Interviews with native French-speaking students, undertaken during a project encompassing the teaching of cultural awareness at the upper secondary level in Britain, were analyzed to assess the students' cultural competence. Three different levels of competence were identified: "limited,""adequate," and "high,"…

A review of the literature on mixed-age settings reveals benefits in the areas of social and cognitive development. Research on the psychosocial advantages of mixed-age groupings is less consistent. Factors such as group size, age range, time together, and context-specific curriculum activities may have a relationship to the level of success and…

Followed 150 children over four years who were classified according to cluster analysis of teacher ratings into four types of social withdrawal: unsociable, passive-anxious, active-isolate, and sad-depressed. Found that unsociable children had elevated sociometric neglect rates, active-isolates had higher levels of rejection, and sad-depressed had…

Reviews research on feelings of dependency and self-criticism (correlates of depression) among adolescents at camp, on the importance of adolescents being immunized, and on benefits of exercise. Implications for camp involve developing strategies to help adolescents be less self-critical, requiring complete vaccination records from campers and…

Provides "adoption awareness" for early childhood educators and offers practical suggestions for working with adoptive parents and their children. Includes a list of adoption resources and consultants, along with a collection of suggested adoption books for young children. (Author/EV)

Examines the effects of a group counseling intervention on the self-concept of children of alcoholics. Fourth- and fifth-grade students were assigned randomly to a counseling intervention support group. Results indicate that group counseling helped children of alcoholics improve their self-concepts and also increased their social skills. (RJM)

A study of 348 Canadian students (grades 6-8) identified as gifted by domain-general criteria, investigated whether the students would score at similar levels on linguistic, logical/mathematical, and social/emotional measures or whether their scores would indicate domain-differentiated patterns of development. Results indicate the students had…

Two studies of gifted 3rd through 7th graders (n=311) enrolled in a summer academic program explored the possibility that social coping strategies could be measured. Six social coping strategies were identified: denying giftedness; minimizing focus on popularity; social interaction; humor; conformity; and denying the impact of giftedness on peer…

Two practice improvement projects that provided small group experiences for children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and disruptive behavior addressed: communication, friendship, self-control, and social problem solving. One provided activities for elementary students with ADHD (treated with medication only). Another provided…

Investigated factors associated with school adjustment and engagement. Surveys of 1,267 6th graders at the beginning and end of the school year indicated that parental involvement and social competence were protective against declines in school adjustment and student engagement during middle school. School adjustment was lower for boys than girls…

Examined relations of parents' reactions to first- through fourth-graders' negative emotions with children's social and emotional competence at school and the moderating role of children's dispositional emotionality. Found that problem-focused parental reactions related positively to socioemotional competence for boys but negatively for girls.…

A study investigated psychosocial functioning in 16 Swedish adults with Asperger syndrome or high-functioning autism. The majority lived independently; all but one were unemployed; and none was married or had children. Most persons needed a high level of public and/or private support. Overall adjustment was rated good in 12%. (Contains…

Discusses results of a 2001 survey of 128 community college instructional leaders, in which respondents identified skills necessary to effective community college leadership. Reports that communication skills were noted as most important, especially the ability to listen and offer feedback; leadership skills, such as developing a vision, were also…

Fifty-nine teachers generated what they thought were typical outcomes of physical and emotional abuse on children's classroom behavior. Responses generally fell into the following categories: lowered self-esteem, heightened aggression, academic difficulties, and poor social interaction skills. Teachers' responses generally mirrored research…

Assigned elementary schools to either immediate postbaseline intervention (PBI) with PeaceBuilders, a school-based violence prevention program, or to intervention 1 year later (PBD). Found significant gains in social competence for kindergarten through second-graders in Year 1, in peace-building behavior in Grades K to 5, and reduced aggression in…