Comparison of the self perceptions of 146 gifted children in grades five through seven in Western Australia with those of nongifted children found that gifted students perceived themselves as more competent than nongifted peers in the cognitive and general self-worth areas but not in the physical and social areas. (Author/DB)

Comparison of growth rates and menarcheal age for groups of boys and girls, ages 6 to 15, in Tokyo (Japan) found that children with mental retardation had a smaller growth spurt during puberty but did not differ in maturational rate defined by age at pubertal height spurt or age at menarche. (Author/DB)

Background: The mission of our education service as stated by the Ministry of Education (MOE) in Singapore: "is to mould the future of the nation, by moulding the people who will decide the future of the nation. The aim is to provide our children with a balanced and well-rounded education, develop them to their full potential, and nurture…

The purpose of this paper is to show how curricular quality is related to the day-to-day activities experienced by children and the pedagogical activities of staff, both coded through systematic target-child observations. Data were drawn from the Effective Provision of Pre-School Education (EPPE) and the Researching Effective Pedagogy in the Early…

Research was undertaken to evaluate whether and to what extent the health-related domains, including sexuality education, specified by the Development of Health Awareness in Adolescent Project Science Committee overlapped with the goals and objectives of the 2002/03 elementary school curricula (grades one to eight; ages 7-14 years) in Turkey. For…

In this article, the author discusses how the JUCONI Foundation in Puebla, Mexico is helping children. (JUCONI is an acronym for "Junto con los Ninos", or "Together with the Children)." This Mexican nongovernmental organization (NGO) has been successfully working with distressed families and children in Puebla since 1989. For…

Four experiments investigating the effects of physical and social variables on the production of pointing in infants 10 to 18 months old are described. In the first two experiments, which were primarily concerned with the relation between reaching and index finger pointing, physical dimensions such as distance between baby and target objects were…

A total of 20 children with idiopathic precocious puberty; 27 adolescents with clinically delayed puberty; and an equivalent number of controls matched for sex, age, and IQ were given a battery of tests including measures of verbal and spatial abilities and a task using a dichotic listening procedure to assess hemispheric lateralization.…

Compared Chinese fourth-, eighth-, and eleventh-graders' self-perceptions of ability in physical education. Found no grade-related decline in perceived ability. All students used effort, ability, and comparison to judge their ability. Students at all grades perceived task mastery as the major ability indicator and tended to assess ability in…

Pubertal changes in girls and boys are treated differently in New Zealand schools. Girls learn about menstruation in a scientific, bleak manner, getting an unrealistic picture of growing up. Boys receive positive information about exciting, powerful bodily changes. By protecting girls from problems associated with menstruation, schools risk…

The rationale and focus for this paper is a discussion from five perspectives on the issues surrounding childhood freedoms and levels of physical activity. From our different perspectives we argue that beneath these very real and proper concerns that parents have for their children's safety are societal concerns and perceptions concerning the…

Preschool education is extremely limited in Turkey, suggesting an absence of public recognition of its importance and a lack of state support. In the "VI. Five Years Development Plan," it was exposed that the target in preschool education could not be reached. Especially, regional differences played an important role. According to…

This report looks at the development and socialisation of children under 5 years of age in two Caribbean countries, Trinidad and Tobago and Dominica. It involved fieldwork in four very different communities as well as extensive discussion with academics and professionals. Too little is known about child socialisation in the Caribbean, and this…

Reports the results of a multiple regression analysis conducted to determine, in a group of three- to six-year-old children, the magnitude of IQ variance accounted for by physical growth variables and socioeconomic status indicators. (RH)

Eighth graders from five Jerusalem schools participated in physical ability intervention program which involved periodic and progressive increase of physical effort of students in physical education classes. Test group improved running time and had better sport motivation than did control group. Found gender differences and influence of sexual…