Three action research projects were conducted with the intention of creating peaceful learning environments in Canadian schools from kindergarten to twelfth grade. The first project focused on social skills development, especially conflict management, for elementary school students in a rural New Brunswick school. Staff used Washington state's…

Seventeen Ojibwa families were examined to identify: (1) the relationship between quantity and quality of father involvement in childrearing and children's academic and social school performance; and (2) antecedents to father's participation. The sample from Bay Mills Reservation in Michigan, was comprised of families containing 2 adults and a…

With increasing pressures being placed on early childhood teachers to provide academic programs, many are turning away from programs that foster pretend play. This study examined two contrasting approaches to teaching preschool children and considered their effects on children's linguistic and social abilities. One of the teaching approaches…

The most effective alternative to punishment for violent or disruptive student behavior is to provide children with tools they will need for living peacefully with one another. This guide for elementary school classes examines ways in which a peaceful environment can be achieved and maintained in the classroom. Divided into six units which are…

Many children with and without disabilities fail to develop the requisite social skills necessary to obtain a level of social competence that facilitates positive peer interactions and relationships. This study was designed to test a combination of training and generalization techniques to promote independent social interactions for children with…

This action research project evaluated the impact of a 16-week intervention to improve primary school children's conflict resolution skills and to enhance their self-esteem. The targeted population consisted of one kindergarten class, one first-grade class, and one third-grade class at three different elementary schools in the same suburban…

This study examined how parental advice-giving directly and indirectly influences children's quality of friendship with peers. Participating were 66 third graders, their classroom teachers, 66 mothers and 57 fathers, and 66 friends. All but one dyad of the target children and friend were the same gender. Teachers rated target children on peer…

Some students need help in solving their daily challenges. The program described here teaches students to function more efficiently in the school environment and the community. Various strategies provide students with alternatives to suspension/expulsion, and encourage parental and community involvement with "at-risk" youth. The program…

When researchers evaluate social skills programs, they essentially are measuring progress towards a goal. How they measure this progress hinges on the precision of the goal statements, the identification of valid and realistic process and outcome indicators, and the selection of appropriate data and methods for collection. This paper outlines the…

Using pattern observation, this study examined the relationship between communication in a small group of children and basic parameters of social support (quantity, content, structure, and function of the communication). Researchers observed two separate groups. Subjects were 77 children (54 girls and 23 boys), ages 5-7. Data showed that: (1) when…

The District of Columbia Public Schools Nature Computer Camp (NCC) is an environmental/computer program which has been operating in the Catoctin Mountain Park (Maryland) since 1983. The camp operates for five one-week sessions serving a total of 406 regular sixth-grade students representing 84 elementary schools with an average of 81 students per…

This case study contributes to the debate about professional education and the nature of complex interpersonal skills. Preservice training programs make certain assumptions about how students acquire practical knowledge and consequently about how such knowledge is best taught. Students form their own beliefs, which in turn exercise considerable…

Intended for use by community organizers, parent-child advocates, parents, teacher education programs, and field experience classes, this book discusses after-school programs designed to assist students in completing homework, aid youth in acquiring basic educational and social skills, and help their parents become more effective agents in their…

This leader's manual on interpersonal communications consists of materials for a workshop, including instructions for leaders and hand-outs for participants. The purpose of the workshop is to give teachers knowledge and skills of behavior applicable to: (1) face-to-face communication; (2) individual styles of communicating; (3) group and…

This practicum study implemented a training program in the teaching of social skills for 4 child care workers at a group home for 12 adolescents having moderate to severe emotional and behavioral problems. The inservice training program involved teaching concepts, techniques, and social skills terminology during the first four sessions, with…