A LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF THRIVING, AVERAGE, AND NON-THRIVING KINDERGARTEN CHILDREN Andrew Biemiller. Toronto, Ministry of Education, c1983. Distributed by OISE Press. 135pp, paper, $5.00. ISBN 0-7743-7859-X. Professional. Reviewed by Anna Holman. Volume 11 Number 6. 1983 November. This study was a continuation of one conducted by the same author in 1978. It involved 213 children who were either in junior kindergarten in 1978 and grade 1 in 1980 or senior kindergarten in 1978 and grade 2 in 1980. All the children attended Roman Catholic separate schools in Ontario. The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of different types of programs both in kindergarten and grades 1 and 2, the differences between children perceived as "thriving," "average," or "non-thriving," and the predictability of these differences. The results indicate that the type of kindergarten program (half-day, alternate full-day, or full-day) produce little difference between children either while they are in kindergarten or two years later. No differences were related to parental education or occupation. The author concludes that "greater weight should be given to objectives involving self-confidence and worth, self-direction, and social skills, both as worthwhile ends in themselves and as necessary prerequisites for basic skills and knowledge." The report consists largely of tables showing ratings in the various tests accompanied by detailed explanations and summaries of findings. A bibliography, measures developed for the study, and further tables are appended. For educators in general and for parents, the final chapter "Who Thrives in Primary Programs and Why—Conclusions and Implications of this Study" is the most readable. It is doubtful whether the main body of the work would be intelligible to anyone but a specialist in the field. Anna Holman, Faculty of Education, University of Western Ontario, London, ON.