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Literature has widely explored the learning processes with information and communication technology (ICT) in later life, mostly focusing on the individual learner rather than materialities--such as smartphones, notepads, and handouts. The aim of this paper is to introduce a socio-material perspective by focusing on the question: What role do materialities play in digital learning processes in later life? This paper draws upon a situation analysis of data from a qualitative multi-perspective study. Researchers conducted participatory observations of five ICT courses for older adults in Austria and semi-structured interviews with seven trainers and nine older participants (61-81 years). By identifying three social worlds (digital devices, education, and participants' everyday lives), the findings show how ICT-learning processes are embedded in the everyday lives of older adults and include not only digital, but also everyday materialities, such as pens, paper and books. These material convoys of digital learning in later life are vital in facilitating successful technology appropriation in later life.

The rapid development of digital technologies and their increasing application in many areas of everyday life challenge all citizens to continuously learn digital skills. This also applies to older adults, among whom digital literacy is on average less well-developed than among younger adults. This article investigates why retired older adults participate in opportunities to learn digital skills. Multiple case design with both qualitative and quantitative methods was used to include the views of older adults from Austria, Finland, and Germany. The results of this interdisciplinary study indicated individual, social and technical reasons for their participation in digital skills training. Practical implications and recommendations for future studies are suggested.

This article describes ideas that came out of two workshops from a statewide Institute in Hawaii, comprised of sixty-five teaching artists, that focused on analyzing best practices. These were collaborative curriculum design workshops that yielded provocative and inspiring theoretical and practical ideas. In the first workshop, small groups of teaching artists were asked to invent "bizarre or extreme" teaching contexts for each other. The groups then sketched curricula to teach specific concepts or techniques in their arts media and to investigate areas of personal interest outside their media. In the second workshop, a large group of teaching artists (all of whom were visual artists) were asked to work as a single group to rapidly develop a comprehensive, balanced, yearlong visual arts curriculum for students of their own choosing; resources and time (within the yearlong period) were to be considered unlimited. The rationale for both workshops was to create time and space for collaborative curriculum invention and design based on the specific expertise and interests of the teaching artists. The curriculum sketches described in this article reveal a wealth of possibilities and insights easily applicable to a variety of "real world" teaching contexts. Following an introduction by Daniel A. Kelin, II, the following are presented: (1) A Note on the Workshops (Nick Jaffe); (2) Bomb Breads: An Extreme Curriculum for the Extreme Teaching Artist (Neida Bangerter and Randy Wong); (3) Munitions Metaphor (Kealoha); and (4) The "Dream Project" (Vicki Penney-Rohner).

This article identifies similarities and differences between Head Start parents of European American and Puerto Rican backgrounds regarding their socialization goals and expectations concerning the early educational experiences of their pre-school children. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 60 parents (30 European American and 30 Puerto Rican) in their homes. The results show that both groups of parents valued pro-social skills, school readiness skills, and skills related to good behaviour. Both sets of parents considered creative and physical skills to be least important. However, differences between groups were found regarding the relative importance of skills in the different developmental domains. The findings suggest that to maximize the effects of early childhood programmes and interventions it is important that educators and policy makers recognize and respond to differences in parents' goals and expectations. (Contains 4 tables.)

This article reviews theory, methods, and evidence supporting the concept of a relational diagnosis here called the parental acceptance-rejection syndrome. This syndrome is composed of 2 complementary sets of factors. First, 4 classes of behaviors appear universally to convey the symbolic message that "my parent (or other attachment figure)...loves me (or does not love me--i.e., rejects me)." These classes of behavior include perceived warmth-affection (or its opposite, coldness-lack of affection), hostility-aggression, indifference-neglect, and undifferentiated rejection. Second, the psychological adjustment of children and adults (defined by a constellation of 7 specific personality dispositions) tends universally to vary directly with the extent to which individuals perceive themselves to be accepted or rejected in their relationship with the people most important to them.

Explored the relationship between parenting style and academic achievement of Korean American adolescents, investigating the influence of perceived parental warmth and control and improvement in schooling. Survey data indicated that authoritative paternal parenting related to optimal academic achievement. Differences in maternal parenting styles did not significantly relate to adolescents' academic achievement. (Contains references.) (SM)

Explores whether fathers' involvement is associated with youths' psychological adjustment and whether the relationship between fathers' involvement and youths' psychological adjustment is mediated by children's perception of fathers' acceptance-rejection. Results show only perceived parental acceptance is significantly related to black children's and white children's adjustment. Parenting and adjustment are not related to social class. (Author/MKA)

Explores interrelationships among physical punishment, perceived caretaker acceptance-rejection, and youths' psychological adjustment. Administered self-report questionnaires to 281 school children in grades 3 through 12. Results suggest that physical punishment is associated with children's psychological maladjustment only if youths perceive punishment as a form of caretaker rejection. (RJM)

Comparison of attitudes of 40 young adult substance abusers and 40 nonabusers found perceived parental rejection in childhood was higher among abusers than nonabusers and substance abusers were more impaired in their current psychological adjustment than nonabusers. These two variables and education level produced classification accuracy of 91.2 percent. (DB)

Tests the hypothesis that children in Korean American families who dropped from middle-class to working-class status after immigrating to the United States tend to perceive their mothers as less warm and accepting than do children in families retaining their middle-class status. Results with 44 families suggest the reverse. (SLD)

Structural equation modeling analysis of 349 youths, aged 9-16, in St. Kitts, West Indies, showed that physical punishment by itself does make a modest, but significant, direct and negative contribution to youths' psychological adjustment. Children tended to experience themselves to be rejected in direct proportion to the frequency and severity of punishment received. (Author/ABL)

Uses two self-report questionnaires in reporting that perceptions of Korean youth regarding parental control correlate positively with perceived parental warmth and low neglect. Findings contrast with studies on North American youth. Cultural variables contributing to the differences in the patterns of correlation among the Korean versus American studies are discussed. (Author/AS)

Reports that internality increased significantly with children's age and with children's perceptions of increased parental acceptance and that these two factors accounted for 22% of the variance of children's locus of control scores. (Author/RL)

Findings reported here suggest that although cultural background is significantly related to children's reported behavioral dispositions, perceived parental acceptance-rejection accounts for a larger portion of the variance in children's self-reported behavioral dispositions than does culture. (Author)

Two earlier holocultural studies showed that institutionalized artistic traditions with societies worldwide are complex to the degree that parents are rejecting toward their children. The present intracultural study within the U.S., however, indicated that preference for complex works of art is associated with parental warmth and acceptance. (Author/GC)