Results of this study involving 120 kindergarten and first-grade boys and girls suggest that some understanding of the invariance of number appears to emerge earlier than the ability to pass the standard verbal test. (BH)

Describes Compact Disc Interactive (CD-I), a multimedia product targeted toward consumers that combines audio, video, and graphic materials on compact disc and connects to a standard television. Titles that the vendor plans to offer are listed, and include children's materials, special interest materials, and entertainment titles. (LRW)

Explores aspects of autobiographical accounts of childhood. Considers Freudian explanations of how recollections of childhood are bound by memory; then describes the distinctive form of definitions of oneself-as-child and relates them to post-modern theories about the self. Discusses ways in which recollections of childhood are framed by the…

This study explored preschool teachers' beliefs about the appropriateness of early literacy and mathematics education. In all, 60 teachers of 4-year-olds, half working with low-socioeconomic status (SES) children at publicly funded preschools and the other half with middle-SES children at private preschools, were randomly assigned to read either…

Young children's own perceptions of their preference for television viewing relative to other developmentally appropriate activities were studied through means of a questionnaire. The respondents rated television viewing as a less attractive activity than playing outside, playing with play dough, and building with sand, but few preferred story…

Reports on a study that examined how aspects of sex-role learning account for differences in self-concept among preschool children. Subjects were 32 boys and 32 girls. Children with stereotypic child activity preferences or less awareness of sex-trait stereotypes had more positive self-concepts than their peers. (Author/CH)

Describes the amount and difficulty of the print on video game screens and discusses the educational implications of children's exposure to the games, and notes problems with their habitual use. (FL)

Analysis of children's letters to Santa Claus indicated that: (1) girls requested more toys than boys; (2) children requested neutral toys more often than sex-typed toys; (3) girls were more likely to ask for neutral toys, while boys often asked for neutral or masculine toys; and (4) children preferred sex appropriate to sex inappropriate toys.…

The children's song cycle is a group of related songs composed for children, to be sung by adults. Although children's song cycles as a genre have never commanded such attention, these cycles are valuable educational tools that can serve as an introduction to classical music and art songs. (Author)

Explores the assumptions about their readers implied by two children's novels, one admired by adults and one by children, and considers how such attitudes are fostered in early childhood. (HOD)

Reports on the Smithsonian Institution's four-day international symposium on "Children in Museums." (RMH)

Describes a study of the poetry preferences of 15 classes of primary school children. (DD)

Contains excerpts from unpublished research which illuminate aspects of the play/drama/theatre continuum--research representing over 20 years of study of college students reflecting on their own childhood performance experiences. Focuses on young performers--how children practice the adult art form of theatre through dramatic play. (PA)

The structure of children's interests changes over time from concrete to abstract. Interest structures differ depending on individual perceptions of preferences and competencies. Longitudinal research with ideographic measures is needed to identify developmental patterns of interests and determine whether Holland's model is valid for children.…

Describes the fundamental attitude of learning-from-the-child as integral to observation. Discusses how one learns what motivates each child through patience, humility, repeated experience, objectivity, and faith. Outlines some human tendencies, and challenges us to ensure these tendencies are answered within the Montessori environment. (JS)