…

The transition to junior high school can be a positive step toward increasing maturity, and a stressful period of adaptation as well. To investigate the contribution of friendships to children's adjustment after the transition to junior high school, students (N=101) from four elementary schools were tested during the spring of sixth grade, in the…

Communicating values is at the heart of education. Intertwined with the processes and procedures of schooling, a host of values are taught every day. Education, therefore, carries with it a social and moral imperative. If we are to help students avoid moral bankruptcy, we cannot have a value-neutral education. A basic feature of the social and…

Research on selected early childhood education program elements was reviewed to determine the effects of these elements on children's academic and social development. Four influencing factors concerning academic effects were investigated: (1) home intervention; (2) preschool intervention; (3) kindergarten programs; and (4) socioeconomic factors.…

The vulnerability of children to developmental problems was studied in three groups of young children: (1) children with schizophrenic mothers (N=35); (2) children with severely depressed mothers (N=19); and children with well mothers (N=21). The children ranged in age from birth to 5 years, with 64 percent under age 2, and came from families who…