Examined the role of four separate maternal parenting factors (warmth, punitiveness, intrusiveness, and involvement in school activities) in kindergartners' cognitive competence among Head Start children. Found that maternal intrusiveness predicted child cognitive competence while children were in Head Start, and maternal school involvement…

Examined the relationships between maternal employment and schoolchildren's educational aspirations in Korea. Found that children whose mothers were working full-time had lower educational aspirations, although maternal involvement and parents' educational expectations mitigated these effects. (JPB)

Examined cultural differences in amount and type of maternal scaffolding of children's learning and effects on children's performance at goal-oriented and free play. Participants were Iranian immigrant and Anglo-American mothers and preschoolers. Found that culture related to mothers' choice of scaffolding strategies, and that maternal sensitivity…

Compared the longitudinal effects of phonics and whole-language instruction on kindergartners' reading and writing task performance over one year. Found that the whole-language group made more progress in reading and writing, and with more developmental coherence, than the phonics group. (JPB)

Examined children's readings of wordless picture books to explore ways they assign meaning to visual signs and cues. Found that children used processes similar to those for reading print-based texts; constructing meaning using prior learning, attention to intertextual clues, multiple perspective taking, reliance upon story language and rituals;…

Assessed preschoolers' perceptions of and attitudes toward time out discipline. Found that children were isolated for noncompliance more often than for aggression. Children expressed largely negative self-attributions, such as feeling alone, disliked by the teacher, and ignored by peers, indicating perception of punishment. As they were usually…

Compared the effects of constructivist instruction and instruction based on texts and demonstration on third-graders' conceptualization of force. Found that constructivist instruction was more effective. Patterns of reasoning related to force were identified in levels of conceptualization. (JPB)

Videotaped rough and tumble play to examine how preadolescent boys expressed care and intimacy through such play. Found that, when commenting on videotapes, the boys were clear on where and when it was appropriate to express care and intimacy for one another. Findings suggest teachers and administrators reconsider the importance of this kind of…

The role of context was examined in middle school students' descriptions of barriers to caring in four domains: self, intimate others, acquaintances, and strangers. Interviewed students expressed that nothing would stop them caring for themselves or intimates, while lack of reciprocity and fear of violence would stop them caring for others,…

Assessed education students' choice of teaching as a career, how they thought of themselves as teachers, and what they believed were the sources of their knowledge about teaching. Found a consistent belief in a "special calling" or "gift." Recommended more reflective teaching methods to help teaching students confront their skills and perceptions.…

Examined book choices of below-average, average, and above-average readers in a fourth-grade literature-based reading program. Found that book selection criteria were mentioned at different frequencies with below-average readers, whose criteria included pictures and friends' recommendations. Word length, print size, and book length influenced…

Examined processes by which 4- and 5-year-olds initiate, organize, and maintain language play interactions. Found that as children voice incongruities of greater proportion, the emotional climate of play is heightened and ingenious verbal representations are provoked. Identified developmental features of hyperbolic language play. Contextualized…

Reviews literature to describe young children's pitch-matching accuracy and vocal range, and outlines developmentally appropriate practice. Identifies internal and external influences on pitch-matching accuracy and vocal range. Suggests that children's musical development should be considered in a dynamic way and that what is called "developmental…

Identified kindergarten through third grade teachers' perceptions of factors related to success of inclusive classrooms. Found that teachers shared a strong belief in the fundamental value of inclusion. Themes affecting perceptions indicated a need for more adequate and focused training, better consideration of classroom load factors, more…

Examined the impact of an 8-week intervention program designed to reduce racial/ethnic stereotyping among preschoolers varying in classification skill. Found that children in the experimental group had increased in classification skills at posttest and were less likely to sort photo cards by race/ethnicity and more likely to sort them by gender…