diff --git a/playground/app.js b/playground/app.js
index e3b25acab1..770599e924 100644
--- a/playground/app.js
+++ b/playground/app.js
@@ -362,6 +362,7 @@ class App extends Component {
               uiSchema={uiSchema}
               formData={formData}
               onChange={this.onFormDataChange}
+              onSubmit={({formData}) => console.log("submitted formData", formData)}
               fields={{geo: GeoPosition}}
               validate={validate}
               onBlur={(id, value) => console.log(`Touched ${id} with value ${value}`)}
diff --git a/src/components/fields/ArrayField.js b/src/components/fields/ArrayField.js
index 800612dba1..5344b2f80c 100644
--- a/src/components/fields/ArrayField.js
+++ b/src/components/fields/ArrayField.js
@@ -168,8 +168,14 @@ class ArrayField extends Component {
     return schema.items.title || schema.items.description || "Item";
   }
 
-  isItemRequired(itemsSchema) {
-    return itemsSchema.type === "string" && itemsSchema.minLength > 0;
+  isItemRequired(itemSchema) {
+    if (Array.isArray(itemSchema.type)) {
+      // While we don't yet support composite/nullable jsonschema types, it's
+      // future-proof to check for requirement against these.
+      return !itemSchema.type.includes("null");
+    }
+    // All non-null array item types are inherently required by design
+    return itemSchema.type !== "null";
   }
 
   onAddClick = (event) => {
@@ -191,10 +197,9 @@ class ArrayField extends Component {
       if (event) {
         event.preventDefault();
       }
-      this.props.onChange(
-        this.props.formData.filter((_, i) => i !== index),
-        {validate: true} // refs #195
-      );
+      const {formData, onChange} = this.props;
+      // refs #195: revalidate to ensure properly reindexing errors
+      onChange(formData.filter((_, i) => i !== index), {validate: true});
     };
   };
 
@@ -204,30 +209,28 @@ class ArrayField extends Component {
         event.preventDefault();
         event.target.blur();
       }
-      const items = this.props.formData;
-      this.props.onChange(
-        items.map((item, i) => {
-          if (i === newIndex) {
-            return items[index];
-          } else if (i === index) {
-            return items[newIndex];
-          } else {
-            return item;
-          }
-        }),
-        {validate: true}
-      );
+      const {formData, onChange} = this.props;
+      onChange(formData.map((item, i) => {
+        if (i === newIndex) {
+          return formData[index];
+        } else if (i === index) {
+          return formData[newIndex];
+        } else {
+          return item;
+        }
+      }), {validate: true});
     };
   };
 
   onChangeForIndex = (index) => {
     return (value) => {
-      this.props.onChange(
-        this.props.formData.map((item, i) => {
-          return index === i ? value : item;
-        }),
-        {validate: false}
-      );
+      const {formData, onChange} = this.props;
+      onChange(formData.map((item, i) => {
+        // We need to treat undefined items as nulls to have validation.
+        // See https://github.com/tdegrunt/jsonschema/issues/206
+        const jsonValue = typeof value === "undefined" ? null : value;
+        return index === i ? jsonValue : item;
+      }), {validate: false});
     };
   };
 
diff --git a/src/components/fields/BooleanField.js b/src/components/fields/BooleanField.js
index 57ee2e82f5..8a6c24328a 100644
--- a/src/components/fields/BooleanField.js
+++ b/src/components/fields/BooleanField.js
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 import React, {PropTypes} from "react";
 
 import {
-  defaultFieldValue,
   getWidget,
   getUiOptions,
   optionsList,
@@ -36,7 +35,7 @@ function BooleanField(props) {
     id={idSchema && idSchema.$id}
     onChange={onChange}
     label={title === undefined ? name : title}
-    value={defaultFieldValue(formData, schema)}
+    value={formData}
     required={required}
     disabled={disabled}
     readonly={readonly}
diff --git a/src/components/fields/StringField.js b/src/components/fields/StringField.js
index 98df908c92..ab62482617 100644
--- a/src/components/fields/StringField.js
+++ b/src/components/fields/StringField.js
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 import React, {PropTypes} from "react";
 
 import {
-  defaultFieldValue,
   getWidget,
   getUiOptions,
   optionsList,
@@ -36,7 +35,7 @@ function StringField(props) {
     schema={schema}
     id={idSchema && idSchema.$id}
     label={title === undefined ? name : title}
-    value={defaultFieldValue(formData, schema)}
+    value={formData}
     onChange={onChange}
     onBlur={onBlur}
     required={required}
diff --git a/src/components/widgets/BaseInput.js b/src/components/widgets/BaseInput.js
index d07ba50217..5a09ea907c 100644
--- a/src/components/widgets/BaseInput.js
+++ b/src/components/widgets/BaseInput.js
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ function BaseInput(props) {
       className="form-control"
       readOnly={readonly}
       autoFocus={autofocus}
-      value={typeof value === "undefined" ? "" : value}
+      value={value == null ? "" : value}
       onChange={_onChange}
       onBlur={onBlur && (event => onBlur(inputProps.id, event.target.value))}/>
   );
diff --git a/src/utils.js b/src/utils.js
index 4656c99013..74797b7c81 100644
--- a/src/utils.js
+++ b/src/utils.js
@@ -64,10 +64,6 @@ export function getDefaultRegistry() {
   return defaultRegistry;
 }
 
-export function defaultFieldValue(formData, schema) {
-  return typeof formData === "undefined" ? schema.default : formData;
-}
-
 export function getWidget(schema, widget, registeredWidgets={}) {
   const {type} = schema;
 
diff --git a/test/ArrayField_test.js b/test/ArrayField_test.js
index c71b495474..5d67e6029b 100644
--- a/test/ArrayField_test.js
+++ b/test/ArrayField_test.js
@@ -111,6 +111,15 @@ describe("ArrayField", () => {
         .to.have.length.of(1);
     });
 
+    it("should mark a non-null array item widget as required", () => {
+      const {node} = createFormComponent({schema});
+
+      Simulate.click(node.querySelector(".array-item-add button"));
+
+      expect(node.querySelector(".field-string input[type=text]").required)
+        .eql(true);
+    });
+
     it("should fill an array field with data", () => {
       const {node} = createFormComponent({schema, formData: ["foo", "bar"]});
       const inputs = node.querySelectorAll(".field-string input[type=text]");
@@ -229,6 +238,26 @@ describe("ArrayField", () => {
         .to.have.length.of(0);
     });
 
+    it("should handle cleared field values in the array", () => {
+      const schema = {
+        type: "array",
+        items: {type: "integer"},
+      };
+      const formData = [1, 2, 3];
+      const {comp, node} = createFormComponent({
+        liveValidate: true,
+        schema,
+        formData,
+      });
+
+      Simulate.change(node.querySelector("#root_1"), {
+        target: {value: ""}
+      });
+
+      expect(comp.state.formData).eql([1, null, 3]);
+      expect(comp.state.errors).to.have.length.of(1);
+    });
+
     it("should render the input widgets with the expected ids", () => {
       const {node} = createFormComponent({schema, formData: ["foo", "bar"]});
 
@@ -590,6 +619,16 @@ describe("ArrayField", () => {
       expect(numInput.id).eql("root_1");
     });
 
+    it("should mark non-null item widgets as required", () => {
+      const {node} = createFormComponent({schema});
+      const strInput =
+          node.querySelector("fieldset .field-string input[type=text]");
+      const numInput =
+          node.querySelector("fieldset .field-number input[type=text]");
+      expect(strInput.required).eql(true);
+      expect(numInput.required).eql(true);
+    });
+
     it("should fill fields with data", () => {
       const {node} = createFormComponent({schema, formData: ["foo", 42]});
       const strInput =
diff --git a/test/Form_test.js b/test/Form_test.js
index c55f8a0c15..d3f8d35e83 100644
--- a/test/Form_test.js
+++ b/test/Form_test.js
@@ -415,6 +415,23 @@ describe("Form", () => {
     });
   });
 
+  describe("Default value handling on clear", () => {
+    const schema = {
+      type: "string",
+      default: "foo",
+    };
+
+    it("should not set default when a text field is cleared", () => {
+      const {node} = createFormComponent({schema, formData: "bar"});
+
+      Simulate.change(node.querySelector("input"), {
+        target: {value: ""}
+      });
+
+      expect(node.querySelector("input").value).eql("");
+    });
+  });
+
   describe("Defaults array items default propagation", () => {
     const schema = {
       type: "object",