This paper asserts that what is really basic in education lies first in recognizing what it means to be human, to accept the challenges and pains and joys of being alive, and to attempt not only to preserve but to raise the level of that humanity a notch or so for the next generation. It is suggested that adolescent literature can be a vehicle for…

Early results from a Montessori nursery program initiated by Toronto, Canada, in 1971, to help inner-city children prepare for formal education indicate that the mothers of the 15 three- and four-year-old children were pleased with the program. Specifically, they felt that the children had increased their verbal skills, preparedness for junior…

This is a study of how young children gain social competence through pretend play or role playing. Subjects were 38 Caucasian children (19 females, 19 males) who were observed at four ages: 12, 18, 24 and 30 months. The same set of toys, which included a doll, a saucepan, doll bottles, coffee mug, teacup, teaspoon, doll crib, blanket, toy phone…

Data are presented which show: (1) that differences between adult and child psyches have important implications for age-stratified interaction process; and (2) that adult-child interactional differences cannot be solely attributable to genetic or psychological differences but that they are in part due to social factors. The data are based on…

Examines the relationship between developmental placement as a result of preschool and kindergarten developmental testing and children's later cognitive achievement and social-emotional growth. A total of 223 children in Grades two through six were coded as traditional, overplaced, or "Buy a Year" depending on Gesell Screening Test…

"Schools of Hope" seeks to resurrect the historic, liberally educating vision of arete, or all-around human excellence, as the only proper and realistic goal for preparing today's students for their future. It is based on the assertion that only students who can think creatively will grow, mature mentally, and adapt. From this perspective, schools…

This study is an initial investigation of the effects of grade level, item content and type of probe on children's understanding of communicative ineptness. It was hypothesized that children's recognition and avoidance of inept communications would increase as a function of age and that recognition of ineptness would precede the ability to avoid…

This bibliography is a guide to recent ERIC documents on the socialization of young children. Abstracts are provided for entries cited from Research in Education. Articles from Current Index to Journals in Education are listed. Titles selected were indexed under one or more of the following: social behavior, social development, social maturity,…

Examined effect of participation in a high school drama program on the social maturity and self-esteem of 20 high school drama students relative to 20 peers who were not enrolled in drama. Findings showed significant improvements in areas of social presence, tolerance, and achievement via independence for drama students but did not demonstrate…

Considers factors that may be involved in changes in the socialization process at puberty, and examines some central findings from the literature on pubertal changes from a socialization perspective. Pubertal maturation is expected to be accompanied with socialization problems in terms of unclear and different expectations to the developing…

Presents results of a study developing an informal social skills teacher rating scale for use with early adolescents. Reports that the scale includes skill identification and situational analysis. Provides information on identifying and ranking responses and checking a content validity and reliability. Concludes that the matrix can generate…

This case study of New Haven's Residential Youth Center (RYC) dramatizes the need for an alliance between social activists and the clinician in the arena of community action. A neighborhood-based, self-helf center oriented for "hard-core" inner-city youths, the RYC was funded in 1966 as an experimental and demonstration program by U.S.…

To discover whether linguistic retardation shows itself in vocabulary concerned with orectic characteristics of children and whether a relationship exists between linguistic retardation and orectic immaturity, children were studied (ages 8 to 16) from 11 schools for the hearing impaired. Discussed as background is the general linguistic…

A perception of limited autonomy in the environment of the low socioeconomic black child has important implications for educators. Firstly, since the educational setting is challenging and often fear-provoking for disadvantaged students, it would seem desirable to reduce the generalized expectancy of powerlessness that is characteristic of many of…

This volume specifies the design for a national evaluation of the effects of Head Start programs on the total child, defined in terms of his social competence (in assuming the role of pupil), but is not meant to be construed as a recommendation that a national evaluation be undertaken. The first chapters contain introductory recommendations…