Assessed gender and age differences in self-esteem of Taiwanese children in grades four through six. Found that boys exceeded girls in confidence in physical abilities, but were less satisfied with their conduct; confidence in scholastic and athletic competence and global self-worth declined with age. Found that scholastic competence, physical…

Using 1993 Youth Risk Behavior Survey data, this study assessed Texas high school (N=6,015) and college students' (N=1048) alcohol use, tobacco use, and sexual behavior. Results indicated that the high school students initiated risk behaviors at much earlier ages than the college students, but college students reported a higher incidence of the…

Family disruption, marital conflict, and disengaged parent-child relations have a decreasing effect on child behavior over time. And survey analysis shows that the pattern of decline differs for these three stressors. Analysis specifies the developmental period when declines occurred and distinguishes the decreases due to adaptation and those due…

A two-year study examined mother-adolescent communication from early to mid-adolescence. Findings included nonverbal displays of affiliation, embarrassment, and contempt were stable across conversations, dyads, and across time for mothers; adolescent affiliation decreased and maternal dominance increased over time; adolescents showed more…

Describes a study conducted at Seattle Pacific University that developed an attitude scale to measure student perceptions about online courses; explored relationships between student perceptions and demographic and other variables, including age, gender, online course experience, Internet experience, and computer skills; and investigated…

A study examined guardianship as it affects young adults with disabilities. Two hundred and twenty-one court files were reviewed across nine Michigan jurisdictions. Overall, 120 plenary guardians and 101 partial guardians were appointed. Distinctions between the powers of plenary and partial guardians, however, were often found to be minimal.…

Longitudinal change in syntax comprehension and production skill, measured over six years, was modeled in 31 individuals (ages 5-20) with Down syndrome. The best fitting Hierarchical Linear Modeling model of comprehension uses age and visual and auditory short-term memory as predictors of initial status, and age for growth trajectory. (Contains…

Examined gender differences in 514 children's competence and value beliefs from first through twelfth grade, and the relation of these trends to initial differences in parents' perceptions of children's ability. Found that gender differences in competence and value beliefs related to sports and mathematics. Gender differences in competence beliefs…

Examined whether the quality and content of everyday parent-child conversations about negative emotions differed from everyday talk about positive emotions. Found that children and parents talked about past emotions, causes of emotions, and connections between emotions and other mental states at higher rates during conversations about negative…

Surveyed fourth-, seventh-, and tenth-graders in Japan and the United States regarding evaluations of peer group exclusion of atypical peers. Found that with increasing age, children demonstrated sensitivity to context (reason the peer was different) and believed that the excluded child should not change to be accepted. Girls were less willing to…

Presents a study conducted at the Hellenic Open University that focused on higher education offered by methods of distance learning, including the use of computers and other technology, and investigated causes of student dropouts and dropout rates. Highlights include student characteristics, including age and gender; and correlations between…

A study compared the implicit learning of 58 children (ages 7-14) with mental retardation and 53 controls (ages 3-8). Individuals with mental retardation modified their behavior after an implicit training procedure similar to the controls. The effect of implicit learning did not vary as a function of IQ or age. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

A study examined protective and vulnerability factors in 214 foster children (ages 7-12). Youth and caregivers were interviewed six months following placement and six years later. Several control variables (age, ethnicity, abuse type, and behavior problems) and psychosocial predictor variables (social support and self-perception) were related to…

Parents of 401 infants and toddlers completed the 81-item Infant/Toddler Sensory Profile. Findings suggest that 48 items best characterized sensory processing for children 7-36 months, whereas 36 items appeared relevant for children birth-6 months. Reliability analyses were consistent with clusters identified in Dunn's model of sensory processing…

Examines perceptions of challenges reported by academic library directors and chief academic officers to whom they report. Highlights include user satisfaction; challenges of diversity; hardware; serials; organizational change; crime in libraries; the influence of age and length of tenure; and suggestions for future research needs. (Author/LRW)