Noting that school provides one of the most important arenas for interactive processes that are crucial to children's healthy social development, this book examines the social, educational, and developmental psychology of the school environment, focusing on peer relationships and teacher-student interactions. The book demonstrates the complexities…

"Science Briefs" summarize the findings and implications of a recent study in basic science or clinical research. This brief reports on the study "Contemporaneous and Longitudinal Associations between Social Behavior and Literacy Achievement in a Sample of Low Income Elementary School Children" (S. B. Miles and D. Stipek). In two groups of…

Contrary to earlier views, studies show that preschool children with conduct problems will likely continue to exhibit some maladjustment in adolescence and adulthood. A high rate of aggression and noncompliance in toddlers can be predictive of serious antisocial problems later in life, if not treated. Interventions aimed at changing the disruptive…

"Second Step" is a series of curricula for preschool through junior high/middle school students that addresses the issue of interpersonal violence among adolescents. It is designed to reduce their impulsive and aggressive behavior while increasing their levels of social competence through empathy training, interpersonal problem solving,…

Examines role of schools and peer group culture in constructing male and female identity among adolescents in the context of gender violence. Discusses a United Kingdom Department for International Development funded study of abuse of girls in Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Ghana. Reveals contemplative sexual socialization processes in which male violence…

This study examined the psychometric properties of a multidimensional measure of prosocial behaviors, the Prosocial Tendencies Measure-Revised (PTM-R), with early and middle adolescents. Results showed adequate reliability and evidence of validity for the PTM-R. Discussion focused on individual differences in prosocial behaviors among early and…

Cross-nationally compares dimensions of psychosocial environment and behavior and environment-behavior relations for 202 boys and 217 girls in India, rated by their mothers, to a U.S. normative sample of 292 boys and 252 girls. Similar dimensions of behavior and environment emerge for both samples. (SLD)

One of the more serious problems faced by child welfare services involves the management of children with serious behavioral and mental health problems. Aggressive and defiant foster children are more likely to have multiple foster care placements, require extraordinary social services resources, and have poor short- and long-term mental health…

Background: This study aimed to identify personality features characterizing adolescent girls and boys with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and to see whether meaningful patterns of heterogeneity exist among adolescents diagnosed with the disorder. Methods: Two hundred and ninety-four randomly selected doctoral-level clinicians described…

Why are students who have special educational needs at greater risk of bullying than their peers when educated in mainstream settings? This case study of one mainstream secondary school describes the various facets of the peer group dynamics that underpinned social aggression and exclusion towards students who were hearing impaired. These students…

This article details the implementation and empirical evaluation of an elementary school violence program. The problem of school violence and the significance and focus of the study are discussed. The general research question in this study was to examine the potential for a computer-mediated anger management program to enhance or improve the…

Background: Association between parenting dimensions and externalizing behaviors in children was examined. Method: Data on children from the middle class families of Patiala (N = 240) were collected from schools and families. Parents completed questionnaires on parenting dimensions and externalizing behaviors of children. Results: Analysis of…

The last five years have seen an increase in the recognition among scholars, school administrators, and parents that bullying among American students occurs at great frequency. One survey of over 15,000 youth found that 30% reported frequent involvement in bullying. This article provides an introduction to the topic of school-based bullying. It…

The primary purpose of this study was to understand further the heterogeneity of popularity, by exploring contextual correlates of two dimensions of positive peer regard among seventh graders within two highly disparate sociodemographic groups: affluent suburban and low-income urban (N = 636). Three sets of attributes were examined, all…

This document, presented in question and answer format, provides guidance about legal requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) concerning the misconduct of students with disabilities and corrects the misunderstanding that students with disabilities are exempt from discipline under current law. It discusses recent…