This article provides an overview of research about how teachers, parents, and others can help young people develop literacy practices for success in school and life beyond school. The authors, members of the International Reading Association's Commission on Adolescent Literacy, present the results of its review of the literature in the form of…

A review of the literature of middle childhood was conducted to provide background information for instructional designers and scriptwriters from the Skills Essential to Learning Project, which develops television/film series and related print materials for different grade levels to enhance the teaching of thinking skills in the context of major…

An overview of theory and research in memory as it relates to developmental differences is offered in this paper, which is intended to provide background information for the staff of the Skills Essential to Learning Television Project (a multi-level series of video and print resources for classroom use). A model for viewing information processing…

Theory and research concerning early adolescent self-concept and self-esteem indicate that: (1) many early adolescents' cognitive changes affect dramatically the way they see and evaluate themselves; (2) a variety of new significant others are involved in early adolescent self-concept; and (3) changes taking place during adolescence are not as…

Research involving adolescent identification with and development of sex roles is reviewed in the areas of cognitive skills and personality traits, theories of sex role development, and minority group adolescent sex role development. Emerging issues and educational implications in these areas are discussed. (CJ)

This paper examines the nature of human abilities in light of recent advances in information-processing and discusses implications of these developments for cognitive assessment of children. (CJ)

Attempts to demonstrate that specifically language-impaired (SLI) children can be viewed as normal learners faced with systematically altered input. By assuming SLI children are limited in their ability to perceive and hypothesize grammatical morphemes that are low in phonetic substance, many features of SLI children's language can be explained by…

Discusses literature for transitional readers (8 to 11 year olds who can read fairly lengthy stories independently, but need to sharpen and extend reading comprehension and critical thinking skills). Outlines developmental characteristics of these readers, and characteristics of the literature they tend to favor. Includes references to 73…

The ages between 10 and 14 years represent a period of transition between childhood and adolescence when feelings of confusion, anxiety, excitement, and frustration are widely experienced. During this period, early adolescents undergo major developmental changes. Educators working with these young people need accurate knowledge of early…

This report surveys the basic research on how children understand and respond to television advertising messages in order to determine whether regulation is necessary. The implications of the research findings for likely marketplace developments in an unregulated environment are discussed, and it is concluded that there is no sound basis to expect…

Four features of early adolescent friendship have received the greatest attention in the literature: intimacy of conversations, friends' responsiveness to each other's needs and desires, the degree of similarity or complementarity between friends, and the stability of friendships over time. Each of these features and its potential effect on the…

This paper deals with the primary processes of cognition in fifth- and sixth-grade children; i.e., how children this age interpret what they see and hear, how they remember it, and how they reason and solve problems. Designed to provide background information for the staff of the Skills Essential to Learning Television Project (a multi-level…

Comments on revision of Piagetian theory of reciprocity in forgiveness by Enright (PS 522 365) in this issue. Reviews relationship of Enright theory to previous research. Suggests that forgiveness may require moral insights in addition to reciprocity, but reciprocity appears central to children's and adults' understanding of forgiveness. Provides…

Discusses the increasing problem of drug abuse among young people in terms of social causes, including the disappearance of childhood, the changing family unit, changing value systems of the peer culture, prevailing social norms, and parental attitudes. Examples are given of mass media messages that promote drug use. (CB)

Overviews research on the role of cliques among youth and on the symptoms and treatment of attention deficit disorder (ADD). Implications for camp include encouraging positive friendship groups among campers, reinforcing constructive group development, educating staff and parents about ADD, and providing a structured camp environment that has…