To determine the relationship between parental childrearing practices, sex-role preference, and intellectual functioning in young boys, 21 lower class and 21 middle class white fathers were observed at home interacting with their 4-year-old sons. The Binet, the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, and Brown's "It" Scale were subsequently…

The theory underlying the measurement of intellectual growth by the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) and its congruence with the objectives of the Appalachia Educational Laboratory (AEL) Early Childhood Education Program is explored. The PPVT was administered to a sample of 160 3- and 4-year-old children in three treatment groups: (1)…

Examined the use of the mutual exclusivity constraint in naming objects among young children monolingual in English or bilingual in English/Urdu or in English/Greek. The study used three tests of the constraint: disambiguation, rejection and restriction. Findings revealed that bilingual children used the constraint to a lesser extent than…

Some 76 hearing children in prekindergarten classes, half receiving sign instruction and half not, were tested on English vocabulary acquisition. Children who received the sign instruction scored significantly higher on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test than children receiving sign instruction. (Contains 15 references.) (Author/LB)

The relationship between various aspects of mother-child interaction and the language performance of young disadvantaged Negro children is assessed in this study. An exploratory survey was conducted to determine if mothers in socially disadvantaged families were willing to enter a parent participation preschool program. Subjects for this study,…

Normal and learning disabled (LD) first graders were given a battery of language and perceptual-motor-memory (PMM) tests. Results indicated that: LD children generally are less proficient in vocabulary and language tasks; and language tests are better indicators of learning disabilities than PMM tests. (SJL)

A demonstration program to serve the needs of children who are identified as limited English proficient (LEP) was developed and implemented. Each of six schools in the Austin Independent School District (AISD) contained a class of 18 students, 3 of whom were non-LEP. The non-LEP children served as English-speaking models for their LEP peers.…

The objectives of this project were to assess and improve learning skills and language abilities in culturally disadvantaged children. The five studies included under this cover were prepared as self-contained reports yet they shared these common objectives. The studies are: (1) Learning Efficiency and Elaboration Training among Four- and…

Matched groups of day-care and home-reared infants were assessed at 3.5 years old for aspects of emotional and language development. The data suggest that attendance in infant day care did not adversely affect the children's overall emotional or language development (Author/DB)

This study of 105 low-income, urban, African-American preschool and kindergarten children found that the performance of most of the children on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised was more than one standard deviation below the mean. Findings indicated that the test was not appropriate for use with this population. (Author/JDD)

The decision making processes of children in a probabilistic environment were studied within the context of the theory of signal detection (TSD). The relationship between the age of the child and his ability to revise decision criteria was examined, as well as the appropriateness of TSD measures and methodology with children. It was hypothesized…

The purposes of this study were to analyze parent involvement as it related to (1) the development of language abilities of culturally disadvantaged preschool children and (2) the intelligence test scores of these children and to analyze parent attitudes resulting from involvement. Nine hypotheses were tested. Forty-one 4-year-old Head Starters in…

The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a diagnostically based curriculum for disadvantaged preschool children. For each of 3 years, 45 lower class Appalachian white 5-year-olds were equally divided into three groups. The experimental preschool group (EPS) received a structural curriculum designed to remedy specific, diagnosed…

This article examines whether changes in the ethnic minority composition of the standardization sample for the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-III (PPVT-III) can be used as the sole explanation for children's better test scores when compared to an earlier edition. Analysis suggests other factors may explain improved performance. (Contains…

This report summarizes AISD's 2004-2005 prekindergarten program activities and student participation and performance results.