The goal of this study was to explore how young students' use of language to talk about their abilities affects their perceptions of self in the elementary art classroom. After observing reticence and low self-esteem reported among elementary-aged students while in the process of creating works of art, the exploration, discovery, and…

Differences in toy selection and play behavior of five preschoolers with Down's Syndrome and nonretarded preschoolers matched for mental and chronological age were examined. Toy selection was determined by length of time and frequency with which the child played with 12 toys in two 15-minute sessions. Analysis of play behavior considered child and…

This study examined the reliability and validity of the Application of Cognitive Functions Scale (ACFS) (C. Lidz and R. Jepsen, 1997) Behavior Observation Rating Scale. The study involved observational ratings of 25 participants who were enrolled in a preschool for children with developmental disabilities. Validity was investigated by determining…

To obtain a comprehensive understanding of the nature of deception and how it functions in interpersonal relationships, this paper explores deception as a valid and essential part of human interaction processes. The paper includes an in-depth review of social science literature on deception, specifically, R. E. Turner, C. Edgley, and G. Olmstead's…

A study of distinctive characteristics of the style in which people communicate in computer-mediated communication (CMC), focusing on use of politeness conventions, is reported. Aspects of the concept of "face" and politeness in social interaction are first reviewed, and threats to speaker's and hearer's face are outlined. The…

Previous research has stressed the role of both expectancies and reinforcement in the decision making process. In order to determine if the measure of externality and internality correlates with an association between willingness to risk and external/internal locus of control, and to determine the role of social learning in students…

The intergenerational systems approach predicts that family interaction styles learned in the family of origin will be perpetuated in future interpersonal relationships. To investigate the relationship between the perceptions of atmosphere in the family of origin and current family, a normative sample of married couples completed the Family…

A study compared the academic achievement, classroom behavior, and emotional stability of 21 elementary school students from single-parent families to that of 21 students from intact, nuclear families. Behavior checklists were used to ascertain classroom behavior, and academic achievement was assessed through analysis of test scores on the…

A program for improving adolescent classroom behavior through motivational techniques was developed and implemented. The targeted population was 20 junior high school students in a large, low socioeconomic status community in the Midwest. A problem in motivation had been documented through observation, an analysis of academic achievement, and a…

A program was implemented in an elementary school to improve students' social skills, thereby reducing physically and verbally aggressive behavior and reducing off-task behavior. The targeted population consisted of second, third, and sixth graders in two northern Illinois elementary schools, one situated in a low socioeconomic neighborhood, the…