This issue of the Australian Early Childhood Association Research in Practice Series focuses on attention difficulties in young children and is directed to parents, child caregivers, and others interested in the care and education of young children. The booklet describes behaviors and characteristics common in children with attention difficulties,…

A model postulating a relationship between faculty research activity, instructor behaviors, and student achievement is advanced, based on two causal models, one linking research activity and instructional effectiveness and another validating student evaluations as good indicators of instructional effectiveness, as measured by student achievement.…

Information and Library Services at the University of Maryland University College conducted a needs assessment survey to examine trends in student use of library resources, services, and instruction in order to understand how student usage patterns, needs, and preferences have changed as well as stayed the same. Findings followed national trends…

A study investigated the relationship of social interaction and learning among women college students in a supplemental instruction program for science featuring a collaborative classroom structure. It was found that this culture of community and cooperation promoted intellectual risk-taking and connected understanding of concepts. Some new ways…

Attention during reading lessons was explored for 116 second and third graders (60 males and 56 females). Some of the concurrent and antecedent factors that influence attention were investigated. Oral reading errors undermine attention. Nominal reading group membership is more strongly related to attention than individual fluency and comprehension…

Effects of mothers' need for approval on children's expectancies for success and persistence during failure were studied for 90 fifth graders attempting to solve 4 puzzles, 3 of which were unsolvable. Parental and situational variables affect children's achievement cognitions and behavior. Implications for parental socialization of achievement are…

Temperament and perceived family and friend support were significantly related to depressive symptoms and delinquent activity in 975 adolescents (high school sophomores and juniors) in western New York. Results suggest that part of the influence of temperamental difficulty may be a result of reduced levels of family and friend support. (SLD)

Surveys of drug and alcohol use conducted with 4,367 Mexican-American and 3,790 White non-Hispanic eighth and twelfth graders from similar communities find generally higher rates of substance use by Mexican Americans based on lifetime prevalence and last reported use and higher frequency of high risk drug behaviors. (SLD)

Tests a model of the effects of negative social sanctions that considers the mediating effects of self-rejecting feelings associated with perceived rejection and failure. Results with 1,925 seventh graders asked about drug use are compatible with theoretical premises underlying the predicted association between negative social sanctions and…

Cross-nationally compares dimensions of psychosocial environment and behavior and environment-behavior relations for 202 boys and 217 girls in India, rated by their mothers, to a U.S. normative sample of 292 boys and 252 girls. Similar dimensions of behavior and environment emerge for both samples. (SLD)

Demographic characteristics of juvenile victims of crime and a potential relationship between victimization and self-reported delinquency are examined for 877 adolescents from a large midwestern city. Lifetime victimization rates (LVRs) are higher for those involved in delinquency, and LVRs rise with age and higher levels of delinquent behavior.…

Research suggests that primary control increases as humans develop from infancy through middle age and then decreases in old age. To minimize losses, individuals rely on cognitively based secondary control processes in middle and old age. Literature on adult control processes is reviewed. (SLD)

Empirical research on the role of school recess is reviewed. Effects of child-level and school-level variables on recess behavior and the impact of recess on classroom behavior and social and cognitive competence are discussed. It is concluded that recess has important educational and developmental implications. (SLD)

A total of 1,179 urban inner-city high school students were surveyed about drug and alcohol use. The extent of use and relationships among use and sex, age, and grade were analyzed. The results confirm that drug use increases as grade level rises and provide other insights into adolescent behavior. (SLD)

Disruptive behavior patterns are particularly challenging for parents, teachers, and peers as these behaviors often interfere with classroom instruction, frequently lead to academic underachievement, and are associated with social skills acquisition and performance deficits. Children who exhibit a combination of…