Discusses educational uses of microcomputers in context of development theories and models of education and describes the development of a computer-supported writing system for the development of academic skills--a children's newswire service--and its influence on the improvement of low-achieving students' reading and writing skills. (MBR)

Describes the procedures and techniques employed in a peer-group approach for promoting conceptual change. Explains how a series of cards were used to challenge student's conceptions of energy. Suggests that a systematic development of skills is needed to maximize the benefits of a peer group discussion approach. (ML)

Relationship between the social world and individual knowledge acquisition is explored. A general theory predicated on the assumption that social interaction is the driving force behind knowledge acquisition is postulated and then formulated as a model. A selection of results pertaining to social learning are presented. (Author/MBR)

Reports on a longitudinal study of cognitive and motor development among infants born to adolescent and adult mothers when race, parity, socioeconomic status and prenatal care were controlled and home environment evaluated. (HOD)

This article considers relatively neglected resources for the "bootstrapping" of cognitive growth, including chance plus selection, the affective boosting of relevant schemas, the operation of innate biases, and use of spare mental capacity. Implications for educational research are illustrated with reference to recent work on the…

Tested the effect of two systematically designed persuasive communications on attitudes toward energy conservation of 85 preservice elementary teachers differing in energy-related developmental advancement. One finding is that two-sided communication was more effective than one-sided communication regardless of level of developmental advancement…

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)

The study, "Young Children Learning," used a sample of 30 four-year-old girls to examine children's language development, their cognitive processing, and the differential effects of home backgrounds. Discussed are the development of girls and the ideas that are being presented to them both implicitly and explicitly by home and school.…

Reviews the 3-R's Test that measures achievement in three academic content areas: reading, language, and mathematics. Cautions that it lacks data supporting its validity and scaling. (HOD)

A study that investigated whether or not those accepted to medical school distinguish themselves from nonaccepted applicants in regard to selected personal characteristics is reported. The findings indicated that science and nonscience majors did not differ in their academic credentials for medical school. (Author/MLW)

Using cross classifiable pictures, this study assessed taxonomic and thematic clustering in free recall in 240 children, ages seven and ten. The effects of both free and constrained test conditions and developmental, ethnic, and socioeconomic differences, were examined. (BS)

This pamphlet for parents describes the important influences of music on the cognitive development of infants and toddlers under the age of three years. The pamphlet focuses on three aspects of music: (1) bonding with one's child through music; (2) learning through melodies and movement; and (3) the music-creativity connection. For each aspect,…

Distributed by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Education, and Health and Human Services, this Spanish-language pamphlet provides parents with information and advice about their infants in the twelfth month of life. Following a brief description of developmental characteristics at this age, the pamphlet offers advice on a variety of topics,…

Distributed by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Education, and Health and Human Services, this pamphlet provides parents with information and advice about their infants in the fourth month of life. Following a brief description of developmental characteristics at this age, the pamphlet offers information on topics including feeding, early…

Writing activities have long been used in a foreign language class for reinforcing students' linguistic knowledge or other language skills. However teaching writing as writing in its own right has only been advocated in recent decades with the increasing awareness of second and foreign language students' needs to write for academic purposes in the…