This tribute to Albert Bandura shows how his lifetime of work on Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) has contributed to a greater understanding of school bullying. Managing children and adolescents' problematic behavior is a major challenge for schools with reducing bullying a priority. Here, the principles of SCT relevant to school bullying are…

Using alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana during adolescence is associated with risks, yet there is no single cause for adolescent substance use. The etiology of substance use develops over time, across multiple levels of influence. Informed by developmental perspectives, in this review, we provide an overview of biological (e.g., genetic,…

Early elementary inclusive classrooms present teachers with demanding responsibilities. The wide range of student backgrounds, ability levels, and previous school experiences require a well-managed classroom that maximizes instructional time. Teachers reported spending more time addressing disruptive behaviors than they thought they should. One…

Inappropriate behaviour from students and/or a teacher's inability to manage such behaviour effectively is one of the major contributors to stress amongst teachers and to poor learning by students. It is important for science leaders to support members of their department, and, critically, have systems that work. Their aim should be to create an…

School and life achievement patterns for girls and women differ from those of boys and men. While girls have made dramatic progress in school, they need to be inspired to connect to lifelong achievement. Both research and clinical work at the Ohio-based Family Achievement Clinic find that more boys than girls underachieve in school. There is much…

For a century, democratic values have called for abandoning coercive approaches and teaching children and youth to be responsible citizens. The authors explore strategies for creating respectful environments and positive group cultures with challenging youth. They offer suggestions to adult group facilitators to support youth in developing…

Research on school social dynamics suggests that antisocial behavior is often supported by peer group processes particularly during late childhood and adolescence. Building from a social interactional framework, this article explores how information on the social functions of aggressive and disruptive behavior may help to guide function-based…

In this article, students with challenging behaviors (SWCB) in a classroom may include those with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), emotional and behavioral disorders (E/BD), intellectual disabilities, learning disabilities, and those at risk of these disabilities. These students may present…

Youth suicide is one of the most serious preventable health problems in the United States. It is the third leading cause of death among adolescents. According to a recent national survey of students in grades 9-12, nearly 15% of respondents had seriously considered suicide and 7% actually had attempted suicide in the previous 12 months. Moreover,…

The general goal of Danish residential care institutions with a therapeutic objective is to change children's behaviour and redirect their identity formation. This goal is pursued through an individualized focus on development. Dynamics of the resident group is rarely targeted directly in the pedagogical work. This article challenges the implicit…

Introduction into federal policy of response to intervention (RTI) and positive behavior intervention and supports (PBIS) led to widespread adoption and adaptation of the three tier intervention pyramid. As originally presented, the pyramid highlights three different levels of intervention and suggests the percent of students at each level. While…

Children and youth develop the ability to surmount difficult life challenges through a combination of external supports and internal strengths. Positive peers can contribute substantially to growth in resilient coping and problem-solving skills. Positive Peer Culture (PPC) programs are designed to strengthen supportive social bonds, competence,…

Youth who present anti-social behavior need powerful interventions that strengthen empathy, counter negative peer influence, and challenge thinking errors. This article recaps some key points about EQUIP, a Positive Peer Culture (PPC)-based cognitive behavioral intervention program for behaviorally at-risk youth, and notes how the program has…

This article proposes an unusual identification strategy to estimate the effects of disruptive students on peer behavior and academic outcomes. Because boys with names most commonly given to girls may be more prone to misbehavior as they get older, they may become differentially disruptive in school. In elementary school there is no relationship…

Positive Peer Culture is a treatment intervention for troubled youth. The author examines the face validity of this model and reviews research concerned with the effectiveness of cooperative learning structures. Uses of the model and some directions for future evaluations of peer programs are discussed. (Author/CH)