Intended for parents and based on the premise that parents are their children's first and most important teachers, this booklet is a distillation of findings from the 1984 report of the Commission on Reading, "Becoming a Nation of Readers." The introduction reiterates the commission's conclusions (1) that a parent is a child's first…

Using a sample of 276 families living in Syracuse, New York, this study examined the effects of different ecological contexts (i.e., the workplace, the neighborhood, and personal social networks) on the effectiveness of the family as a child-rearing system. Following an introductory overview (Chapter I) of the study's objectives and its…

This study of the bidirectional effects of parent-child relations, focuses on the exchange of attachment behaviors, investigating the interactions of twelve 3-member nuclear families in a strange-situation condition. Dyadic and triadic conditions involving parents with their 12-, 18-, or 24-month-old children were observed and videotaped in a…

This paper presents a clinical-developmental discussion of eight parents with a history of having abused a child and outlines a larger developmental analysis of parental conceptions about children and child rearing which was validated on a broad cross-section of 55 parents. From logical analysis and empirical interview data, four developmental…

EXPLORATION OF PERSONALITY ORIENTATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THE GRADE LEVEL AT WHICH THE PROSPECTIVE TEACHER INTENDS TO TEACH INQUIRED INTO CHILDHOOD RECOLLECTIONS. 508 WOMEN ENROLLED IN 12 TEACHER TRAINING PROGRAMS COMPLETED A LOCALLY DEVELOPED SEMANTIC DIFFERENTIAL QUESTIONNAIRE. THOSE INTENDING TO TEACH AT LOWER SCHOOL LEVELS IDENTIFIED WITH THEIR…

DURING THE FIRST THREE YEARS OF THE PROJECT, PARENTS OF FIFTH-GRADE SPANISH STUDENTS WERE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE BY VIEWING THE TELEVISED INSTRUCTION WITH THE CHILD, PRACTICING SPANISH WITH HIM AT HOME, AND USING THE PARENT GUIDEBOOK AND PHONOGRAPH RECORD PROVIDED FOR THE COURSE. THE SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE OF CHILDREN OF PARENT PARTICIPANTS ON…

This booklet, first of a three-volume series, presents an overview of the problems of child abuse and neglect. Discussions focus on child maltreatment from various perspectives, including characteristics of the parents and children, effects of abuse and neglect, a phychiatrist's view of the problem, and a discussion of state reporting laws. The…

This position paper surveys recent study results on the variable effects of both socioeconomic status and parent-child relationships on the development of competence in young children. Research results imply that certain ways that parents interact with their children are more effective than others in aiding the development of a child's social,…

The author states that hundreds of schools throughout the country are discovering that a positive factor for academic achievement is parental involvement. Schools are finding out that parents "do care" and that, given the opportunity, they can influence and further enchance the educational opportunities of their children. Some question facing the…

This bibliography of publications concerning parent involvement in school programs, prepared by the Canadian Teachers' Federation, is organized in three sections: (1) books; (2) articles; and, (3) theses. Abstracts of material with an "ED" number may be found in "Research in Education." If marked "Available ERIC," hard copy or microfiche copies…

The results, which contrasted markedly with findings of major group differences at 12 months of age, indicated that by age two no group differences were apparent on any child development, mother-child interaction, or maternal attitude measures, except that preterms were significantly poorer in motor skills than were full-term infants. (RH)

This report summarizes presentations and findings from a 1996 conference on "Developmental, Ethnographic, and Demographic Perspectives on Fathers." Part 1 of the report describes the characteristics of the developmental psychology, the ethnography, and the family demography aspects of fatherhood. Part 2 examines the multiple dimensions…

The result of a unique collaboration between a black male and white female whose disparate backgrounds held numerous commonalities, this book examines the detrimental effects of the current market economy and negligent public policy on the well-being of American families. The first section of the book narrates the authors' working-class family…

This paper reviews and synthesizes a broad range of research studies and theoretical essays related to the transition to fatherhood. This literature suggests that the transition to fatherhood can best be described as a set of normative developmental events that occur during the life course. In addition, while transformation into the role of father…

Recognizing that knowing what parents value most provides insights into what society values and what can be expected of future generations, this report details a study exploring parents' goals in raising their children and focusing on parents' attitudes regarding the difficulty of raising children of integrity and character in America today. Data…