This paper examines the impact of the explicit teaching of social skills to enhance academic achievement. The targeted population comprised kindergarten and second grade students in a middle-class community located in central Illinois. The problem of inappropriate behaviors and difficulties interacting with peers and how this may affect academic…

Identifying low self-esteem as the underlying factor contributing to poor school attitudes, negative self feelings, difficulty making friends, and difficulty in working independently and completing assignments, this action research project evaluated the effectiveness of an intervention incorporating cooperative learning and teaching to the…

This reports discusses results of the Nevada Department of Education's fifth biennial survey to assess drug and alcohol attitudes and use among students in grades 6, 8, 10, and 12 (N=7,770). This 1998 survey also addresses issues of safety, violence, and school climate in keeping with the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of 1994.…

This paper discusses the outcomes of a study that examined Hans Eysenck's antisocial behavioral hypothesis (ASB). Eysenck's theory of personality has three temperament-based traits: Psychoticism (P), Extraversion (E), and Neuroticism (N). His ASB hypothesis predicts that individuals high on P, E, and N with poor socialization are at the greatest…

This final report discusses the outcomes of a project that gave outreach assistance to programs providing services to students (ages 3-16) with severe social, emotional, and behavioral disabilities. Programs receiving assistance from this project provided services to students in fully inclusive general education classrooms, in partially inclusive…

Poor social skills among young elementary school students can result in lack of cooperation with others and an inability to resolve conflicts. This action research project examined the impact of a program for improving social competence through improving listening skills, cooperation, respect for others, and respect for authority. Participating in…

This study examined the effects of child day care, evening care, and night care on the development and adaptation of young children in Japan. Caregivers completed a survey on the home childrearing environment, their feelings of self-efficacy, and the presence of child care support. Results of the discriminant analysis indicated that factors in the…

The construct validities of the Self Description Questionnaire I, the Perceived Social Competence Scale, and the Multidimensional Measure of Children's Perceptions of Control were assessed, using 508 seventh through ninth graders in Sydney (Australia). Factor analysis, multitrait-multimethod analyses, and patterns of correlations with additional…

Reviews evidence from preschool education programs to determine what impacts quality programs can have on poor children's intellectual and social competence. Reviews evidence from Head Start to determine whether preschool programs of national scope have produced the same effects as those produced by model programs. (Author/BJV)

A study profiled freshmen with diagnosed learning disabilities at a large, state-supported university. Results are summarized concerning this population's educational aspirations, self-reported study habits and academic weaknesses, decision to attend college, adjustment expectations, anticipated involvement or affiliation with campus groups, study…

A special section containing four articles examines the development of self-image in young children. Suggests that child-care professionals play a vital role in the early development of children's strong and positive self-image. Describes practices that can promote image-building and underscores how the development of strong self-image is also…

In a follow-up study of the effects of early day care on children's cognitive and socioemotional competence, children who entered day care before the age of 1 year were found to have a better academic performance at ages 8 and 13 and to receive more positive teacher ratings than other children on several socioemotional variables. (Author/GLR)

A transitional planning model implemented at St. Joseph's School for the Blind in Jersey City, New Jersey, incorporates a broad conceptualization of transition that includes social skills, independent living skills, and overall competence in adjustment to the community. The model considers parental involvement, advocacy, and leadership as…

Attitudes of 120 residents from three teaching hospitals about psychosocial aspects of patient care and the feasibility of teaching psychosocial skills to residents were compared to those of 86 practicing internists, 42 psychiatrists, 29 academic general internists, and 63 surgeons. The newly developed scale was seen as useful in evaluating…

Examined role of home social relationships as predictors of social functioning in first years of school. Found that the quality of different family relationships provided relatively independent and complementary information about early social functioning in school, with more limited evidence for compensatory or protective processes at work.…