Describes some preliminary results comparing two groups of children's performance on a set of Piagetian conservation tasks. Findings highlight the need to sensitize parents and teachers to current views on appropriate learning environments for young children, particularly the strategies they might use to make sense of their experiences. (TJQ)

Condensed from "The Teachers College Record, Volume 70 (December 1968), 227-31

The efficacy of small group instructional programs in classificatory, seriation, and combined class/series skills was evaluated for a sample of 60 urban, middle-class, 4- to 5-year-old children in a transfer of training design. Significant curriculum-specific transfer effects were found for the seriation instructional condition, whereas little…

Argues that worksheets are limited teaching tools because they do not address preschoolers' developmental needs such as hands-on play. Presents characteristics of early learning that can be facilitated by play, which fosters children's social and language development, physical skills, and creative and critical thinking. Suggests that learning can…

Designed for use in curriculum development and as an instructional guide for preschool programs in Shasta County, California, this framework provides information on curriculum areas, developmental indicators, and appropriate activities at the preschool level. Specifically, this framework represents a resource for teachers, curriculum specialists,…

Reports on a study of young children's abilities to discriminate between two chords played as the accompaniment of a melody and played alone with no melody. Finds that age, type of stimulus, and the interaction of these two variables affected children's performance significantly. (CFR)

This value-added analysis of the short-term effects of early intervention on 489 preschool children found that children with language impairments or multiple disabilities made developmental gains beyond that predicted by maturation alone in several skill areas, whereas children with speech impairments benefited in the cognitive domain only.…

Nine commonly occurring activities were identified in mainstreamed kindergarten and first grade classrooms, the necessary skills for participation were analyzed, and a curriculum was developed. Evaluation of the curriculum showed that 15 handicapped preschool children learned the necessary skills, even when the instructions, environment, and task…

Documented strategies preschool children used in completing complex, multipiece puzzles, which included focus on color, design, or shape. Found that all children could benefit and enjoy working on larger puzzles in the classroom and that the activity encouraged social literacy, completing a long-term project, scaffolding, and child development.…

Alcoholism has repeatedly been implicated in many significant social and health problems, yet little is known concerning etiology before age 12. As part of a longitudinal project to investigate alcoholism etiology in preschool children, a study was undertaken which compared families with male preschool children who are statistically at high risk…

This study attempted to develop, implement, and evaluate an experimental preschool education program based on Piaget's theory of cognitive development. A further goal was to examine Piaget's theoretical assumptions and postulated cognitive developmental trends for a 2-year period of the preoperational substage. A total of 48 3- to 5-year-olds…

The present project provided for the development of a detailed quantitative curriculum appropriate for use in Head Start classes, trial of the developed materials with preschool children in Hawaii, and preliminary assessment of the curriculum in comparison with a more spontaneous, informal quantitative classroom experience. Directions for tasks…

This paper examines the possibility of accelerating the development of intelligence when applying stringent Piagetian standards to evaluate the effects of short- and long-term intervention or instruction programs. The paper reviews previous Genevan and American research that shows that development can be accelerated by means of only a few…

The objectives of this research pilot project were (1) to train 3- and 4-year-olds in cognitive and tactile discovery tasks; (2) to provide guidance for parents, enabling them to reinforce and review the concepts taught; and (3) to establish training and employment, as tutors, for central city high school and junior college students. A "discovery…

In a summer program, 351 Head Start children were assessed. Goals of the program were (1) to assess the educability of these children as a group, (2) to identify to public schools the children in need of early special help, and (3) to obtain information germane for future Head Start programs. Children were screened with reference to probable…