Comparison of behavioral ratings of Anglo-American and Mexican-American gifted children

Behavioral ratings on four subscales of the Scales for Rating the Behavioral Characteristics of Superior Students (SRBCSS) were completed on groups of Anglo-(N=491) and Mexican-American gifted students (N=34). Significant ethnicity differences were found on the Learning and Motivation scales, with Anglos being rated higher. There were no significant differences between groups on the Creativity and Leadership scales. Results are discussed in terms of implications for use of SRBCSS as an identification instrument and as a measure for future research.     

Cooperative-competitive social orientation and school achievement among Anglo-American and Mexican-American children

Researchers have suggested that the relatively poor academic performance of Mexican-American compared to Anglo-American children may result from cultural differences in cooperative-competitive social orientation. To test the relative contribution of cooperative-competitive social orientation as a personality predictor of school achievement, the cooperativeness-competitiveness, field independence, locus of control, self-esteem, and school achievement of 45 Anglo-American and 125 Mexican-American fourth, fifth, and sixth grade children were assessed. The results indicate (1) competitiveness is positively related to school achievement among the Anglo-American children but not the Mexican-American children; (2) among the Anglo-American children competitiveness is a better predictor of school achievement than field independence, locus of control, and self-esteem; (3) the personality variables are moderately but not independently related to school achievement within both cultural groups; and (4) the between-culture variance in the personality variables does not account for the between-culture variance in school achievement. Implications of the present results for understanding within- and between-group differences in school achievement are discussed.     

Mexican-American and Anglo-American Children's Responsiveness to a Theory-Centered AIDS Education Program

Third, fifth, and seventh graders, most of them Mexican-American, were exposed to an empirically based and culturally sensitive AIDS curriculum designed to replace their intuitive theories with a coherent, scientific account of the causal processes that lead from risk behavior to AIDS symptomatology. Compared to students in control classes, experimental students knew more about AIDS risk factors and AIDS generally, displayed more conceptual understanding of the causes of AIDS and flu, and were more willing to interact with people who have AIDS (although not less worried about AIDS) at posttest and typically at follow-up 10–11 months later. The findings point to the potential value of adopting an intuitive theories approach in assessing and modifying children's concepts of health and illness and suggest, contrary to Piagetian formulations, that even relatively young children can, with appropriate instruction, grasp scientific theories of disease.     

Mothers' Perceptions of Family Climate in Families with a Retarded Child

The aim of this study was to assess the family climate as perceived by the mothers of families with a retarded child compared with ‘regular’ families; mothers of 67 moderately mentally retarded and 69 non‐disabled children participated. Mothers with a mentally retarded child perceived the climate of their families as not encouraging such intense relationships in the area of expressiveness or as much personal growth in the areas of independence and recreation orientation as the contrast families. Results are discussed in terms of the theoretical significance of prolonged crises for the well‐being of the family, and practical implications.     

Welfare Dynamics, Support Services, Mothers' Earnings, and Child Cognitive Development: Implications for Contemporary Welfare Reform

This prospective longitudinal study, using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY; N = 614), addresses the gap in the research literature regarding the effects of welfare reform on children. Key questions addressed include whether welfare dynamics and support services relevant to welfare reform, both measured across the first 5 years of life, are associated with mothers' earnings in the 6th year and three child cognitive outcomes in the 7th and 8th years: Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT) math and reading scores, and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT). Welfare dynamics are represented by total time on welfare, degree of cycling on and off welfare, and degree to which welfare and work are combined. Support services measured include three forms of child care (relative, babysitter, and center-based), as well as three forms of human capital supports (child support, job training, and education). Controlling for a range of background factors and for different patterns of welfare use across the first 5 years, small positive associations with mother's earnings were found for child support, education, and job training. Small positive associations also were found between child support and both math and reading scores. Finally positive associations of medium effect size were found between center care and both mothers' earnings and child PPVT scores. Although effect sizes are generally small, the results suggest the potential value of welfare reform approaches that emphasize long-term human capital development. Interactions between welfare dynamics and support services suggest subgroup differences. Specifically, positive effects of support services on earnings are strongest among mothers with higher levels of human capital (higher levels of work while on welfare, lower total time on welfare). Babysitter care appears to have negative effects on both reading and math scores of children whose mothers report low levels of work while on welfare. Implications for welfare reform policy are discussed.     

关于教师教育改革发展的十个观点

我国教师教育正处于一个历史性转折和重要的发展时期,为了在教师教育改革发展的总体思路上形成共识,本文从认识论和方法论的角度阐述了有关教师教育改革发展的十个重要观点,对我国的教师教育具有积极的指导意义。     

The Development of Health Knowledge in Low-Income Mexican-American Children

Children growing up in poverty are at risk for various health problems. For low-income, Mexican-American children, these risks include obesity, diabetes, and accidental injuries, 3 conditions that can largely be prevented by healthy life-styles. Despite the potential for prevention through education leading to health-promoting behaviors, very little is known about the development of health knowledge in this population. The present study examined low-income, Mexican-American children's understanding of the relation between health behavior and health status in 3 areas: nutrition, hygiene, and safety. 79 children (41 boys, 38 girls) ages 4 to 8 years participated. Children's knowledge was assessed in a structured play situation conducted in a laboratory setting. Results revealed that children knew the least about the relation between food consumption and their health, and knew the most about beneficial and harmful practices in the areas of safety and hygiene. Age and gender differences were also significant, with girls and older children more likely to provide elaborate and complex rationales for their responses. Implications of the findings for understanding the role of cognitive development and experience in the development of health knowledge are considered.     

"一申四创"中的安阳市旅游业发展战略

针对安阳市旅游业发展现状,从形象定位、新产品开发、环城游憩带、互联网营销及人才储备几个方面,提出了安阳市旅游业的发展战略构想.     

现代汉语与现代文学关系的复杂性及现代文学观念在其中的作用

现代汉语与现代文学的关系问题作为一个学术问题,有其自身的特殊性与复杂性,这使得对这一问题的探讨,不仅极具诱惑力,而且极具挑战意味。仅从本土文化身份入手难以揭示问题的全部内涵。一些学者从“现代性”切入的研究,虽富有成果,但仍然留下许多空间。现代文学产生自一场裂变性的文学变革运动,这场文学变革运动基本上是在贯彻其发起者与参与者新的文学理想的过程中展开的,因此文学观念在现代文学与现代汉语形成过程中起到相当重要的作用,是把握现代文学与现代汉语的现代性及其关系的关键因素。     

农业信息化发展之构想

农业信息化不仅是指农业信息资源数字化和信息交流网络化，而且是农业过程的全面信息化。只有推进农业信息化，以农业信息化带动农业现代化，才能抓住这一历史发展机遇，实现农业的跨越式发展。     

再论教育评价的发展观

"发展性"是教育评价的应有之义。教育评价的"发展性"概念引起了各种分歧,其根源在于人们所依据的发展观存在分歧。线性发展观主张人的发展是潜能的展开,发展具有确定的序列和结果。互动发展观主张人的发展是个体与环境的互动,发展具有不确定的序列和结果。在教育评价的特定背景下,两种发展观的分歧主要集中于发展的"共性"与"个性""、确定"与"不确定"、"正价值"与"负价值"三对范畴之间的矛盾关系上。以辩证的视角来审视它们在教育评价领域造成的影响,是避免片面理解教育评价"发展性"概念的有效途径。     

Child Development and Neuroscience

Although developmental psychology and developmental neuroscience share interests in common problems (e.g., the nature of thought, emotion, consciousness), there has been little cross-fertilization between these disciplines. To facilitate such communication, we discuss 2 major advances in the developmental brain sciences that have potentially profound implications for under standing behavioral development. The first concerns neuroimaging, and the second concerns the molecular and cellular events that give rise to the developing brain and the myriad ways in which the brain is modified by both positive and negative life experiences. Recurring themes are that (1) critical, new knowledge of behavioral development can be achieved by considering the neurobiological mechanisms that guide and influence child development, and (2) these neurobiological mechanisms are in turn influenced by behavior.     

Culture and Class Influences on Anglo and Puerto Rican Mothers' Beliefs Regarding Long-Term Socialization Goals and Child Behavior

These 2 studies examine culture and socioeconomic status as simultaneous possible sources for group differences in mothers' beliefs regarding desirable and undesirable long-term socialization goals and child behavior. In Study 1, 100 mothers of young toddlers aged 12–24 months from 5 sociocultural groups participated: middle- and lower-class Anglo, middle- and lower-class island Puerto Rican, and lower-class migrant Puerto Rican. Results indicate that culture and socioeconomic status contribute independently to group differences, but that cultural effects appear to be stronger. Study 2 examined cultural differences in perceptions of behaviors using middle-class Anglo and Puerto Rican mothers only. The findings support those of Study 1, suggesting that Anglo and Puerto Rican mothers place differential value on the constructs of Self-Maximization and Proper Demeanor, even when socioeconomic status is controlled for. The findings of these studies have important implications for the culturally sensitive study of the relation between parental beliefs and behaviors.     

Professional Development and Instructional Practice: Conceptions and Evidence of Effectiveness

As with many districtwide reform efforts, the San Diego reform sought to improve classroom instruction by focusing on building the capacity of teachers. This article examines practices of teacher professional development in the district and their impact on literacy instruction. Through examination of the literature on effective professional development, school staff's conceptions of what makes professional development effective, and detailed data on professional development experiences from 100 elementary teachers, we explore the extent to which characteristics of effective professional learning align with what is actually taking place in schools. We also examine relationships between professional development characteristics and teachers' use of instructional practices that have been shown to predict student growth in reading comprehension. We find that professional development characterized by an emphasis on content and curriculum and that incorporates coaching is related to a higher frequency of this type of instruction.     

The Development of Justice Conceptions and the Unavoidability of the Normative

This article spells out the way in which normative concerns unavoidably enter into the design and interpretation of empirical research on children's development of justice conceptions, with special emphasis on Damon's well-known stage theory of such development. Normative considerations provide assumptions not only about what counts as a conception of justice in the first place but also what counts as a better or a worse conception. Damon, for one, relies on the questionable normative premise that all distributive choices are choices about justice. An alternative research programme is suggested, based on piecemeal mutual adjustments between the normative and the empirical, a programme which would focus on children's desert-based emotions.     

筏喻的课程观：课程概念的演变与趋向

本文梳理和分析了各种不同的课程概念,指出这些概念在内涵上可以归结为从"课"到"程"到"教师之教"、"学生之学"、"社会目的与意义"的范围不断拓展的序列,并基于课程概念演变趋向提出"筏喻的课程观",最后以这种课程观分析了课程中的个人与社会、确定与未知、历史与未来、知识与行动、过程与结果、片段与整合等六对矛盾.