Teacher education can be thought of as sets of activities intended to socialize candidates into the segments of the occupation of teaching. It is suggested that these activities have at least eight interrelated parameters, and that variables in each of these parameters impinge upon the processes of socialization. The variables discussed are: (1)…

This paper investigates the evidence for adult-infant ratios in day care centers, finding that current evidence is based largely on the premise that a low number of infants per adult should result in greater interaction between the adults and the infants, and, thereby, better infant care. Support for this premise is derived from three main…

This paper presents in descriptive and practical terms a rationale for working towards openness in the classroom. Open education is defined as a humanistic approach designed to offer support to the children in their move towards self-realization. More than classroom structure, open education is a way of thinking about children, learning, self and…

This paper discusses the differences between the one-child family and the family with more than one child in terms of the effects or possible effects on the child. Longitudinal studies of 200 children being followed from birth through age 5 (one-third of whom are only children, two-thirds, second children, were used as a data base, along with a…

For a range of extrinsic and intrinsic value orientations, values held by students at entrance to college are the best predictors of values three years later. It is shown that important secondary predictors include sex (female), and characteristics of the student's major department (academic discipline and student/faculty social relationships).…

The validity of Tinto's (1975) theory of student attrition, which asserts that withdrawal relates most directly to students' integration in the social and academic systems of an institution, is examined. This study supports that theory and also suggests that informal interaction with faculty plays an important role as well. (Editor/LBH)

Reexamines Gunnar Myrdal's "An American Dilemma" (1944), which argued race relations in America would improve because the American Creed of democratic liberalism created a dilemma between existing racial prejudice and the national ideology. Describes how Myrdal's deterministic perspective robbed civil rights historiography of its drama…

A sample of twin boys and their mothers was followed up from age 2 to age 9. Mothers' responses to interview questions were compared across these two ages in order to assess mothers' perceptions of continuity or change in given behaviors. Results indicated substantial continuity in mothers' reports of the presence or absence of given behaviors.…

A cross-age art project involving second graders and high school students is described. Each group investigated the design qualities of several popular picture books and then wrote their own stories. The second graders had to illustrate the high school stories and vice versa. It was a tremendous success. (RM)

Today's educational software has transcended original drill and practice functions to provide enjoyable learning experiences through simulation, tutorial, and special education programs that develop reasoning and problem-solving skills. Teacher and administrator effectiveness can be enhanced by lesson design, scheduling, attendance, grade…

Examines the effects of middle school organizational structure on students' interracial and cross-sex communication patterns emphasizing Allport's contact theory, i.e., does structure affect the frequency with which students talk to other-race classmates? Indicates schools can structure curricula to improve majority-minority interactions.…

Focuses on three aspects of the young Puritan child in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries: how Puritan ideology influenced attitudes toward children; whether young children were seen as children or miniature adults; and early childhood education in New England, considering the role of the family, church, and school in socializing young…

Major aspects of political education in Zimbabwe (Africa) as they have developed from the colonial period through the Chimurenga, or war of liberation, to the period following independence in 1980 are explored. The focus is on political themes such as power, inequality, community, and ideology. (RM)

Female traits of caretaking, nurturance, sociability, and empathy are not simply internalizations of societal norms and values. Rather, they result from early forms of thought that shape sex-role concepts in predictable ways. Their development can be traced to the young child's belief that "anatomy is destiny." (Author/KH)

Previous findings, from a more limited sample, of the stability of work values, their effects on occupational selection, and the socializing effects of occupations are all reconfirmed in a study using data from the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972. (Author/IS)