This study examined how four different types of self-construal affected perception of socio-emotional adjustment (i.e., anxiety, depression, distress, self-esteem, family cohesion, peer support, pro-substance abuse attitude) and perception of relationship with community (i.e., sense of community, adverse neighborhood) in a sample of 152…

This book examines the developmental functions of social pretend play (SPP), asserting that SPP is salient in the formation of both social interaction skills and friendships from the toddler period into middle childhood. Part 1 discusses the mastery of the communication of meaning in SPP and presents three studies on the relationship between…

This paper discusses the importance of parent involvement in middle schools, focusing on the increasing need for such involvement in today's society. It examines the development of the parent-student and teacher-student relationship, and considers the importance of the parent-teacher relationship in relation to the student's development and…

Designed to help family home care providers address the needs of children at various developmental stages, this manual provides practical suggestions for encouraging and evaluating children's social and emotional development. The manual is divided into four sections focusing respectively on infants, toddlers, preschool children, and school-aged…

Youth who experience difficulties in personal and social development, often struggle to integrate themselves into society and into the labor market. This digest outlines a model which fosters social and labor market integration for such youth. The model consists of three dimensions: (1) psychovocational; (2) sociopsychological; and (3)…

This study examined children's play interaction styles with unfamiliar peers; used mother-child and father-child dyadic qualities independently to predict children's social behavior; determined the relationship between children's individual behaviors and peer dyadic characteristics; and compared mother-child and father-child interactions on both…

Play skills are vital to a child's overall healthy development. However, the training many caregivers receive may not include extensive information on play skills. This book presents a play checklist to help caregivers observe children's play skills, pinpoint play skills on which children need to work, and plan goals for improving those play…

Social studies is concerned with promoting the greater good of society. This paper examines the value of multicultural literature as a tool for this purpose. It is argued that multicultural literature can help promote the social development necessary to address important societal problems and conditions. It can be used formally or informally to…

This research project devised and evaluated a program for improving primary grade students' interpersonal skills to reduce their inappropriate behaviors when interacting with others. Teacher surveys, journals and observations of children's behavior were used to document poor interpersonal skills in kindergartners through third graders in four…

A conviction that democracy required for its citizens access to knowledge and to habits of critical thought has been recognized as a driving dynamic behind educators such as Albert Mansbridge. Britons must reshape their vision for the turn of the millennium, but they need to draw on their inheritance, on the understanding of their predecessors…

This publication presents the substance of a conference on collaborative approaches to prevention and intervention for African American families exposed to community violence. Participants included child and maternal mental health professionals and others involved in public health, juvenile justice, child welfare, education, child advocacy, and…

A study determined the impact of a literacy program including social cooperative literacy experiences on literacy achievement of first-, second-, and third-grade children. Treatment in the experimental groups, which consisted of 204 children from 3 first-, 3 second-, and 3 third-grade urban classrooms included designing classroom literacy centers,…

The relationship of familial and school-based risk factors to socioemotional and learning problems was assessed in a sample of 69 Hispanic 3-year-old children in Head Start Programs in New York City. In a preliminary study of maternal stress, child temperament was identified as a significant predictor of child socioemotional problems. School risk…

This paper presents findings of a study that compared the social-adjustment levels of students who participated in a middle-school transition program with students who did not. The program, implemented at Whitewater Middle School in Fayette County, Georgia, was designed to ease elementary students into the middle school system. In the Shadow…

Recognizing that for young children, play is a tool for learning, this book compiles contributions by different authors, reflecting both up-to-date research and current classroom practice as they relate to children's play. Part 1 of the book explores the value of play as a cross-cultural concept as well as one rooted in the Western world. Gender…