Since the mid-1970s, participatory research (PR) has provided an alternative approach to those development systems that rely on outside experts and implement predetermined solutions. PR empowers disadvantaged people by recognizing them as co-researchers working together to gather information and implement solutions to their problems. This paper…

This document consists of eight double-sided briefs addressing aspects of the field of early childhood education. Titles of the briefs are as follows: (1) "Early Childhood Care? Development? Education?," outlining the distinctions between these terms; (2) "Planning for Access: Develop a Data System First," highlighting Brazil's…

This report summarizes research on interventions intended to improve four key breastfeeding behaviors: early initiation of breastfeeding, feeding of colostrum to newborns, exclusive breastfeeding for the first 0-6 months, and continued breastfeeding through the second year and beyond. It clarifies what is known about improving these practices in…

This series of articles cites a variety of sources and synthesizes a number of studies on the working conditions and the welfare of workers from several countries. (SSH)

The authors describe a nonformal adult vocational education program developed in Rio Grande do Sul, a rural Brazilian state, which offers in-school vocational education as well as adult continuing education. Truck trailers with vocational equipment and trained personnel visit rural communities to provide learning experiences both in and out of the…

Describes a national plan for university libraries in Brazil that recommends a center for computerized cataloging, standard cataloging formats, and the development of an online library network. Discussion focuses on problems associated with online network implementation, such as computer import restrictions, changes in government agencies, and a…

A discussion of Brazilian teacher education offers four conclusions: problems must be handled in association with other professional, academic, and social problems; historical roots determine the way issues are faced; economic conditions are the source of most obstacles to change; and quality is the key to making the issues effective. (SM)

Five of the six papers in this collection focus on public library services, collection development problems, and involvement in literacy campaigns in developing countries; the sixth paper is concerned with public library services in Norway. (1) In "Big Cities, Its Inhabitants and Public Libraries Systems," May Brooking Negrao examines…

Articles collected in this issue of UNICEF News deal with different aspects of the theme of the child and its environment. Specifically, topics covered include (1) awareness of the kind of world our children will inherit; (2) the survival of an urban child; (3) the survival of a Sahelian rural child as a working member of his farming community;…

Articles collected in this issue of UNICEF News deal with different aspects of the theme of communication in development programs. Specifically, topics covered include (1) communication as a total process and the role of communication in overcoming obstacles to social change; (2) a village education and resource center, in Bangladesh, committed to…

A study was conducted to examine the procedures and requirements of a formative evaluation when it is carried out for instructional materials that have been designed for a U.S. target audience, but which also have potential use by a population of another country, e.g., Brazil. The study concentrated on determining whether different formative…

A study was conducted to critically assess the developmental conditions of 187 children (ages 1 month to 6 years) in eight creches (day nurseries) located in and around Ribeirao Preto, Brazil. Data were collected through informal interviews of day care staff and from 20 hours of direct observations of day care units. Findings indicated inadequate…

Personal interviews were conducted in July, 1967, with 315 farm operators in rural Brazil where the local extension service had been in operation for more than four years. Patron-dependence (PD) was described as the subscription to a value system, according to the individual's position in the status structure, which produces dependency at…

This report is a continuation of a review done in 1958 by the Ford Foundation in an attempt to identify and define a productive role in Latin America. Contained herein are as follows: The Introduction includes: (1) Urbanization in Latin America, The Role of the Ford Foundation; (2) Urbanization in Brazil, the Involvement of the Ford Foundation;…

The rural primary school in Brazil could make important contributions to rural development through its potential to involve adults (parents) in democratic group decisions. The system as it now stands, however, is rigidly hierarchical and allows no space for participation of low income groups in upper-echelon decision making. (Author/GC)