Three areas of emphasis distinguish service learning/experiential education from cooperative education: (1) the focus of the social and developmental agenda; (2) attention to those on the margins of society; and (3) a different approach to the mutual benefits reaped by participants. (SK)

Comments on an earlier paper by Lerner and von Eye on sociobiology and human development; general theory in science, especially evolutionary theory; adaptation and behavior plasticity; and modern behavior genetics. Examines assertion that "heritability says nothing about the extent to which a trait is commonly inherited." Discusses…

A study of 20 cooperative education students and 20 controls found that participation in cooperative work experience affects students' development of autonomy, sense of purpose (appropriate education plans and mature career and lifestyle plans), and mature interpersonal relationships. (SK)

Examined personal aspirations of 708 older adults. Found aspirations centered on self-preservation were associated with very old age, functional impairment, lower socioeconomic status and education, and being alone or institutionalized. Aspirations of self-development and interpersonal relationships were associated with younger age, physical…

Comparison of growth rates and menarcheal age for groups of boys and girls, ages 6 to 15, in Tokyo (Japan) found that children with mental retardation had a smaller growth spurt during puberty but did not differ in maturational rate defined by age at pubertal height spurt or age at menarche. (Author/DB)

Examines a hypothesis built on the theories of Piaget, Vygotsky, and Parten that children's play becomes increasingly intersubjective during preschool years. The results provide support for the hypothesis that social play of preschoolers becomes increasingly shared from 3-4.5 years of age. (Author/BB)

Peter Senge explains how his book, "The Fifth Disciple," will change minds about systems thinking, personal growth, and work. He talks about what led him to write the book and what it takes to become a learning organization. (JOW)

Multiple self-referent model provides comprehensive framework for understanding aspects of self-concept formation in African-American women and has implications for understanding career development issues for Black women. Uses excerpts from recorded interviews and autobiographical writings of four well-known African-American women to illustrate…

Reviews studies of the nature of human growth. Suggests that adults can find within themselves and within the educational community all the resources needed to facilitate their growing process. (DMM)

Outdoor education is financially and environmentally costly. Goals attributed to outdoor education such as recreational skills, experiential learning, and personal development are not unique to outdoor education. The distinctiveness of outdoor education is that it leaves the conventional setting behind. The only justifiable goal of outdoor…

Debriefing is a process of guiding reflection on experience. Ideally, facilitators conduct debriefing sessions frequently and in proximity to the experience location. Includes a model "debriefing funnel" into which the facilitators pour experiences, pass those experiences through five reflective filters, and distill a learning change in…

Investigated relationship between Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery-Revised (WJ-R) cognitive clusters (Long-Term Retrieval, Short-Term Memory, Visual Processing, Auditory Processing, Processing Speed, Comprehension-Knowledge, Fluid Reasoning) and written language achievement measures in WJ-R standardization sample. Found significant…

The rationally based model of action learning limits learning and change. Adding a psychological component (emotional experiences that promote or discourage learning) and a political component (effects of institutional and personal power relations on learning) broadens understanding of individual and organizational development. (SK)

Discusses the origins and limitations of the rites of passage model; the types of outdoor education courses the rites of passage and its notion of transformation can inform; and how neglecting the third stage of the model, "reincorporation," limits the longevity of transformations. Outlines the elements needed to successfully bring the…

Identifies fundamental principles of psychology to explain how the self begins and develops over the life span. The influences that contribute to the creation of false and true selves in gifted children are discussed and strategies for promoting the true self of gifted children are offered. (Author/DB)