In Latin America and the Caribbean, 240 million people, or 50 percent of the population, live in poverty. This report, written in Spanish, summarizes research by the Proyecto Costa Atlantica into the effects of such widespread poverty on the cognitive and social development of children. After an introduction on the general responses of the…

The Prosocial Attitude Blank (PAB) was designed to assess interpersonal values and ethical awareness of elementary school children. PAB was administered to 405 elementary students as one component of the evaluation of an intervention program designed to reduce interpersonal conflicts, increase literacy skills, and enhance children's ethical…

This study tested the predictive links between children's interactions with peers in early elementary school and their social and emotional adjustment at the end of elementary school. A sample of 231 boys starting kindergarten and first grade were observed during this longitudinal study, on three separate occasions: kindergarten and first grade,…

By means of a series of educational activities over 8 months, this practicum study sought to institute a prosocial curriculum for preschool children. The curriculum was meant to teach trust, autonomy, and skills for handling aggressive feelings. Subjects were 18 four- and five-year-old children. Activities exposed children to areas such as: (1)…

Peace education is and will continue to be a goal of early childhood educators around the world. A variety of definitions of peace and peace education can be found in the literature. A plethora of resources has become available during the past decade for those wishing to teach peace in educational settings for young children. The literature is…

This document presents a variety of materials for classroom use to address the issues of conflict, security, and peacemaking. Designed for high school, the lessons are presented from a personal perspective and intended for several learning environments, including: (1) integration into traditional courses; (2) self-contained one to two week units;…

The Child Development Project (CDP) is a school-based program designed to foster children's social, ethical, and intellectual development through activities emphasizing cooperative learning, developmental discipline, social understanding, interpersonal helping, and prosocial values. The CDP was implemented in kindergarten through fourth grade by…

Effective communications strategies for delivering substance abuse and other prosocial behavior messages to African American inner city teenagers were studied. After pilot studies, the final sample consisted of middle school and high school students from the urban centers of New York City; Washington, D.C.; Camden (New Jersey); Philadelphia…

There is mounting evidence that the most significant deficit of new work force entrants is not an "academic skills gap" but rather poor attitudes concerning work. Despite growing recognition of their fundamental link to the quality of the work force, work attitudes have received virtually no detailed discussion in the public policy arena. Research…

This action research project evaluated a program to reduce inappropriate behavior and maximize prosocial skills. The program involved development and implementation of cooperative learning, weekly prosocial lessons, a conflict resolution program, and a community service project. The target population consisted of 240 seventh and eighth grade…

Ten emerging issues in early childhood education (ECE) are explored. The first issue has to do with the societal purpose for early childhood education, the second with the problem of whether ECE personnel are professionals. The third issue concerns the conceptual world view that helps educators see what child development is all about. The fourth…

Describes program of a southeastern Washington rural community mental health center to promote preventative interventions in five rural elementary and high schools and to improve coordination between county social service agencies and rural schools. Discusses implementation, acceptance, continuation, and evaluation of the program. (LFL)

Describes study of 837 campers aged 8-13 at 1 day and 5 residential camps, 546 parents, and 274 counselors to document effect of camp experiences on group-living/interpersonal skills, prosocial outlook, outdoor living skills, personal enjoyment, and environmental appreciation/understanding. Three figures show survey results, four photographs of…

Documentation for a dramatic science fiction pilot program, "Star Crusaders," includes a review of the scientific literatures on race relations and television effects, a discussion of the creation of the story and production problems, and reports on two content analyses (one by the audience) and a field experiment. (MBR)

This set of materials on the Skillstreaming methodology for training adolescents in social skills, especially students who are chronically aggressive, includes a book which explains the entire program, a student manual, a collection of program forms, and a box of skill cards for use with students. Chapter 1 of the book examines the nature and…