Based on the belief that learning to communicate is critical for success throughout life, this booklet discusses ways parents can work with their children to provide the experiences and encouragement that will develop this important skill. The booklet's four main sections are: (1) Infants; (2) The Preschool Years; (3) The Elementary School Years;…

This study examined the gender differences in moral orientation among 162 children, ages 11 through 13. Subjects were enrolled in the Minnesota Mother-Child Interaction Project, a longitudinal study of high-risk children and their families. Semi-structured interviews were used to determine each child's ability to understand and use moral…

This book describes a study of childhood experiences with creating personal space in the outdoors, the role these spaces play in children's evolving sense of self, and implications of place-making for education. Chapter 1 describes the author's personal interests that led to the study, the study population, and the way in which each study site was…

In recent years researchers have developed strategies to understand or promote ethnic identity in African-American youth. This paper discusses six studies or interventions which explored ethnic identity among African-American youth. These interventions were designed to produce positive changes in areas such as ethnic identity, academic…

Designed for use by children's librarians in organizing and conducting a summer reading program for children 5 through 12 years of age, this "log book" contains suggestions for activities related to a seafaring theme together with lists of selected materials relevant to the particular activities. Samples of a press release and several…

A naturalistic inquiry took place in a 7-week university-sponsored drawing-painting course for 9-12 year olds. Explored were the perceptions of the participants in an art curriculum, particularly those of the students and teacher in relation to program goals and parent views. Perceptions related to art, art processes, art products,…

The following intergenerational literacy programs are described in this document: (1) a Boston University program that provides about 112 hours of training for work-study students who then work as tutors for adults; (2) a program that uses the paired reading technique to involve parents in the development of their children's reading in the United…

Drug and alcohol abuse remains one of the most serious problems facing our society today. This study proposed that expected consequences of resisting peer pressure to drink alcohol may be important influences on actual drinking behavior and focused on describing these expectations. Sixth-graders (N=70) were presented with a hypothetical dilemma…

This document comprises an interim evaluation report for the Portland Peers Project, a comprehensive drug education program that serves students in grades 6-8 in all Portland (Oregon) middle schools, for the 1989-90 academic year. It is noted that data were collected through an initial assessment survey, a parent questionnaire, a student peer…

Group leaders of 10- to 13-year-olds may use this program guide to help the preteens interact with young children through six discussion meetings and five visits with a preschool child at home. Discussion topics concern (1) the family environment of young children, (2) children's play; (3) children's play areas at home, (4) safety at home, (5)…

This paper addresses girls' patterns of computer avoidance at the middle school and other grade levels. It reviews the evidence for a gender gap in computer use in several areas: in school, at home, in computer camps, in computer magazines, and in computer-related jobs. It compares the computer equity issue to math avoidance, and cites the middle…

To determine when and how children begin to differentiate among messages with different goals and to examine whether such differentiation leads to differences in interpretational strategies, 90 children between the ages of 4 and 11 viewed each of five different television messages representing four different message types. The types were: (1)…

Basic research and programs in substance abuse dealing directly with rural and small town populations lag far behind those aimed at urban groups, in both quality and quantity. A study was conducted to identify factors related to substance use by a preadolescent and early adolescent rural and small town population. Data were collected from 496…

It is important to examine the correlates of drug use and abuse among early adolescents to identify common patterns and factors of the beginning stages of drug abuse. The relationships between personal substance use, health beliefs, peer use, stated intention to use drugs in the future, sex, and religion were examined using data collected from 265…

The Coalition Concerned with Adolescent Pregnancy is sponsoring a project entitled Planning Programs for Young Adolescents which focuses on after-school needs of children between the ages of 10 and 15 in Orange County, California. To determine these needs, needs assessment surveys were completed by 90 seventh grade students and 93 parents. The…