This book presents the evidence gathered from original interviews to show how the aspirations of young people develop in light of their social circumstances. Those who attend independent schools will find that the relationship between what goes on at home and at school makes it socially almost impossible not to have achievable aspirations for a…

Introduces a special issue examining the effects of both gender and ethnicity on personal experience and cultural expectations. The issue focuses on ethnic minority women, upon whose lives these variables have the clearest impact. (DM)

The stability of peer status of children (ages 9 to 12) with (N=38) and without learning disabilities (LD) was examined through sociometric measures twice in the same school year. Although test-retest reliability was good, children with LD were likely to lose peer status and be seen by peers in less favorable terms at Time 2 than Time 1. (Contains…

This paper attempts to explicate and locate the concept of 'cultural capital' in terms of Pierre Bourdieu's more general theory of the forms of capital and their transubstantiations. It examines the manner in which the relationship between the economic field, and its relations of inequality and power, and the cultural field involves a process of…

The primary purpose of this study was to compare, from a social/cognitive perspective, computer free play with more traditional preschool free play. Secondary objectives were to find out whether there were gender differences in the duration and type of computer play and whether receptive language differences or sociometric status affected the use…

Although studies have suggested that moods may affect motivation, the nature of these effects remains obscure. To clarify the relationship between mood and motivation, manipulated mood and self-reports of mood were related to paper-and-pencil ratings of motivational orientation. College students (N=70) in Happiness Induction and Sadness Induction…

Normally developing and mildly developmentally delayed preschool-age boys were brought together to form playgroups. Videotapes of the groups and peer sociometric ratings indicated that delayed children had a deficit in peer-related social interactions and were seen as less competent and of lower social status by peers. (PCB)

A study involving 90 learning-disabled (LD) children, ages 9-12, and 94 nonhandicapped children found that LD children were less likely to be popular and more likely to be rejected and neglected. Achievement and Intelligence Quotient were not meaningful predictors of peer status in LD children. (Author/JDD)

The data in this article come from an ethnographic exploration into the construction of masculinities in three junior schools in the UK between 1998 and 1999. The author argues that the construction and performance of masculinity is inextricably linked to the acquisition of status within the school peer group, and he delineates the specific series…

Measures family environments, cognitive performance, and attitudes toward school among 700 11-year-old Australian children and their parents. Examines relationships between social categories, defined by ethnicity, gender, and social status. Finds differences in family environment and children's cognitive performance related more to ethnicity than…

Examines the following theories proposed by social psychologists to explain popular resistance to affirmative action strategies: (1) the naivete explanation; (2) the symbolic racism theory; and (3) the "realistic" group-conflict theory. Argues that social psychology ignores the public's perception of Blacks as members of a social underclass. (FMW)

Examination of social status, peer liking and knowing, and reciprocal friendships of 202 students (learning disabled, low achieving, average achieving, and high achieving) in grades 3-10 found that only low achieving students were less well liked and less well known by classmates. All groups showed a high relationship between knowing and liking.…

Previous studies have shown that both economic and familial factors affect the status of the elderly across cultures. The objective of this study was to identify other antecedents of the status of the elderly, especially those involving the familial and religious domains. The presence or absence of ancestor worship was used as an indicator of the…

This study investigated the relationship of academic achievement of categories of social status (popular, rejected, isolated, and amiable), peer acceptance and social impacts among 145 elementary school children. Academically able students were more often considered amiable or popular, while the below average achievers were more often rejected.

This study investigated the perceived loneliness, social competence, and social status of 15 sixth-grade students with learning disabilities (LD). Comparison with 68 peers without disabilities found students with LD reported more loneliness, were less popular, and more controversial in their social status than non-disabled peers. Implications for…