PUB TYPE Reports Research/Technical (143) Speeches /Conference Papers (150)

Two aspects of a 9-year research study initiated in July 1983 by the Singapore Institute of Education are described. The first part describes the initial 3-year phase of a longitudinal study aimed at investigating some important cognitive and social developmental processes of preschool children at different ages and relating them to certain intervention strategies that attempt to enhance their cognitive and social competencies. Cognitive growth, social behavior, homeand school environments, and the relationships among these factors were studied for 2,418 3- to 6.5-year-old children (1,211 males and 1,207 females) who completed all of the study measures. The second aspect is a recent follow-up pilot investigation of how these cognitive and social developmental processes are related to gender differences across 4 age groups from age 3 to 6 years. Subjects were 171 Chinese preschoolers (84 males and 87 females) from a private kindergarten in Singapore. Developmental trends that the children exhibited in both studies are discussed. In all age groups, females performed better than did males at language and social skills, and males were more successful in the mathematics tests than were females. Nine tables and seven figures present study details. (SLD) * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document.