Focusing on the cooperative role of parents and public libraries in stimulating reading interests in children of all ages, this booklet addresses the following issues: (1) getting children interested in reading (reading aloud to children; encouraging children to read to you; starting a home library; showing children that you enjoy reading;…

The difficulties that younger students experience in understanding concepts related to the use of variables in computer programming are examined through descriptions of two studies: (1) detailed case studies of six highly intelligent children--three fourth graders and three sixth graders--who learned to program in BASIC during 60 hours of…

This monograph describes the Middle Grades Assessment Program (MGAP), presents 11 case studies of schools implementing the program, and offers experience-based suggestions for school improvement. The MGAP provides an approach to school improvement that involves training staff to assess their school on nine criteria, an approach designed for…

This study of motivational differences in the school situation and the development of a sensation-seeking scale of preadolescent children rests upon an interactive psycho-biological theory formulated by Farley (1981). Stimulation-seeking and arousal in relation to instructional features are central concepts. As a point of departure for the…

The literature suggests that children steadily move away from egocentric thought and acquire more effective interpersonal skills as they age, but at puberty a new egocentrism makes self-disclosure difficult. To develop an adequate behavioral measure of self-disclosure, 16 situations were described to children aged 8, 11, and 14 years old, who then…

Cognitive development proceeds through a series of four levels. The first is the single-class level, attained by infants at approximately 1 year of age. At the single-class level, concepts are based on element similarity or convention (for example, images and words for common objects). The second level is the relational level, attained by toddlers…

Piloted Me-ology Drug Prevention Program in Ohio among sixth graders in rural and small town schools. Conducted pre/post tests to measure students' knowledge of decision making processes, alcohol, drugs, and tobacco. Results supported use of program in expanding students' knowledge base. (NB)

Describes the changing social characteristics of early adolescence; provides research finding implications of the effects these changes have on the school climate and academic acheivement and offers suggestions to middle school educators who interact daily with early adolescents. (BB)

Evaluated seven-day program incorporating discussion, dance, and song to bring children and older adults from the community together in sixth-grade unit on aging. Survey of 21 students following the program suggests that students began to perceive older participants in active rather than passive terms and that nature of program became more…

Two groups of boys and their parents were given five divergent thinking tests as one part of a longitudinal investigation on exceptional giftedness in early adolescence. Canonical and bivariate analyses indicated that there was a strong correlation between the adolescents' divergent thinking test scores and their parents' scores. (Author/LMO)

Describes how an English Junior School developed a parent involvement program aimed at improving reading. Provides anecdotal accounts of its success as well as a discussion of crucial elements to an effective program. (DT)

Reports two experiments showing a possible developmental shift from memory organization based on associative criteria to an organization based on categorical criteria. Children in first, fourth, and seventh grades were given a sort/recall task with items that could be organized into groups of categorical or associative pairs. (Author/CB)

"Data Trends" reports present summaries of research on mental health services for children and adolescents and their families. The article summarized in this "Data Trends" is an analysis of secondary data obtained from a sample of 9 to 11 year old children receiving outpatient public mental health services in Philadelphia. The…

The Purposeful Algebraic Activity Project is a longitudinal study of the development of pupils' algebraic activity in the early years of their secondary schooling. Here, we report on our empirical findings from the initial semi-structured interviews. We analyse the responses of three pairs of 12-year-old pupils to a range of algebra questions. In…

Intended for preadolescents, this novel can serve as an antidote to the well-documented sexism girls encounter as they struggle with questions of self-esteem. It tells the story of 11-year-old Lily, harassed by a boy at school, but with a distinct advantage in that her flute teacher is a time traveler. In the novel, Lily travels back 3,500 years…