From sexual name-calling and grabbing to sexual threats, Iowa high school students face situations in their schools that fit traditional definitions of sexual harassment. This report details a first-of-its-kind study of 503 Iowa high school students. Incidents that could be described as harassment are common in Iowa high schools: 19 percent of…

The curricula and instructional approaches often used in elementary school classrooms, which too often avoid difficult issues, may restrict the social development needed to promote societal well-being. This problem is exacerbated in the early grades, where the discussion of controversial social issues seemingly contradicts the goal of maintaining…

This monograph presents a rationale for proactive social skills training for persons with mental retardation as well as over 100 examples of such instruction across the K-12 continuum. Chapter 1 provides a conceptual framework of social competence with principles of what, when, and how to teach social skills. Chapter 2 discusses the direct…

The cognitive nature, power, and educational value of college women's friendships were studied. As a means for dissolving the boundaries between the academic and intellectual, and as a place where autonomy and interdependence are in dynamic exercise, female friendships can provide a model for peer-assisted learning in higher education. Data were…

This study addressed the question of developmental processes underlying gender differences in aggression. Specifically, the study examined stories young children tell about nice or mean social interactions. A total of 100 middle-class 3-year-olds participated in storytelling sessions with trained experimenters. Subjects also completed the Peer…

This research examined Chickering's psychosocial developmental characteristics of nontraditional aged (25-45) university freshmen and compared these developmental characteristics with those reported for traditional aged (18-24) freshmen to determine if significant differences exist between these groups of students. The Student Developmental Task…

Anthropologists have documented the importance of rites of passage rituals for marking the successful passage from one position in the social structure to another. The characteristics and importance of rituals and rites of passage to mark the transition high school to college will be presented. It is proposed that colleges and universities utilize…

Current practices in implementing social skills instruction into elementary and secondary curricula are explored in this report. Two issues are addressed: (1) teacher reports of current and desired activities; and (2) the extent to which curriculum availability, other resources, teacher training, and values affect teacher activities.…

The proceedings of a 1983 symposium on early education and the exceptional child features 18 presentations of overall issues, cost effectiveness, special projects, social interaction, and curriculum and instructional issues. Works with the following titles and authors are included: "Education: A Look to the Future" (J. Tawney);…

Focusing on parents' most persistent concerns about their children's growth and development, the 54 brief articles collected in this volume first appeared as monthly columns in "Parents Magazine." Section 1, "The Challenges of Parenthood," includes essays on alternative approaches to discipline, the limits of openness, teaching…

Studies on peer interaction in infancy seem to imply that social group structure emerges from infants' and toddlers' dyadic interactions. In contrast to this position, the present study hypothesizes that attention structure may be a major precursor for social group structure. To investigate that possibility, an attempt was made to develop a…

Noting the major objectives of India's Fifth Five Year Plan, including emphasis on cultivation of moral and spiritual values in students, the author discusses India's situation in comparison with the development of other nations and analyzes the question of when or how individual enlightenment affects large groups of people or the development of a…

Goals of higher education in the Peoples Republic of China are to teach students to use their theoretical and technical skills to help improve the lives of the Chinese majority, not for individual social mobility. The process is described in terms of admissions requirements, academic standards, curriculum content and methodology, and research. (JT)

The consequences of Watergate for children, their education, and their ethical and moral commitment is discussed in terms of the child's development of moral judgment, and in terms of the practical issues of how values are transmitted from one generation to another. (Author/AM)

Systematic observation methods were used to investigate the nature of communication in a cross-sectional study of 80 dating and engaged couples that were grouped into dating stages of various degrees of commitment. Results indicate more communication of the critical kind was in evidence at later stages of dating. (Author/EJT)