Today's research about children's play exists in the context of deep societal concern about children's learning and development. Teachers may understand why play is a key contributor to healthy child development, but the pressure of national and state standards, the focus on early literacy, and the introduction of Head Start academic outcomes and…

Introduces this special issue topic by asserting that empirically powerful and theoretically guided educational research needs to be designed with the teacher in mind. Provides rationale for research focus on real-world knowledge and reasoning, and reasons for selecting research projects on inductive reasoning, mathematical reasoning, map skills,…

Describes the wave of new technology-enhanced "smart toys," ranging from simple interactive toys to those simulating actions of real animals. Notes the lack of research on the effects of these toys on children's brain organization, learning, or behavior. Describes impact of various software programs on children's learning, discussing…

The paper reviews the literature and proposes a study on how nonlanguage deaf/blind children (ages 2 to 14) match and classify, the age at which the skills are reached, and the role of language in the process. The theories of J. Piaget and J. Bruner on the importance of language in stage development are explored. The Ss would be matched for age…

This paper deals with questions having to do with the nature and effects of teachers' beliefs about schooling, and to the psychological relationship between theory and practice. It is posited that teachers' beliefs are likely to have a profound influence on their actions. A critical analysis of current school performance and teacher education…

These papers provide summaries of the most important discussions, conclusions, and issues from papers presented at a conference on reflective inquiry in teacher education. The following areas are covered: (1) new images for reflecting about teacher education; (2) reflecting on reflection in teacher education; (3) research on reflection in teacher…

While many contemporary developmental theorists have avoided taking a stand on the controversial relationship between learning and development, this paper is based on the belief that the notion of "bandwidth of competence," or L. S. Vygotsky's "zone of proximal development," provides a useful framework for considering this…

The primary problem of teacher education is seen as a developmental issue. A justification of a reflective inquiry in teacher education is presented emphasizing its benefits for teacher empowerment. A brief synopsis of an attempt to implement these ideas in a foundational course in educational psychology is offered. (JD)

This report presents a national agenda for research on the learning of thinking skills via computer technology which was developed at a National Academy of Sciences conference on educational, methodological, and practical issues involved in the use of computers to promote complex thought in grades K-12. The discussion of research topics agreed…

Psychological theories have long had a pronounced effect on the diagnosis and instruction of children with learning problems. Traditional theorists emphasized the centrality of global processes assumed to be common to most if not all cognitive tasks. These processes were quite distant from those involved in traditional academic activities, making…

This paper describes a collaborative effort aimed at province-wide dissemination and implementation of pivotal response treatment (PRT) for young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Nova Scotia, Canada. Three critical components of the associated training model are described: (1) direct training of treatment teams (parents, one-to-one…

Anecdotal reports of the protective qualities of mentoring relationships for youth are corroborated by a growing body of research. What is missing, however, is research on the processes by which mentors influence developmental outcomes. In this article, we present a conceptual model of the mentoring process along with a delineation of some of the…

Detailed accounts of activities of 19 committees of the Social Science Research Council form the major portion of this annual report. In addition, the Council president's report summarizes the activities, trends, and goals of the Council in areas such as research planning, the improvement of research methodology, and the training of competent…