Interviewing young sexual abuse victims with anatomically correct dolls

Two groups of children were interviewed with a structured format to elicit their responses to sexually anatomically correct dolls. Significant differences were found between the responses of children who had not been referred for suspected sexual abuse and those who had. Nonreferred children (n = 25) revealed very few behaviors indicative of abuse whereas referred children (n = 25) demonstrated significantly more sexually related behaviors when presented with the dolls. Of the age groups studied (2-6 years), 3 year olds were the most responsive to the dolls, while older children tended either to reveal their experiences or to become very nonresponsive. The authors argue for the use of structured interview techniques with use of the anatomical dolls and the collection of normative comparison data relative to the evaluation of suspected sexual abuse.     

The concept map as a research and evaluation tool: Further evidence of validity

This study sought further evidence of the concurrent validity of concept mapping as a research and evaluation tool in science education. Specifically, the study examined the extent to which differences exist in the concept maps of advanced college biology majors (N = 25) and beginning nonmajors (N = 25) in the domain of mammals. Furthermore, it explored whether these differences are reflected in the way subjects assign class membership as revealed in a card sorting task. The results indicate that concept maps of biology majors are structurally more complex than those of nonmajors and that differences in the structural complexity and organizational patterns depicted in concept maps are reflected in the underlying dimensions used to assign class membership. Together, these findings suggest that the concept map provides a theoretically powerful and psychometrically sound tool for assessing conceptual change in experimental and classroom settings.     

Electronic encyclopedias

Summary This examination of electronic encyclopedias has led to several interesting observations that may be made for each encyclopedia. TheCompton’s product is considered to be the product most accessible by lower level elementary school students. Its audio and visual features are considered most important for purchase decision-making and turn out to be the most useful features after the purchase. BothWorld Book andGrolier’s are comparable in the suggestion of a minimum grade level appropriate for use (at the fourth or fifth grade levels), suggesting that reading is not the only ability needed to operate either product to its fullest extent. For bothWorld Book andGrolier’s, the boolean searching, keyword searching, quick reference and quality of the screen display features were important purchase considerations. Hardware compatibility and price, while rated important, may prove to be the factors that determine whether an electronic encyclopedia is purchased at all (since all products evaluated were roughly the same price and all ran on IBM hardware). The majority ofWorld Book users considered only the dictionary feature to be useful after purchase.Grolier’s users considered boolean and keyword searching, menu searching, and help screens to be most useful.     

Education reform policy and early childhood teacher education in Hong Kong before and after the transfer of sovereignty to China in 1997

Built on a sociocultural framework of policy analysis and Wertsch's concept of mediation, the present study examines how early childhood teacher education has changed as a result of interactions between reform policy and the action of teacher educators. Ten teacher educators participated in the study, along with eight early childhood leaders, 15 kindergarten principals and child care centre supervisors, and one policy‐maker. Data collected through interviews, focus‐group discussions, and reviews of government and organisational documents as well as press materials were analysed. The findings revealed that early childhood organisations were more active than teacher educators in the process of negotiation. Although early childhood teacher education has expanded since the handover in 1997, the voice and identity of the profession are still in an embryonic state. The study offers implications for redefining the roles of teacher educators and restructuring teacher education contexts to help facilitate the development of ideological consciousness and new understanding.     

Education and Social Services for Disabled Persons in Spain

DETAILED INFORMATION about education and social services for disabled children and adults, with emphasis on the hearing impaired population is provided. Information is derived from an extensive series of interviews conducted with representatives of government, international agencies, and private sector organizations, as well as health professionals, educators, and disabled persons. A broad discussion of policy and health services follows an overview of demographic and historical background. Spain's leaders recognize the nation's dependence on human resources to affirm its place in the international community and understand that an educated citizenry ensures the preservation of democracy and functions as an instrument for social transformation. These insights have driven major changes in service delivery to the disabled, including a national project for the integration of disabled children into regular classrooms. The National Centre of Resources for Special Education (NCRSE) is responsible for overseeing the national integration project; provision of inservices to teachers and other professionals; development, adaptation and distribution of curricular materials designed to improve the learning process; adaptation of evaluation instruments for students with special educational needs; and promotion of research in the field of special education.     

Conflicting needs and interests of researchers and service providers in child sexual abuse cases

A child sexual abuse research project was designed which was dependent on referrals from local departments of social services. Significant differences in needs and goals existed between the referral sources and the research team. Modifications of project designs were necessary in the areas of subject recruitment, allocation of project resources, design and measurement, and analysis and reporting. These modifications resulted in a beneficial blend of service and research and produced a useful service in the setting of competent research.     

Young children's beliefs about the relationship between gender and aggressive behavior

Young children's beliefs about the relationship between gender and aggression were examined across 3 studies (N=121). In Study 1, preschoolers (ages 3 to 5) described relational aggression as the most common form of aggression among girls and physical aggression as the most common form among boys. In Study 2, preschoolers and a comparison group of 7- to 8-year-olds were likely to infer that relationally aggressive characters are female and physically aggressive characters are male. Study 3 revealed that preschoolers show systematic memory distortions when recalling stories that conflict with these gender schemas. These findings suggest that even before children reach school age, they have organized patterns of beliefs about gender that affect the way they process social information.     

The Pedagogical Experiences and Practices of Family Child Care Providers

The work in family child care is becoming increasingly more professional, moving from an image of ‘mothering’ toward one of educare. The growing demand for expertise and competence in family child care providers can be examined in light of their pedagogical experiences and the ways in which children engage in learning in providers’ homes. This article is based on a phenomenological study conducted with four certified family child care providers, each with 10 or more years of experience with a wide age range of children. Data revealed that providers foster a pedagogical relationship with children along five dimensions of learning: children’s skills for learning, essential opportunities for learning, two forums for learning, socio-emotional learning, and meaningful learning. The authors conclude with implications for further research.     

Extreme food behavior in abusive families

The availability of food can provide a positive tool in the treatment of abusive and neglectful families. This concept evolves from the belief that inadequate parents are most often people who have been deprived of an adequate “parenting” experience in their own lives. Deprivation creates a void of security which may result in many extremes of behavior. Many of these extremes, as they are related to food habits, have been defined here.Gorging is identified as the first extreme, and differentiation is made between the dynamics of the discriminate gorger who can be helped specifically and the indiscriminate gorger who needs infinite abundance to feel secure. Secondly, the physical and emotional insecurities which result in a need to hoard food are examined, and some insight is offered into understanding the obese patient and the steps necessary before anticipating any effective regulation of the obese person's eating habits. The last personal extreme discussed is despised-food intake which is an easily recognizable symptom of deprivation.The extremes of interaction between peers and spouses at group meals have been addressed, and it is noted that group meals which are traditionally instruments of socialization can be extremely stressful for groups of insecure members.Finally, the extremes of parent-child interaction are outlined, and it is shown how these extremes can reduce the family's mealtime to a devastating emotional battleground. The characteristics of overfeeding and withholding are defined, and it is shown how this chain of extremes results in a complete breakdown of the “parenting” process in which all members fail. Based on the clinical observations made at The National Center for the Pre- vention and Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect in Denver, it is suggested that feeding can be used as a therapeutic tool not only to attract and hold patient attendance, but also to facilitate progress in therapy through the reduction of physical anxiety.