Content analysis of task force reports on improving the undergraduate major in 10 liberal arts disciplines revealed that each discipline's epistemological character strongly influenced methodology, pedagogy, and curricular innovation, consistent with previous theory and research on disciplines. The role of these factors and pragmatic…

Suggests that asking children to color within the lines does not stifle their creativity but is similar to expecting children to stand in line for the bus or write neatly. Proposes that expecting students to color within the lines is establishing a basis of knowledge and control from which they can eventually explore more creative avenues of…

Offers caregivers of children recommendations on what to do when an infant or toddler bites another child; changes in the room environment that can reduce biting; dealing with biting when it becomes a frequent, expected occurrence; and maintaining positive relationships with parents. (AC)

Examined mothers' demands during mothers' interactions with their 1.5- to 3.5-year olds. Mothers with authoritative child-rearing attitudes emphasized proactive, competence-oriented demands and avoided regulatory control. Maternal demands for competent action predicted fewer behavior problems in their children at age five; maternal demands focused…

Reviews research and presents the results of a case study on the effects of subject knowledge and its place within the British National Curriculum for early childhood students. The importance of foundation subjects as a vehicle for the acquisition and development of basic skills in literacy and numeracy is a major finding of the research. (MDM)

The 1995 Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll features in-depth exploration of various educational issues. Respondents rate their own communities' schools higher than the nation's schools. Lack of discipline and waning financial support are schools' major problems. People believe that disruptive and learning-disabled students should be educated in separate…

A synthesis of ideas on talent development is presented, based on 10 interviews previously conducted with masters in arts and sciences. The six themes include: age at which the individual identifies with a discipline, early schooling experiences, skills and characteristics associated with great expertise, mentors, skills and characteristics…

Critical incident methodology was used to study the attributional beliefs of 211 junior high school students in 4 subject areas. Results highlight the context-specific nature of causal beliefs and their linkages to reported classroom achievement. External attributions were more likely to generalize across subject areas. (SLD)

Examined the cultural dynamics of native speakers of English lecturing to ethnic Chinese English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students at the City University of Hong Kong. A four-dimensional framework for analyzing the effects of culture on ESL lectures is outlined that focuses on ethnic culture, local culture, academic culture, and disciplinary…

Discusses the benefits of attachment parenting, which emphasizes parental commitment, a low-stress pregnancy, childbirth preparation, breast-feeding with child-led weaning, prompt response to the baby's crying, flexible sleeping arrangements, close-knit father-mother-baby functioning, and the avoidance of detachment parenting. Attachment parenting…

In February 1995, a group of six teachers from various countries met at East Carolina University to discuss school safety and discipline issues. Although school environments differ, all teachers agreed that gaining the student's heart was a more effective classroom-management technique than fear or intimidation. All prized laughter and disliked…

This study investigated the relationship between hemispherecity and college major in 275 undergraduate students. Results suggested that humanities majors prefer a diffuse divergent thinking style. Natural science and social science majors prefer an integrated or left model of intellectual functioning, though social science majors also preferred a…

This paper points out contradictions in a British government report titled "Discipline in Schools" (the Elton Report), and highlights undesirable consequences of recent legal and administrative changes in education. The paper argues that the needs of pupils with emotional and behavioral difficulties would be better met using school-based…

Presents a discussion with James J. Davis, interim chairman of Howard University's Department of Romance Languages. Offers Davis' view that African-American students often are ambivalent about foreign language study and frequently prefer African to European languages. Describes how Davis became involved in the field. (SG)

Describes a bibliometric study of the "Nigerian Journal of Microbiology" that was conducted to aid librarians in scientific journal selection decisions. Data are presented on authorship; forms of literature; ages of the literature; ranking of titles included in citations; geographic location of authors; and academic disciplines of…