The purpose of this paper is to report on the development and validation of the Social Problem Situation Analysis Measure (SPSAM), a measure of the ways in which children understand and attempt to resolve problematic social situations. The SPSAM is an assessment procedure in which children are shown cards depicting sequences of unfolding action in…

This paper argues that (1) as measures of emotional empathy in children are refined, there is increasingly strong support for the hypothesis that emotional empathy can serve both as an inhibitor of antisocial behavior and as a motivator of prosocial behavior, but that (2) since the relation between children's empathy and their behavior is…

This report summarized the results of a 5-year research investigation of the anti- and prosocial effects of television on children. At the outset of the investigation the focus of emphasis was on analyzing the possible antisocial effects of television on children, but about midway through the project the research was expanded to include possible…

This selected annotated bibliography of research-related papers and reports covers major research activities in connection with the development of "Sesame Street" and "The Electric Company", the two experimental educational series produced by the Children's Television Workshop. These writings date back to the origins of CTW in…

Based on observations in 10 preschools in Taipei (Taiwan) in 1982, describes social-emotional behaviors for teacher-child interactions, display of emotions, self-esteem, responsibility, and peer interactions. These behaviors are compared to those seen in centers on the Chinese mainland, suggesting similarities and differences in educational and…

Young people need guidance from caring adults to build strong, positive character traits--but they can also build their own. This book by the best-selling author of "The Kid's Guide to Social Action" invites children and teens to explore and practice honesty, kindness, empathy, integrity, tolerance, patience, respect, and more. Quotations and…

Written and experiential activities help teens discover their own leadership potential and develop skills that guide them to act responsibly and make a difference in the world around them. Teens gain a greater understanding of who they are, what matters to them, how that translates into leadership, and how leadership relates to everyday life.…

"Data Trends" reports present summaries of research on mental health services for children and adolescents and their families. The article summarized in this "Data Trends" discusses family-based interventions and how they may have both direct and indirect effects. While the measurement of direct outcomes for a targeted group is important, a…

Faced with increasing concerns of educators, parents, and students regarding the lack of school discipline, this study evaluated a social skills program to reduce inappropriate behavioral incidents in urban middle and rural high school students. Students' inappropriate behavior, such as talking back, not preparing for class or not participating in…

Ideas, shortcuts, and tips on discipline, portfolios, academics, and parent involvement are organized in a list format to help teachers work more efficiently. The six chapters include: (1) Academics (Reading, Writing, Spelling, Science, and Math Journals); (2) Portfolios; (3) Discipline; (4) Caring; (5) Parents (First Time Communication,…

This paper argues the importance of not only understanding how "cultural editing" may limit our images and those of our children for creating non-violent futures, but also of the need for quality responses by teachers and teacher educators to such editing. Cultural editing is a term futurists use to describe processes both within formal and…

This pamphlet offers an overview of five larger reports in order to facilitate the process of locating contributions originating from five peace conferences between 1990-1994. The Peace Education Commission (PEC) arranged five conferences in Groningen (The Netherlands), Firenze (Italy), Kyoto (Japan), Budapest (Hungary) and Valletta (Malta). A…

This action research project examined the effectiveness of a program to improve kindergartners' prosocial behaviors. Students' lack of social skills was documented by means of teacher and parent surveys, teacher anecdotal records, and behavioral observation checklists. The intervention had four components. The teacher directly taught social skills…

The paper defines and discusses various social learning theories. Central to most theories of how an individual acquires socially acceptable behaviors are the processes of imitation, or observational learning, and identification, or modeling. The effectiveness of each process is noted. (SB)

Examined nonshared environmental (NSE) influences on twin preschoolers' behavior independent of genetics. Found that within-pair parenting differences correlated with monozygotic differences in behavior. For the extreme 10 percent of the parenting-discordant and behavior-discordant distributions, average NSE effect size was 11 percent, suggesting…