An extended longitudinal study compared cognitive development in children adopted from Romania before 24 months and in United Kingdom adoptees with an additional sample of Romanian children adopted after 24 months. Findings indicated that there was considerable catch-up among late-placed Romanian children but they exhibited lower cognitive scores…

Describes the development and use of two computer simulations for investigating systems thinking and environmental problem-solving in children (n=92). Finds that older children outperformed younger children, who tended to exhibit magical thinking. Suggests that seemingly isomorphic environmental problems may not be interpreted as such by children.…

Two studies demonstrated dissociation between preschoolers' understanding of pictorial and mental representations. Results showed that false picture tasks were significantly easier than false belief tasks. There was no correlation between performance on the two. Children were trained on false belief, false picture, or number conservation tasks;…

Four studies examined developmental differences in the representation of basic-subordinate inclusion relationships in three-, five-, and seven-year olds and undergraduates. Found that even three-year olds showed rudimentary knowledge of the asymmetry of inclusion. There was a marked developmental gap between producing subordinate category names…

Explored how mothers convey information about category structure during naturalistic interactions. Videotaped reading-aloud sessions between mothers and toddlers; coded their interactions for explicit and implicit discussion of animal and artifact categories. Found that mothers provided a rich array of information beyond simple labeling routines,…

Compared kindergartners', third graders', and undergraduates' understanding and attribution of randomness. Found that kindergartners' interpretations were deterministic or outside the determinancy-indeterminancy frame. Most third graders had some grasp of randomness; their interpretations were less dominated by false attribution of determinism…

Presents an example of how a teacher can incorporate "play" into the music classroom. Describes play in general, discusses musical play, and considers the benefits of play for children. Addresses the teacher's role and how teachers can enter into children's play. (CMK)

Examines the ability of young and older adults with mild to moderate mental retardation to produce complex sentences in naturalistic conversation. The complex sentences produced were coded into subcategories of complementation, relativization, or coordination and then analyzed. No significant differences were observed between the two age groups.…

Comparison of 825 first-generation college students and 1,860 traditional college students in 23 diverse institutions after completion of 1 year found first-generation students differed from others in both entering characteristics and college experiences. Although traditional students made greater net gains in reading, the groups gained similarly…

Two cause indicator models were formulated to link items of the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment--Short Form to the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test--Revised. These models were tested with data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (506 and 345 children), and a final model was developed. (SLD)

Noting that science, mathematics, and technology are the cornerstones of the schools of the future, discusses the criteria for evaluation of science, mathematics, and technology curricula, including learning environment, curriculum design, learning activities, and parent participation. Also provides strategies on how to improve and extend science…

Discusses the role of language development in educational achievement and the implications of this role for curriculum development. Children's preschool knowledge of language and its development in early school years is discussed. How their language experiences in school might enhance their language development also is outlined. Highlighted are…

Describes a collaborative project that allows students to explore the role of culture in child development and education through an in-depth study of mathematics education in the United States and Asia. Reports that the assignment is effective in helping students to understand cultural influences and the ecological model of child development. (DSK)

Examined relationships between severity, chronicity, and timing of maternal depressive symptoms and child outcomes for 4,953 children. Found that severity and chronicity of maternal depressive symptoms were related to more behavior problems and lower vocabulary scores. Interaction of severity and chronicity related to higher levels of behavior…

Investigated student teachers' experiences using a phenomenographically oriented pedagogic theory to develop a better understanding of preschool children's life questions. Found that, following the intervention study, the students emphasized the importance of finding the child's point of view and of tackling the child's questions together, more so…