Examined the impact of computers on the social behavior of 14 preschoolers over a 2-month period. Found that there were a total of 91 peer interactions and 33 teacher interactions, including children acknowledging each other, children commenting and being ignored, and children sharing or helping each other. Boys used the computer more than girls.…

A 2-year ethnographic study focused on social behaviors and gender differences among preschoolers engaging in science activities. Findings indicated that boys exhibited curiosity, spontaneity, extensive prior knowledge about nature, and tended toward aggressive, competitive, and sometimes violent behavior. Girls displayed a submissive countenance,…

This study sought to validate the translated Self-Control Rating Scale on a population of 204 randomly selected Chinese preschool children from over 600 attending a Beijing child care center. Results indicated satisfactory content validity, internal reliability, construct validity, and test-retest reliability. Validation of measure will allow…

This study examined associations between children's participation in out-of-school activities and academic achievement among 60 first-graders from low-income ethnically diverse families. Regression analyses revealed that as frequency of children's participation in out-of-school activities increased from low to moderate, grades also increased. As…

Examined the nature of literacy-related, teacher-child talk in the daily routines of three child care centers. Found that adults talked about reading and writing to a modest degree, compared to total talk with children. Incidence of adults' literacy talk, aside from book talk, was primarily intermittent and spontaneous. Discourse features of…

This year-long qualitative study explored how a literature-based literacy curriculum supported literacy growth of ESL kindergartners in a full-day Portuguese-English bilingual program. Findings indicated that emphasizing phonics and construction of meaning from texts supported children's construction of literacy understandings. Limited oral…

Used qualitative methods to investigate ways children's books were shared in context of daily family life and how 12 young children responded to books. Found that multiple books were shared regularly on a daily basis, particularly at naptime and bedtime, to entertain, explain events, and extend enjoyment. Children's response categories included…

Examined middle school students' perceptions of the conditions that foster their meaningful engagement in classroom learning. Found that students described classroom environments in which students are mentally and physically active in instructional activities that are meaningful, varied, and interesting, and that involve group learning.…

This study examined the teaching of controversial public issues (CPI) in middle and high school social studies classes. I sought to better understand the instruction and conceptions undergirding the instruction of secondary social studies teachers who were nominated by discussion experts as especially skillful at teaching their students to…

The use of children's literature in urban social studies classrooms to facilitate students' engagement in literate behaviors and simultaneously develop a framework for understanding social action is an under-researched area. This paper discusses the use of literature for children and young adults in an urban middle school language arts and social…

This paper is drawn from a larger study investigating high school students' participation in group discussions of public issues and the nature of those discussions. An interpretive approach was adopted to research democratic, deliberative discussion, viewed through a multidisciplinary lens influenced by sociolinguistics, speech communication,…

One pressing issue that students in the new millennium must know more about is the uneasy bilateral relationship between the United States and Japan. In this study, I examined how 33 teachers from 21 schools, who participated in the "Japan Today" Program, taught about Japan, continued teaching about Japan after a one-year commitment, chose a…

Curricular materials of the past have much to offer researchers and educators today. In this article, I examine two pieces of instructional material, a textbook entitled "People of Denver" and a unit on the inequalities of opportunities available to minority groups in Denver. Both these items were written in Denver, by Denver teachers at…

Key concepts in political socialization, tolerance, groups, rights and responsibilities can be used to understand the way in which young people struggle with sexual identity issues. Educators may promote greater tolerance for homosexuality among heterosexuals by situating sexual identity issues within a broader discussion of democratic principles.…

This paper examines the mutually-reinforcing problems of sexism and heterosexism, and the actions that may be taken by social educators to ameliorate such injustices. Various approaches to anti-heterosexism education are organized in relation to the three dimensions of handling social conflict: intervention procedures (in particular the management…