We study whether compulsory religious education in schools affects students' religiosity as adults. We exploit the staggered termination of compulsory religious education across German states in models with state and cohort fixed effects. Using three different datasets, we find that abolishing compulsory religious education significantly reduced…

How can educators help privileged children develop understanding of and compassion for immigrants in schools where there is very little diversity in their classrooms? The author used picture books to help children feel closer to those who came from challenging environments to find a better life in the United States. She discovered that asking…

Significant declines in outdoor activity and engagement with the natural environment are growing concerns with negative impacts on well-being. We pilot-tested an intervention encouraging outdoor activity among adult mentor and child mentee pairs and families, in partnership with Milwaukee's Urban Ecology Center. The study used a mixed methods…

What do we mean when we say we want to put children at the centre of policy? What are the moral justifications for this approach? Has it become harder for us to understand this concept, when in practice paid work has been at the centre? In part confusion arises because the unpaid work of caring for children is invisible until it is marketized. In…

Since Leo Kanner first described it in 1943, autism has attracted a flurry of research. That research has transformed an esoteric condition into a better understood disorder. In addition to shifting conceptualisations, the new research seems to have influenced people's attitude towards the disorder. However, few studies have examined people's…

This article describes the findings of a qualitative study on knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, and practices towards children with spina bifida and hydrocephalus in four regions of Uganda. Focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews were held with parents of children with spina bifida and hydrocephalus, policy-makers, and service…

Background: Children with intellectual disabilities (IDs) have the same human value as other children and are entitled to their basic human rights. And yet, in developing countries they face many barriers to accessing these rights. This study focuses on children with IDs in Egypt. Method: A new measure, the Human Rights of children with…

Reports such as this typically begin with a statistic designed to highlight a problem. The girls and boys to whom this edition of "The State of the World's Children" is dedicated are not problems. Rather, each is a sister, brother or friend who has a favourite dish, song or game; a daughter or son with dreams and the desire to fulfil…

Preventing childhood obesity has become a top priority in efforts to improve our nation's public health. Although much research is needed to address this health crisis, it is important to approach childhood obesity with an understanding of the social stigma that obese youths face, which is pervasive and can have serious consequences for emotional…

Describes the various displays and activities which make up a traveling exhibit, "Reflections: The Child in America." The exhibition is designed to enhance understanding of American children's lives and experiences from colonial times to the present. (SS)

The present research evaluated an intervention, derived from the "extended contact hypothesis," which aimed to change children's intergroup attitudes toward refugees. The study (n=253) tested 3 models of extended contact among 5- to 11-year-old children: dual identity, common ingroup identity, and decategorization. Children read friendship stories…

Work and play are parts of the same whole and the detachment of the notion of effort from the idea of play has had confusing and dangerous consequences--dangerous, because the opportunities for children to engage in vital, self-selected play have been diminished in our society. This has been done partly through deliberate, conscious choice on the…

Reports on a 1972 study of nursery school children's racial attitudes compared with those of older children. Children were tested with a semantic differential questionnaire and a social distance scale and were compared across age and race. Concludes that the norm for racial attitudes is a bias for one's own race. (MK)

Involuntary parenthood contributes to population problems and may have deleterious consequences for the mental health of both parent and child. Some suggestions are outlined for counteracting pronatalist policies with alternative strategies for manipulating fertility decision making. (Author)

Current literature on sex-role attitudes has several shortcomings, including a paucity of longitudinal and developmental data. Cross-sectional data collected in the mid-1970's indicate that college students express more liberal attitudes toward women with increasing years of college attendance. This shift could be due to intraindividual changes or…