Cognitive effects in children's learning of altruistic behavior were tested with an adaptation of Aronfreed's test design and machine. Children in grades 1-4 were presented with a machine with 2 levers. One lever, when pressed, released bubble gum, and the other turned on a light. For two of the three groups the experimenter exclaimed delightedly…

Empirical longitudinal evidence is presented regarding the positive relationship between test scores and the amount of time students participate in preschool and kindergarten classes. This positive relationship exists independent of a wide range of teaching styles, materials, and methodologies. Findings are based on four years of observations with…

The perceptual-developmental research of Kagan and Witkin elicited this study of cognitive style. The work of these two researchers leads to the conclusion that differences between graphic expressions of children of the same age reflect differences in the children's mode of information processing. Specifically, this study sought to test the…

Analysis of 65 children over a 4-year period on tests of operational and causal thinking offers support for Piaget's notion of stage progression. In kindergarten and grade one, the majority of children in this longitudinal study were between preoperational and the achievement stage of operational thought. By grade two, the majority had attained…

The objective of this study was to develop and evaluate two procedures for providing preschool education for rural 4-year-olds by using a mobile laboratory. The project used "readimobiles" to determine the effectiveness of a structured, psycholinguistically-based preschool curriculum on black, disadvantaged children. There were three…

This manual evaluates and describes an educational day care model after 1 year of development. The model was designed for 3- and 5-year-old disadvantaged youngsters who exhibit low scores on intelligence, linguistic, and perceptual tests. Model objectives were based on the following criteria: (1) effectiveness of the curriculum with children, (2)…

Fifteen bilingual and 15 monolingual Head Start children, ranging in age from 4 to 6, were administered three types of tasks: (1) object constancy task: subject was shown a common object, a transformation was done on the object, e.g., crushing a paper cup, and then that object plus an identical pre-transformed object, were shown to the subject and…

Changing educational practices require changes in our theories and techniques of evaluation. Three forces of change are: (1) The emphasis on cognitive development in the disciplines; (2) the continuity of education over the span of life; and (3) the adaptation of instruction to individual requirements. These influences dictate a form to which…

Noting the need for action to alleviate the illitaracy which handicaps half of the world's population and 11 percent of America's, it was emphasized (1) that the problem is particularly intense in urban schools where failure rates and nonreaders run from two-thirds to 50 times higher than in other schools; (2) that the percentage of retarded…

Five factors should be considered in understanding the value of children's literature in the elementary school curriculum, as both an aesthetic and utilitarian experience. Children's literature is significant (1) as an information supplement in science, art, social studies, mathematics, and other curriculum subjects; (2) as a vital part of the…

Although the literature abounds with speculation about open education, there are few experimental studies designed to test its effects. This research compared an open education program with a traditional program at the middle school level. Subjects were randomly assigned to comparison groups. Dependent measures included a self-concept scale, a…

An historical record is presented of the processes by which the children's television program, Sesame Street, was created, developed, and implemented. Particular attention is focused on the concept of using a team of educational advisors, professional researchers, and television production specialists to blend the technology of television and the…

American Indian paraprofessionals were trained to teach parents to use social learning principles to develop question-asking skills in their first-grade children. Subjects were assigned to three treatment groups of 10 subjects each for a time lag control form of multiple baseline design. Two hypotheses were tested: (1) instruction by parents would…

The important role of spontaneous play in preschool education programs is emphasized. At present too much emphasis is placed on structured learning activities and it's suggested that more "open spaces" be allowed for in a child's day. In spontaneous play, adequate space and time must be allotted for investigation and unhurried experience. Good…

This monograph, a Planned Variation study, examines the impact of Project Follow Through (FT) on three sets of analyses, each of which approaches parent data exclusively, and assumes the relationship of parental attitudes and behaviors to pupil cognitive and affective growth. The first set of analyses summarizes the initial demographic…