Describes the results of four longitudinal studies of adolescent development that focus on coping styles, maturity of defenses, adaptation to school environments, and predictors of educational and occupational attainment. Implications are discussed in terms of linking adolescence with other phases of development. (Author/SS)

In response to the concern of most European countries on the education of very young children, a group of educational researchers put forward a proposal and four studies on the remedial role of pre-school education. The researchers worked under the Council for Cultural Co-operation set up by the Committee for General and Technical Education.…

The semantic differential technique was used to reveal the dimensions describing 4 adults' judgments of 140 conversation samples involving preschool-aged children. Analysis of the association between six speech/language behaviors and judgments on dynamism, maturity, and appeal found that level of phonological accuracy was the only speech/language…

The study examined the persistence of problems resulting from learning disabilities during school-age years (retrospectively) and in adult years. A rating scale of characteristics of learning disabilities was given to 133 adults identified as learning disabled in school and highly or moderately successful in employment. Persistence of problem…

Outlines some legal and psychological issues surrounding student groups meeting on public school grounds. Describes two studies designed to measure students' ability to understand equal access policies. Study subjects included students in grades 4, 7, 10, and college undergraduates. (MLF)

Examined the social structural conditions under which helpful behavior are elicited, the interrelations of helpfulness and competence across two years of middle adolescence, and whether social circumstances moderate the effects of helpfulness on competence. Found that both boys' and girls' helpfulness in the home was responsive to family need,…

Two studies examined parent expectations and punishments of mature-faced children as compared to their baby-faced peers. Study 1 revealed that parents allocated more cognitively demanding chores to mature-faced 11 year olds depicted in photographs than to baby-faced children. Study 2 revealed that parents perceived misbehaviors of mature-faced…

Children and adolescents (n=40) with congenital or adventitious blindness were exposed to two unfamiliar environments. Evaluation of subjects' spatial representations (through construction of models and estimates of distance) found that age appeared to be more important than learning in their development of spatial representation skills. (DB)

The relationship between emotional maturity and the developing self in the gifted individual is examined. Emotional maturity is seen to involve the integration of intrapersonal and interpersonal aspects of the personality. The developing self is thought to be more than the sum of its components and becomes a global factor in the development of a…

Describes an early-entrance program which enables gifted adolescents to enter college without attending high school. A study involving 31 participants indicated varying degrees of comfort in diverse social situations; however, all believed themselves to be more mature than had they gone to high school. (Author/CR)

Explores the process of personal and social transformation involved in becoming a mature student through the construction of four narratives derived from the biographical accounts of 21 students entering higher education. Demonstrates the gendered nature of conceptions of self in these accounts. Shows that education is a key site for the…

Two studies investigated relationship between adolescents' subjective age and self-reported problem behavior, autonomy, and peer relationships. Findings indicated that older subjective age among 15-year olds correlated positively with problem behaviors, behavioral autonomy, and involvement with other-sex peers. When chronological age and pubertal…

Tested three hypotheses concerning effects of pubertal timing on substance use during early adolescence. Findings supported only the stage termination hypothesis. Early maturing boys and girls reported a higher frequency of substance use within the following year after puberty than did the other participants, with the effects being more pronounced…

Analyzed self-perceived maturation associated with service in the Israeli army according to gender, rank, service trajectory (unit or role), and the socialization environment of the individual (urban or kibbutz). Results for 633 subjects suggest that army service contributes to the maturation of Israeli youth, and maturation is moderately affected…

This article focuses on the development of intercultural maturity, which is frequently cited as a desired collegiate outcome. We position our work on intercultural maturity in the context of a holistic approach to human development using Kegan's (1994) model as a foundation and relating this outcome to other collegiate learning outcomes. We…