Eight papers are presented in this document, the first of two volumes of papers commissioned for the Foundations development project. The project was designed to examine curricular modifications for deaf students entering the National Technical Institute for the Deaf and to examine career development (personal, social, and intellectual development) needs of postsecondary deaf students. Five statements were formulated regarding student characteristics associated with career development problems. The statements focused on the following areas: preconceptions of careers and majors, limited self knowledge, use of unsophisticated decision making processes, lack of coping skills, and an inadequate knowledge base regarding cultures. Fourteen topics which appeared to encompass the problem areas and general statements were identified and papers were commissioned on each topic. An introductory paper offers a conceptual framework for the Foundations project, focusing on the interaction among the student, the teacher, and the curriculum. The remaining papers in the volume center on the development of the learner and the learner's processing of experiences and situations; they include: "Theories and Models of Human Development: Their Implications for the Education of the Deaf" (I. Athey); "The Role of Deafness and Education in the Moral Development of Hearing-Impaired Children and Adolescents" (M. Belenky); "Locus of Control: Review and Implications for Instruction of the Hearing-Impaired Children and Adolescents" (F. Dowaliby and J. Pegano); "Research on Motivation in Educational Settings: Implications for Hearing-Impaired Students" (M. Stinson); "Discovery versus Expository Instructional Strategies and Their Implications for Instruction of Hearing-Impaired Post-Secondary Students" (R. Blake); "Problem Solving and Decision Making: A Review of the Literature" (M. Steve); and "Transfer of Learning from One Setting to Another" (D. Dansereau and L. Brooks). (CL)