Children of the Dispossessed: Far-West Preschoolers 30 Years on

Barry Nurcombe · Susan-Lee Walker

May 1999 · Greenwood Publishing Group

About this ebook

Examining early intervention programs initiated in the 1970s that were designed to facilitate intellectual development of at-risk groups of children provides valuable information about program development and can act to facilitate discussion regarding the underlying values of such programs. This book is an updated account of Project Enhancement, a preschool program established in Australia almost 30 years ago. Chapter 1 reviews the evolution of the notion of intelligence and introduces alternative terms to clarify the contemporary semantic muddle. Chapter 2 examines the controversy regarding whether the intelligence gap between rich and poor is due to innate differences and whether there are limitations upon the degree to which intelligent behavior can be fostered educationally. Chapter 3 discusses various approaches to environmentally determined differences in cognitive performance. Chapter 4 outlines controversial issues related to the 1960s preschool movement in the United States. Chapter 5 discusses the history, cultural setting, and educational difficulties of the Australian Aboriginal peoples. Chapter 6 describes the history, rationale, and impact of Australia's Project Enhancement preschool established for rural part-Aboriginal children. Chapter 7 deals with theoretical issues related to re-interpreting the preschool study data detailed in chapter 6 and presents a framework of the interrelated aspects of the gestalt of potential, competence, performance, and evaluation. Chapter 8 considers how this framework can be applied to educational and social problems in different societies. Chapter 9 demonstrates that most of the fundamental purposes and principles of Project Enhancement have been retained. Chapter 10 describes the current preschool program and its outcomes. Contains approximately 450 references. (KB)