Children's lives are infused with stories at home, at school or the library, and in the media. This article discusses how to harness the power of literature and use it to develop positive character traits in young children. Storytelling is a fundamental way in which human beings process and share events as well as the feelings surrounding those…

In commenting on the five articles in this special issue, this paper discusses (1) the concept of child and adolescent psychopathy, and whether adolescent psychopaths are qualitatively distinct from other young people; (2) the measurement of adolescent psychopathy; (3) the relationship between psychopathy and other personality dimensions; (4)…

The author of this article examines two powerful metaphors that have shaped the way people have thought about young children over the past 75 years or so, and argues that these two models are off base. These metaphors are "The Wild Child" and "The Little Scientist." The earlier of these two metaphors is that of the Wild Child, which hearkens back…

Learning style theories offer opportunities and challenges to composition instructors. Some complement contemporary directions in composition theory, but others are counter-productive in prescribing neat categorizations of students that tend to limit teacher expectations of students' abilities. Four current directions in learning style research…

Resilience is the ability to thrive, mature, and increase competence in the face of adverse circumstances. Recent research has uncovered personal and environmental characteristics that contribute to resilience during infancy and toddlerhood, as well as characteristics that predict resilience in later years. Resilient infants and toddlers are…

These two articles, which are based on the comments of more than 2,000 readers of the American Association of Retired Persons'"AARP Bulletin," examine career changing in the United States. The first article, "Up and Away: Second Careers Taking Off," focuses on the specific careers that adults are moving into and out of and the…

The concept of "learning disposition" provides a useful way of examining longer-term outcomes of quality early childhood programs and outlines characteristics of a learning orientation or disposition in early childhood. The learning disposition involves the tendency to want to do something, sensitivity to being alert to the appropriate…

This monograph consists of a paper that examines the construct "disposition," and explores its relevance to curriculum and teaching practices in early childhood education, and a selected ERIC bibliography relating to this subject. The paper is organized in two parts. Part 1 provides a definition of disposition and definitions of the…

Teacher effectiveness research has used changing criteria over the years in assessing and evaluating teacher performance and its effect on student achievement. Early researchers accepted the idea that there should be a relationship between the personality or traits of the teacher and student outcomes. Lists of characteristics of superior teachers…

An overview of cognitve styles and research in the field of field dependence/field independence within the context of the special needs of Hispanic students is presented. Various studies by Witkin et al. on the dimension of field dependence/field independence required the subject to perceive an item independently of the field or context that…

Argues that current adolescent literature has as its recurring hero the outsider and that unlike literature of the 1950s which encouraged conformity, today's literature for young adults encourages them to remain individuals even at the cost of breaking with society. (SRT)

Student evaluations of faculty members are worth reading, but some difficulties in their interpretation must be solved if they are not to subvert the teaching process. Problems include the perceived connection between lowered academic standards and student evaluations, the role of personalities, and their use for personnel decisions. (MSE)

Focuses on the role of temperament in early psychosocial interaction, specifically as it relates to infant-mother attachment. Also considers how temperament may influence the infant's cognitions, emotions, and behaviors and thus affect his or her adaptation to social events. (HOD)

Describes interviews with high school teachers and students from New Hampshire, Illinois, and Georgia in which the author asked teachers and students to define the term "character" as part of an investigation into the moral lives of children. (MD)

Despite growth in the scope and importance of the college or university chief development officer's role, it remains relatively unexamined and the subject of differing perceptions. This report reviews the history and current status of the development function. Major authors on the subject are reviewed and placed into four "schools of…