The processes by which the young child recognizes and regenerates some invariant and organizational properties of language are discussed. In these processes the child conjoins and contrasts recurrent segments--perhaps a recurrent word--of the messages presented to him. After repeated exposure to messages containing a common segment, the child…

This study was designed to investigate the role of culture and education in the development of formal operational thought, by comparing the results achieved by suburban American youths, American educated youths who were recent migrants, and youths who had been educated in Puerto Rico. It was hypothesized that the suburban youths and Puerto Rican…

The research presented in this paper shows that the norm-referenced grades assigned by teachers are significantly related to the students' self concept assessments and mental health status. Data from a sample of 318 fifth grade students of lower, middle, and upper socio-economic classes indicate that some of the influence which norm-referenced…

The Responsive Environment Program for Spanish American Children (REPSAC) is an educational intervention for 30 "high risk" bilingual children of ages 3, 4, and 5 in Clovis, New Mexico, and a similar group of children from Portales. Subjects were selected on the basis of various language handicaps, perceptual and motor problems, and educational…

The hypothesis, that the importance of language to mankind lies not so much in the fact that it is the means by which we cooperate and communicate with each other as in the fact that it enables each of us, as individuals and in cooperation, to represent the world to ourselves as we encounter it, is presented. In infancy, the representation is made…

Experiences with a day care center indicating the need for sensitivity to the basic problems facing multi-problem families are reported in a review of an urban day care center for young children. Anecdotal records of the population involved are presented, followed by data from a perinatal home visit program which focused on nutrition. Cognitive…

In an effort to identify the cognitive characteristics of teachers which predispose them to attempt to increase levels of information processing in their classrooms, a theoretical construct--cognitive complexity--was synthesized from the processes of conceptual level, creativity, and categorization. Measures of constructs listed above were…

This paper reviews theoretical writings on the importance and function of imaginative play in the development of young children, and describes measurement instruments and instructional aids used for imaginative play in home and school settings. A historical summary of the function of play in the young child's life is presented. Early theories saw…

This report presents the results of two field-based experimental studies to determine the effects of questioning techniques on student achievement and attitudes. The first study was done to determine what student learning outcomes are affected by teachers' use of probing and redirection techniques in classroom discussions. Another purpose of the…

This review of developmental psychology research points out that in many areas, research has not (and, in some cases, cannot) answer complex questions relating to child development. The author surveys research dealing with disadvantaged and minority group children whose achievement seems to lag behind other children. She questions whether this…

This paper discusses the effects of a technological society on the growth and development of children. There is a feeling among preschool and elementary teachers that many children today are excitable, unable to commit themselves to an activity, unable to concentrate well, and speak glibly without understanding. These teachers speculate that…

This paper suggests how to restructure presentations and activities concerning the often vague and confusing topic of the theoretical underpinnings of learning a foreign language. (Author/NCR)

Results suggest that the nature of parent-child communication and effects of that interaction depend not only on messages stressed by the parent but also on the child's own cognitive abilities and goals. (JD)

Argues against direct formal grammar instruction in middle school. Notes that even students with high IQ's frequently score low on cognitive development measures, with children in the concrete stage of thinking usually unable to identify simple subjects and verb phrases. Recommends that until students achieve a level of formal reasoning they…

Explains philosophy of the Higher Order Thinking Skills Project, which utilizes microcomputers in a learning laboratory to develop in upper elementary school students the thinking ability needed to construct sophisticated associations between ideas; describes curriculum used to teach these skills; and reviews software and hardware utilized and…