Pictorial space can be conceptualized as aggregate space (where figures compete for limited available space) or as axial space (where space is infinite and exists independently of figures). That these two kinds of space concepts follow a developmental sequence was tested by investigating size regulation mechanisms in 7- to 12-year-old children's…

The purpose of this guide is to inform parents, advocates, and school personnel about existing laws and resources available to ensure that every child and every school employee has an environmentally safe and healthy school that is clean and in good repair. An environmentally safe and healthy school is one of the principles adopted by the New York…

Growth in student enrollment is a statewide phenomenon in California. Options to overcrowding include year-round education, portable classrooms, new school construction, and maintenance of existing schools. The Association of California School Administrators is seeking specific legislative remedies. (MLF)

The authors provide a version of a double-auction market simulation designed for classes too large for most computer labs to accommodate in one sitting. Instead, students play the game from remote computers, wherever they may be and at any time during a given time period specified by the instructor. When the window of time expires, students can…

The effects of naturally-occuring within-group variations in social density were assessed via observations of children in an extremely crowded township nursery in South Africa. The nursery class consisted of 83 children who ranged in age from 32 to 64 months. Levels of crowding at home appeared to exert only a small effect on sensitivity to…

The mediating effects of sex, self-monitoring, and environmental perceptions on social density on stress were examined using 53 male and 49 female dormitory residents occupying single or triple rooms. Measures of stress included blood pressure, heart rate and psychosomatic symptomatology. The "counterintuitive" results did not support…

Findings suggest that crowding at home exerts a moderate influence on activity and social behavior during children's first few weeks at nursery, with children from crowded homes being most compromised. (RH)

Examined the practices and experiences of three elementary-level physical education teachers as they attempted to provide quality learning experiences to large classes of students. Data from lesson observations and interviews indicated that while the teachers provided high quality instruction, they were working under considerable hardship and had…

Jail crowding is a substantial concern for many local jurisdictions. Although several authors have suggested a system-wide approach to reduce crowding, relatively little is known about how top local criminal justice officials view this issue. Using interviews and surveys of criminal justice leaders in a large southern metropolitan county, this…

Research indicates that the relationship between class size and instructional effectiveness depends on a multitude of related variables, such as age level of students, subject matter taught, and instructional methods used. Recent statistical syntheses of this research reveal that the instructional benefits of smaller classes are most significant…

Two studies of graduate students living in a 13-story dormitory examined the effects of natural lighting, usable space, sex, culture, and floor height on perceptions of spaciousness, personalization of space, crowding, and lightness. Previous research had indicated differences between males and females in this area, but had not considered cultural…

Examines the relation between the Home Observation for Measurement of Environment (HOME) Inventory and sex, race, socioeconomic status, the amount of crowding in the home, and birth order. Performs multivariate analysis of covariance on an intact family sample using HOME subscales as criterion measures and status and structural variables as…

Utah Valley Community College became Utah Valley State College (UVSC) in 1993, due to the increasing need for a four-year, degree-granting institution in Utah County. UVSC now offers 21 four-year programs, and enrollment has been growing at an average rate of 8% per year since 1986. There were 20,946 students enrolled for fall term 2000, and…

The 51.7 million students enrolled in public and private schools this year outstrip the 51.3 million mark set in 1971. Today's taxpayers are reluctant to pay for new schools; therefore, school leaders need to be creative in handling the enrollment crunch. Experts in fast-growing districts offer tips. (MLF)

How the social density of a household affects interpersonal relations, physical health, and psychological well-being in neighborhoods with very low outside density, such as rural areas has not been examined. Two questionnaire studies of women in rural Georgia examined how social density affected respondents' interpersonal relations, physical…