Discusses whether developmental delays can be the unintended consequence of developmentally inappropriate preschool teacher and staff practices. Describes the interplay between language and knowledge in early childhood. Includes a table that specifies the child's ability to take in information from language input through five developmental stages…

The Adolescents' Media Practice Model is proposed and discussed. The model emphasizes a dialectical process in which the media are important cultural agents with influence on audiences that is amplified and restrained by individuals who interact with the media from their own positions. The model is grounded in "room culture." (SLD)

The second edition of "Education and Identity" (Chickering & Reisser, 1993), updating Chickering's 1969 theory, describes institutional influences and broad changes in students as they move through higher education. The seven revised vectors are summarized in this article, and current issues related to the updated theory are…

Notes that throughout our educational and teaching experiences, we develop our own scripts, or the body of knowledge we call our own. Traces the script development of one educator, and concludes that becoming a teacher is a lifelong process. (JW)

This retrospective study evaluated an elementary pull-out program based on the Purdue Three-Stage Model. Perceptions of students and families when the students were seniors in high school indicated the program was seen as having a long-term positive impact on the cognitive, affective, and social development of most participating students.…

Two components of life orientation emerged in study of 145 men and 142 women at age 26: Positive Orientation (PO), which included self-percepts of personal control over development; and Motivated Questioning (MQ), which consisted of identity exploration and dissatisfaction with present achievements. In comparison with MQ, PO was more strongly…

At age 17, Jaime Pinkham left the Nez Perce Reservation vowing never to return to the poverty and oppression he had experienced there. However, 12 years later, with a college degree in forestry and leadership skills, Pinkham returned home to become the natural resources manager for the Nez Perce Tribe. Includes Pinkham's thoughts on Indian…

This study examined the attitudes of 33 female and 28 male students who had completed a Mentor Connection program in high school. Attitudes regarding the effect of a mentor on the students' lives, career/work focus, personal confidence, skill development, networking, and long-term goals were analyzed. (Author/DB)

Although equal numbers of highly gifted boys and girls are found from early childhood until about age 12, 98% of the preeminent adults are male. This may be because, during preadolescence and adolescence, girls receive societal messages that undermine gifted girls' confidence and motivation. A vigorous campaign is needed to establish gender equity…

Interviews with 60 African American, Asian American, Hispanic, and white women nominated as gifted by professional and ethnic organizations were analyzed. Findings indicated differences in attitudes and experiences between groups and across stages of life. Structural factors (racism and/or sexism) constituted the most frequently named obstacle for…

Notes the dangers of "generic" early childhood curricula. Draws on a teacher's journal to describe letting preschoolers build their own learning from "natural" learning materials--including plastic and cardboard pipes, palm branches, buckets, chains and pulleys--and how the teacher supported their growth. (HTH)

Principal aims of outdoor education at Belper School are to heighten awareness of and foster respect for self, others, and the natural environment. Outdoor education is committed to active learning through experiences that contribute to personal and social development. Running across the school curriculum, outdoor education breaks down subject…

Examined changes in prosocial moral reasoning and gender differences in prosocial reasoning over 15 years. Found that hedonistic reasoning declined and then increased somewhat; needs-oriented and stereotypic reasoning increased and then declined with age. Direct reciprocity and approval reasoning showed no decline into early adulthood, contrary to…

Found that early adolescents use various models to make moral decisions. These include care (wishing others not to suffer), justice (decisions made according to principles), and narrowly concerned or selfish. Males and females used all three modes, with males being more likely to choose the narrowly concerned mode. (RJM)

Overviews the philosophy and theory of camp experiences and discusses the special benefits of camps, including experiences that can lead to significant life-changing outcomes, sound educational goals, a sense of psychological and physical safety, and helping children to deal with social problems such as the degradation of the environment and human…