In this paper we consider discourses of friendship and belonging mobilised by girls who are not part of the dominant "cool" group in one English primary school. We explore how, by investing in alternative and, at times, resistant, discourses of "being nice" and "being normal" these "non-cool" girls were able…

During preadolescence, concerns about maintaining and developing friendships, gaining peer acceptance, and avoiding peer victimization become central concerns. The transition to middle school can create or exacerbate these concerns. Parents may be in a position to help preadolescents navigate these developmental and ecological challenges, promote…

This study examined the role of reading disability (RD) risk and environmental protective factors in reading fluency in grade 4. The sample consisted of 538 Finnish-speaking students. Kindergarten measures included the students' risk for RD based on poor achievement in phonological awareness and letter knowledge as well as information on the three…

Children are increasingly using computer technologies to engage in acts of aggression against peers, often termed "cyber aggression". Media reports have sensationalized instances of cyber aggression, and social scientists have begun to examine its characteristics and consequences. Using a younger sample of children than most previous research (192…

This paper reports the perspectives of male trainees on mechanisms instituted to support them during their Post-Graduate Certificate of Education in Early Years and Primary Education in England. The male trainees were interviewed towards the end of their training, using semi-structured interviews that provided scope for pursuing several lines of…

Studies of peer relations among children living in rural developing communities are rare. This study examined peer status in 168 children (ages 6-12) living in a rural community in a developing community, St Vincent, the West Indies. The present study used ANOVA to test hypotheses about the relations between peer status and academic scores and…

Working within the developmental science research framework, this study sought to capture a dynamic and complex view of student mobility. Second- through fifth-grade data (N = 1,003, predominantly Caucasian) were drawn from a longitudinal study, and growth curve analyses allowed for the examination of mobility effects within the context of other…

The relation between familiarity and peer liking was studied in 96 elementary school-aged children. Pictures of boys' and girls' faces shown at different frequencies were ranked according to liking. Marked individual differences and effects for degree of children's sex-typed attitudes were found. (Author/JMB)

Study investigated the relationship of classroom acceptance, visibility, and achievement between siblings in the same elementary school. For both visibility and achievement, younger siblings had significantly higher scores than older siblings. (RB)

Attitudes of 40 nonhandicapped fifth graders who had observed and interacted with 28 severely handicapped students (3-23 years old) were measured. Nonhandicapped Ss generally held more positive than negative perceptions of the handicapped students, although the perceptions were significantly less negative than their perceptions of nonhandicapped…

A teacher recounts how she dealt with a new student who was prone to tears and her peers who liked to evoke them. After discovering that the child had family problems, the teacher selected a group of peers to befriend her. (CB)

Comparison of positive social behaviors and peer acceptance of 100 mainstreamed learning disabled and 100 nondisabled children revealed significant differences in peer acceptance and in task-related, interpersonal, environmentally and self-related behaviors. Deficits were evident in both school and home settings and were consistent across teacher,…

Learning disabled students (N=28, 10-15 years old) who participated in cooperative learning tasks increased levels of peer acceptance and cooperation as measured by sociograms and choice cards tasks. Characteristics of successful activities were noted. (CL)

Data do not support the findings of previous studies on the sociometric status of handicapped children in the regular classroom; i.e., LD children would rate significantly lower in terms of popularity than their peers who are non-LD. (Author)