Using pattern observation, this study examined the relationship between communication in a small group of children and basic parameters of social support (quantity, content, structure, and function of the communication). Researchers observed two separate groups. Subjects were 77 children (54 girls and 23 boys), ages 5-7. Data showed that: (1) when…

Recommendations for starting a process of collaboration between public schools and social service agencies are offered in this digest. The first step, information gathering, is discussed, as well as strategies for carrying out other stages in the process--selecting, approaching, and meeting with participants; problem solving; and maintaining the…

Ways in which humor is used as an administrative technique are explored in this paper, with a focus on its impact on school culture. Case study methodology is based on interviews with two principals and five staff members at a Tennessee high school. Following a review of transcript excerpts, the principal's use of humor is viewed through four…

How Greek Australian children and their parents feel about the public schools and about their own role in and acceptance by the larger Australian society is the focus of this report. Through liberal quotations from interviews, their feelings about the following areas are presented: (1) the manner in which decisions to leave or remain at school are…

Depending upon the framework in which questions are raised, racial minorities are seen to be growing both closer to white cultural norms and farther away from the historic traditions which defined those norms. Changes are urged for traditional manners of posing and answering questions regarding the future of racial minorities. (Author/AM)

Presents proposals and programs for dealing constructively with violence in the schools. Published by: California School Boards Association, 800 9th Street, Suite 201, Sacramento, California 95814. (Author)

In April 1989, a group of 30 educators from across New York State met for 3 days' intense discussion of impediments to shared decision making in schools. The seminar format modeled the communication and group dynamics considered an essential part of the shared decision-making process. The facilitator's role quickly changed from directive to…

The high level of prejudice in an average 9th grade world history class was addressed by the implementation of a custom-designed prejudice reduction program. Lessons were drawn from "The Prejudice Book" (Shiman, 1979); "A World of Difference" (Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, 1986); and "Hands Across the Campus" (Tiara, 1981). Lessons were…

The literature of psycholinguistics and multilingualism is reviewed to examine the relationship between macrological social variables such as social class, and individual variables related to language behavior in a multilingual setting. The growing body of evidence assessing the link between certain social and community dimensions and specific…

The present experiment investigated factors which enhance the salience of group membership and consequent ingroup bias. Subject dyads, who were always white, interacted either competitively or interdependently with either white or black confederate dyads. Ingroup bias was assessed as a function of attraction toward the outgroup (experimental…

This guide is intended to help principals, department chairs, teachers, and other educators who are chairing a mixed gender work group. The first section discusses research-identified differences between the way men and women communicate (both verbally and nonverbally) in groups. A 23-item gender communications assessment, which is designed to…

In light of the fact that the number of people in their later years is increasing faster than any other age group, each generation must confront its aging and ask, collectively and individually, why, how, and when. The liberal arts curriculum should include a course examining the omnipresent process of aging and its relationship to communication.…

Intended to help those interested in developing ways of coping effectively with the wide variety of meeting and decision-making styles that are available throughout the world, the booklet integrates a number of ideas and approaches discussed at a recent convention of the Society of Intercultural Education, Training, and Research (SIETAR). An…

This paper results from a research project that investigated the problem of inter-ethnic relations between Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, as they are bound together under the label, "Asian/Pacific Americans" (APA). A basic thesis is that by identifying these two groups with one label, significant cultural and socioeconomic differences are…

Relationships between individuals and society have often been presented from the perspective of the social institution. Social psychology has addressed the variables that affect the individual in relationships with larger groups. Social individualism is a conceptual framework that explores the relationship of the individual and society from the…