Parents of 40 Down's Syndrome babies were taught methods of communicative training with their children that involved either modeling techniques or written instructions. Results showed a significant difference in favor of the group taught modeling. (RJC)

Compared characteristics of female alcoholics receiving treatment with those of male alcoholics. Found male subjects had more psychosocial problems and had more contact with the child welfare authorities during their childhood than did the females. However, the females' offspring had had more such contact than the males' offspring. Socioeconomic…

Examined children's cognitive style and their play in different play areas according to sex and age. Found that females played most in the physical, block, manipulative, and dramatic play areas, while males played most in block play. Four-year olds played most in physical, block, and dramatic play, while five-year olds most often chose…

Examined 171 female alcoholic inpatients, including subjects' own childhood, offspring, and family environment. Found that female alcoholics resemble males alcoholics and have disturbed childhoods with a drug- or alcohol-abusing, suicidal parent. In particular, boys of female alcoholics are extremely vulnerable during adolescence and have a more…

Surveyed 235 randomly selected teachers to investigate their sense of well-being in the context of 10 child care activities. Results indicated that child-related education, experience, and interaction did not influence the overall well-being of teachers. Nurturing children and working with parents were found to be their most enjoyable and least…

Reviews principles of active, democratic learning; examines issues of time management, such as the use of routines and timetables; and considers the role of the teacher as challenger, facilitator, and tutor. (BC)

Analyzed influence of diverse variables on theory of mind development in preschoolers. Assessed development levels in diverse areas, along with the quality of family interaction, quality of attachment, and the children's performance with a series of mind tasks. Developed a multi-causal model to aid research into the optimum family environment for…

The purpose of the present study was to analyse possible developmental trends in sustained attention through the pre-school period, as well as the influence of social and physical distractions. Three samples of children, one per each pre-school grade, were observed during learning activities required by the teacher. Children's behaviour was coded…

Research indicates that both home literacy activities and direct instruction of reading skills promote reading development. The current study investigates how parent-led direct teaching activities impact emergent literacy. Preschool children (n = 47) were administered subtests from the Test of Early Reading Ability-3 and the Kaufman Survey of…

While much time has been spent deliberating about the definition of play, little emphasis has been placed on what children themselves perceive as play. The aim of the present study was to examine social context as a cue for children's perceptions of play and learning. Ninety-two children aged between four and six years (mean four years nine…

Elaborates classroom work skills and the play curriculum. Reviews play's relationship to learning and to the role of the adult. The implications of the American work ethic for play curricula and play training for teachers are discussed. (AS)

Describes how the field dependence independence dimension of cognitive style affects teachers' instructional behaviors and students' learning behaviors, and how interaction of teachers' and students' cognitive styles creates different learning environments. Discusses matching alternatives, focusing on identical cognitive style matching and…

Examined social behaviors of Head Start children from high- or low-quality classrooms in urban or rural settings. Found that maternal depression related to fewer parent-reported positive social behaviors and more problem behaviors. Parent-reported home violence related to fewer teacher-reported disruptive behaviors. Higher quality classrooms had…

Assesses the school achievement and level of education of 530 children reared in children's villages. Results indicate that school achievement and education level of such children were better than those of children in traditional foster care or with parents from very disadvantaged backgrounds. (RJC)

Investigates three central findings in human malnutrition research: (1) behavioral changes in infants and young children are observable outcomes of malnutrition; (2) non-nutritional factors in the environment affect child development; (3) nutritional supplementation with a consistent and varied regimen of stimulation hold potential for reversing…