A rationale for teaching beginning reading from a learning theory perspective that is compatible with Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development is presented in this paper. The model offered is based on a linguistic analysis and on current research. The logical thinking skills characteristic of each stage of development proposed by Piagetian…

A study charting the development of grade school children's analogic reasoning used 26 second, fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students from lower middle class and higher middle class schools. The children were asked to explain concrete, interactive, and abstract concepts to an imaginary creature (a puppet). For half the items, an initial period of…

Nine articles on the young adolescent consider the ability of middle schools to adapt to the needs of their students, the educational implications of preadolescent development, adolescent brain growth and cognitive ability, and the relevance of Piaget's psychology to the middle school. The authors' conclusions include the necessity to identify and…

Research is described concerning a factor analytic view of adolescent thought in Piagetian context. Included are a description of Piagetian tasks used for determining stage of mental development, studies concerning Piagetian task factor analysis, and the current factorial structure of adolescent thought. (DS)

A study investigated the relationship between reading to a child, the child's awareness of print, and the child's concept of reading. Twenty-four kindergarten children and 24 three-year-old children at a day care center were randomly assigned to three groups. Three times a week for four weeks, each child in each group was read a book in a…

The five observational studies reported in this paper provide consistent and interlocking testimony for the view that moral events differ qualitatively from social conventional events, and that these two aspects of the social world are associated with qualitatively differing individual-environment interactions. Each of the five studies focuses on…

This paper describes a model for an adolescent girls group used as an adjunctive therapy to focus on the issue of maturity. Background information about the group members is provided and the group is described as an ego-supportive group which functions to maintain areas of positive functioning and to aid in the development of personal resources.…

A correlation is sought between a teacher's stages of professional growth and levels of invitational teaching. It is posited that stages of teacher professional growth are sequential, with each stage involving specific types of classroom behavior. Stage one is characterized by self concern, or a teacher-centered period. In the second stage,…

This literature review, part of the Project BORN FREE training series for teachers, counselors, administrators and parents, focuses on career socialization at the elementary level. Basic areas addressed include: (1) problem identification; (2) theoretical and psychological frameworks; (3) problem causation and the socialization process; and (4)…

The Family Relationships Project consisted of a three-year investigation of individual and family development. From the first year sample, 120 subjects were selected from 3 age groups (ages 22, 24, and 26) and 2 role groups (single and married without children) for an examination of the validity of the Family Relationships Interview (FRI).…

Two types of adaptation can be conceptualized: the first dealing with the efforts of a child during the course of development to continuously improve the efficiency and economy of his or her intelligence, and the second dealing with responses to demands of the environment. This distinction is useful in conceptualizing the adaptive benefits of…

This paper uses twentieth century American fictional literature to examine middle-age male development. Two historical periods, post World War I and post World War II, were chosen to provide a wide data base which could be analyzed over time. With seven American literature professors' aid, works of literary merit with a middle-aged male…

This staff development module is part of one of three groups of career guidance modules developed, field-tested, and revised by a six-state consortium coordinated by the American Institutes for Research. This module is the sixth in a series on developing a comprehensive career guidance program at the high school level, designed to aid guidance…

This study employs a time-series analysis of naturalistic developmental functioning to describe characteristics of transition in social development. A special education classroom of eight preadolescents, ages 11 and 12, provided subjects for this study. Transitional patterns in social cognitive development were studied in children's…

This paper discusses the positive influences of folk literature on children and the basis of its appeal to them. Sections focus on how traditional literature can be used to develop the child's language ability, critical thinking, value comprehension and sense of humor. The clear-cut structure, characters and language, and the brief and pointed…