Human beings are a delicate balance of mind, body, and spirit, so an imbalance in one domain affects all others. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects that physical fitness may have on such human characteristics as personality and behavior. A review of the literature reveals that physical fitness is related to, and can affect,…

Examined were antecedents and behavioral correlates of parental perceptions of efficacy, using data from a national survey of 3,000 parents and a study of 65 mother-infant dyads. Survey data were used to determine what factors are predictive of parental perceptions of efficacy. Dyadic data were used primarily to examine the relation between…

A fundamental issue in research on violence between couples who are dating or married is the question of when abuse begins in the relationship. A study was conducted to examine the relationship between gender, level of emotional commitment, and the use of conflict tactics in couples whose levels of emotional commitment ranged from "casual…

This paper presents a perspective from Singapore on the secondary school curriculum and adolescent development. Topics discussed include (1) curricular considerations related to socioeconomic factors in Singapore society, such as rapid industrializaton, problematic procreation and marriage trends, latchkey children, and youth gangs; (2) curriculum…

This book provides the teacher with a framework for assessing children's potential to learn, taking into account cognitive skills, specifically similarity thinking skills, as well as the emotional status of children, particularly the development of independent security. Complex ideas are introduced through the use of case studies and anecdotes.…

Illustrated with examples drawn from the experience of one teacher educator, ways of providing prospective teachers at the college level with active learning experiences based on developmental principles are discussed. The discussion draws parallels between three approaches in early childhood education and these same approaches to teacher…

For thousands of years metaphors have been used as a teaching device to help people grow, to understand, to develop ego strength, resilience and a quality of life. Each system of therapy has a set of metaphors in the form of a vocabulary. Fairy tales have messages on different levels and leave the metaphors open for interpretations. The power of…

In order to prescribe instructional strategies that match individual learning styles, a study examined the relationships among students' gender, communication avoidance behavior, and classroom achievement. Additionally, the study investigated the relationship of the instructor's gender to the student's perception of instructor immediacy and the…

Parent/infant bonding is discussed in this study review. Bonding is defined prior to a discussion of research that places the concept in historical perspective. The discussion of research since 1950 focuses on Bowlby, Klaus and Kennell, Helfer, Mahler and Rheingold, and Brazelton. Attention is given to the capacities of the newborn, child abuse,…

Through the years, gifted adolescents have suffered from a lack of formal guidance from the school counselor. Probably the most common reason for the lack of quality counseling for the gifted student stems from the general yet erroneous belief that the gifted child can take care of himself/herself. Alvino (1981) noted that when counselors do work…

Literature is reviewed to identify findings indicating the effects of the one-parent family on the elementary school child's academic achievement and social and emotional development. While findings are contradictory in the area of academic achievement, it is concluded that disruption in home life accompanying death, separation, or divorce is…

Parenting, always a complex and difficult task, is even more difficult for teenage parents who are generally less able financially, emotionally, and cognitively than adults to nurture and care for their children. The relationship between the combined effect of knowledge of child development and level of social-emotional maturity, and the extent to…

Oral responses of 180 male and female undergraduates to scenarios containing positive-loving, neutral-informational, and/or negative-rejecting (male) child communications were obtained and scored along 25 specific categories, as well as a global rating of acceptance/rejection of child. A factor analysis generated six factors, which, along with the…

Teacher training is the key to implementing psychological education for children. The author presents a description of a teacher workshop in psychological education. (HMV)

The author contends that families are uniquely constituted to bestow the gifts of caring, courage, and problem solving ability upon children. Clinical and epistemological insights as well as research evidence concerning child development and family relationships are presented as sources of information which will aid families to bestow these gifts.…