Investigates the drawing and copying skills of nine autistic and eight mentally retarded children matched for mental age. Results indicate a similarity of performance for the drawing tasks and significant differences concerning the copying. Discusses the specific functions performed better by the autistic children and provides illustrative…

Reports on a study of 168 undergraduate students at the United Arab Emirates University. Used the "Learning and Study Strategies Inventory" to examine the differences between low-, average-, and high-achieving students. Discovered that motivation was the most powerful discriminating factor separating the students. Includes sample…

Used hierarchical linear modeling to explore the effects of the social context of Chapter 1 prekindergarten classrooms on 4-year-olds' learning. Found that children made smaller gains on the Preschool Inventory over the preschool year in classrooms with higher concentrations of minorities, children with special needs, recent immigrants, and…

A study assessed the unique contribution of teacher-child and parent-child relationships to the prediction of early childhood school outcomes in a high-risk sample of 55 four-year olds. Results suggest that qualities of mother-child interaction are more strongly related to preschool and kindergarten adjustment outcomes than are the qualities of…

This article discusses the resistance of many students who have taken Advanced Placement English in high school to college freshman-year English composition requirements. Concepts of adherence and opposition to authority are applied to help understand these students. Recommendations for helping these students develop their thinking and writing are…

Recommends using examples from sports and exercise pathology in the undergraduate psychology curriculum. Sports and exercise issues enjoy popularity among many undergraduates and contain many examples applicable to general psychology courses and psychological research. Discusses sports and exercise topics illustrating concepts from developmental…

A study compared developmental functioning, social, and environmental backgrounds of 62 overly active children (age 7), 37 with inattentive behavior, and 46 controls. Children with inattentive behavior were more likely to have general cognitive delays, particularly in language development and were more likely to have fathers with low occupational…

Suggests that there are three ways of taking in information: internalizing inert information, forming activated ignorance, or achieving activated knowledge. Explains that only activated knowledge leads the learner, by implication, to more knowledge, and that seeking the logic of things can lead to discovery of activated knowledge. (NB)

This article comments on two studies (EC 629 876) that investigated the validity of a set of 15 general growth outcomes (GGOs) for identifying young children with disabilities. It discusses concerns relating to whether the research is sufficiently meritorious to result in a valid measure of growth outcomes suitable for national use. (Contains 4…

This response to comments on two studies (EC 629 876) that investigated the validity of a set of 15 general growth outcomes (GGOs) for identifying young children with disabilities, discusses the GGOs as a way for educators to provide a quick effective reading of a child's status and growth within a developmental area. (Contains 8 references.) (CR)

Relationships between parenting and children's school readiness were examined within socioeconomically comparable samples of African American and Euro-American kindergarten children, mothers, and teachers. Although similarities existed across ethnic groups in the relationships between parenting and school performance, family income moderated…

Recommends the application of cognitive-developmental theory with young offenders. The theory claims that moral reasoning can be developed through discussion with others. Summarizes a study where 40 young offenders participated in moral-dilemma discussions with another subject that differed in level of moral reasoning and peer status. (MJP)

Reports on a study that investigated the effects of the presence or absence of lyrics in children's musical selections on young children's responses to music. The children responded to either recorded lullabies performed by a women singing, or a solo instrument, or separate pieces with and without lyrics. (MJP)

Compared the influence of free play and work lessons on kindergartners' cognitive co-construction as a means of testing the value of a sociocultural model of early childhood education. Measures of active participation, intersubjective cooperation, and cognitive distancing showed that both child-related and situation-related factors influenced…

Substantial disagreement exists in the literature regarding which educational technology results in the highest cognitive gain for learners. In an attempt to resolve this dispute, we conducted a meta-analysis to decipher which teaching method, games and interactive simulations or traditional, truly dominates and under what circumstances. It was…