A study evaluated the longitudinal effect of a planned in-school practicum experience addressing cultural diversity on the self-perception of student teachers regarding their interpersonal competence in such situations. Subjects were 18 student teachers of agricultural education and 6 student teachers of family and consumer science enrolled in the…

Noting that working and playing in caring and cooperative ways is an important goal in today's culturally-diverse society, this instruction program is designed to improve the teamwork skills of children in grades 2-4. Through the program, children learn important skills of planning, cooperating, and appreciating differences. The program consists…

This study investigated the relationship between mothers' ideas about personal values and educational principles and their provision of learning experiences, language stimulation, physical environment, pride, academic orientation, social maturity, and variety of experiences and acceptance for their preschool children. Subjects were 52…

This book provides a blueprint for teens for building friendships. The book contains suggestions for improving friendship skills, making a good first impression, and getting along with others. Also covered are people skills for use in many social situations, and keeping friendships healthy. Following the introduction, chapter one, "The Basics…

Although mastery motivation appears to predict school success, individual assessment of mastery motivation is too time consuming and limits the application of this research. This study examined the psychometric properties of the Dimensions of Mastery Questionnaire (DMQ). The study focused on the validity of the measure for Head Start parents,…

Young people need help in learning how to use alternative dispute resolution skills at school. Methods for teaching these skills are presented in this manual. The training centers on the following major themes: The Mediation Process, Cultural Diversity, Communication Skills, Feelings, Mediation Techniques, Dealing with Difficult Situations, and…

Young people need help in learning alternative dispute resolution skills at school. Teaching high school students how to understand conflict and then develop effective ways to deal with it is the purpose of this program. Designed for five 3-hour sessions using two trainers, it is organized around seven major themes: The Mediation Process, Cultural…

One of the most robust approaches to researching parents' influence on children's social competence is the study of what has been called "parenting style." Parenting style captures two important elements of parenting: parental responsiveness and parental demandingness. Categorizing parents according to whether they are high or low on…

This book presents a guide for setting up a new teacher mentoring program. Chapter 1, "Relating," stresses the important part a relationship plays in the mentoring process. A set of introspective exercises teaches ways to establish trust and pay attention to nonverbal communication. Chapter 2, "Assessing," provides ways to gather and diagnose data…

A study was done to examine the role of college student drinking games, the consequences of playing drinking games, and the motivational nuances involved in playing these games. A typology of drinking games is presented; it includes five categories: (1) consumption games (who can consume the most alcohol during a given event); (2) skill games (the…

Research on spoken discourse that was conducted for three master's theses at the University of Oulu is summarized. The studies were as follows: (1) an examination of linguistic strategies realized in business negotiations, based on an analysis of six recordings of simulated negotiations between eight Finnish engineers and a native speaker of…

The Infant Health and Development Program (IHDP) is an intervention designed to facilitate social development in low birthweight (LBW) children. This report does not deal with the full complexity of operations involving program components as they interact to shape social competence. Rather, the report represents a first or "setting" stage, a look…

This digest offers background information on home schooling and discusses conflicting viewpoints culled from research on the socialization of home-schooled children. The digest first notes the rapidly escalating numbers of children who are being home schooled in the 1990s and comments upon the professionalization of resources offered for parents…

This magazine brings together articles on various aspects of learning disabilities (LD), focusing on the early years, the LD experience, socialization, thoughts for parents, and innovative programs in schools and communities. Some of the articles are: "The 'Stuff of Dreams': The Yale Center" (William Ellis); "Elements of Effective…

After defining and tracing the historical background of home schooling in the United States, this paper focuses on studies which deal with: (1) the socialization of home-schooled children; and (2) creativity in home-schooled children. Noting that according to the Home School Legal Defense Association the number of home-schooled children has jumped…