This study examined the effects of public service advertising from two theoretical backgrounds: social learning theory and social control theory. Traditional social learning theory assumes that learning occurs by subjects performing responses and experiencing their effects, with reinforcement as the main determinant. Social control theory, as…

This digest summarizes research in the affective and social realms that overwhelmingly affirms the superiority of small schools. Findings on the affective and social effects of school size are extensive and highly consistent, while the research base on outcomes of schools-within-a-school arrangements is smaller and less conclusive. While many…

This study examines the relationship between class heterogeneity and scholastic performance in Israel's primary schools. The effect of school integration on academic achievement is explained via two main effects: (1) the "peer" effect, namely externalities that are induced by the composition of the teaching and learning environments; and…

This paper describes a study of the socioemotional functioning of middle-class male and female preschoolers who had experienced varying degrees of nonparental care during the infant/toddler period. A review of the literature revealed that previous research findings from child care programs were inconclusive about potential differential effects on…

This ERIC digest examines the growth and nature of juvenile gangs and the growing problem they present in the nation's public schools. It explores the characteristics of gangs, the impact gangs are having on public schools, why gangs develop and why students join them, what the schools' responses have been to gangs, and effective interactions for…

This manual is designed to assist Alberta (Canada) teachers in identifying social behavior difficulties in their students and promoting prosocial behavior through the use of various classroom activities. A social skills diagnostic screen is provided to aid teachers in assessing personal and interpersonal development, social reasoning skills, and…

Research on communication instruction for students with severe intellectual disabilities is reviewed, focusing on the pragmatic elements involved in accomplishing a successful communicative exchange. A federally funded project, called the "Conversation and Social Competence Research Project," is then described. The project sought to…

This exploratory study was designed to describe young children's social interactions and teachers' perceptions before and after the introduction of a microcomputer to classrooms and early childhood settings in New Zealand. Two junior school classes and two kindergartens participated. During the first term of 1986, baseline data in the form of…

The discourse of Mexican-American preschoolers during sociodramatic play was investigated to learn what the children knew about the social world and how this knowledge was organized in their speech. The theoretical framework for the study was derived from two sources: the psychological construct of the script and the sociolinguistic view of play…

Intended to complement the New York City communication arts curriculum, this packet introduces young students, guided by the classroom teacher, to a dress rehearsal performance of the Dance Theatre of Harlem ballet company. The packet is one of a series in the "Early Stages" program, a joint effort of the Mayor's Office of Film, Theater…

This workbook provides exercises, role-playing activities, and self-evaluation activities to help deaf adolescents become more aware of their level of assertiveness and the ways assertive behavior can assist in daily living situations. Assertiveness is different from aggressiveness and passiveness, and many people learn through their families and…

The mechanics of McCarthyism are explained via a detailed case study of Alex Novikoff who was fired from the University of Vermont in 1953 after taking the Fifth Amendment in connection with FBI and Congressional investigations of his earlier membership in Communist groups at Brooklyn College. Despite McCarthy's stated commitment to academic…

This study explored differential patterns of variables at 7 and 9 years of age that predict teacher evaluations of academic and social performance at 15 years of age. A total of 101 Icelandic school children were assessed on a variety of variables at ages 7, 9, 12, and 15. Only two variables significantly entered into the regression equation…

In a study to assess young children's social interaction with peers, six male toddlers who were the only participants in a playgroup were observed in two situations: (1) a GROUP situation in which at least four of the boys were present and (2) a DYAD situation in which only two boys were present. Both types of observations were made at 16, 19, and…

This handbook, produced by the School Environmental Impact Program (Indiana) was developed to improve school environments and to create more positive attitudes and behaviors in school participants (all those involved in the school and its environment). It is designed to help in the assessment of school conditions by individuals, groups, or school…