The confessions of Augustine of Hippo can be read as a lesson in reading, one in which Augustine teaches by example as well as precept. Throughout this work, the relationship between faith and reading is clearly on Augustine's mind, as is his desire to teach others what he has learned. As we consider our own approaches to the confluence of faith,…

For many children, the transition to secondary school is marked by both anxiety and excitement, particularly in relation to friendship. This article draws upon the concept of social capital--the resources individuals and collectives derive from their social networks--in order to understand the significance of change and continuity in children's…

Children's problem solving while working by themselves or with a partner was investigated to explore whether young children are susceptible to social facilitation and social loafing. Five-year-olds were asked to complete easy or hard puzzles, either alone or with a partner. Half of the children were given instructions indicating that their…

Purpose: To examine if attitudes toward premarital sex, beliefs about peer influence, and family communication about sexual relationships differ by sexual experience status. Methods: Data were collected from a randomly selected ethnically diverse youth sample (N = 1,318) residing in two Midwestern cities. The primary method used in data analysis…

A growing number of K-12 districts are taking the open source plunge, both to cope with tight budgets and to escape proprietary vendor lock-in and expensive upgrade cycles. With the potential for cost savings and a growing number of educational applications, open source software is proving to be an effective alternative for schools willing to make…

Research consistently has indicated that academic achievement outcomes for most minority students, and for students from economically impoverished backgrounds, are marginal as compared with the achievement of their Asian and Caucasian classmates and of individuals with higher socio-economic status (STS). Academic engagement has been linked to…

The authors aimed to investigate factors associated with smoking cessation among adolescents after tobacco intervention. They examined smokers (n = 127) from one birth cohort (n = 545) in the city of Kotka in Finland. These smokers were randomized in 3 intervention groups the dentist (n = 44) and the school nurse (n = 42 groups), and a control…

Adolescent psychologists readily acknowledge the role that peer expectations and pressures may play in causing youth to act in ways that conflict with previously assimilated attitudes and beliefs. However, minimal research has been focused on self-presentational behavior during adolescence. This study was designed to determine whether the…

A student participatory model, developed to combat a drug problem, could be helpful in solving other school problems. (Author/MLF)

A university student describes her experiences as a peer mentor in the "Keep Youth in School" program. She recounts the benefits the program provides through its tutoring, mentorship, and employment projects. Young foster children enjoy activities, friendships, and encouragement that they might not find outside of the program. (SO)

Examines the influence of parents, peers, and partners on teenage women's contraceptive-seeking behavior and identifies sources of variation in the amount and direction of influence. (Author/ABB)

Analysis of questionnaire responses of 112 males between the ages of 10 and 14 revealed intention to use smokeless tobacco correlated significantly with attitude toward the behavior and perceived social pressure. Significant differences between those who intended to use smokeless tobacco and those who did not were found on several outcome and…

Explores the roles of mothers, fathers, television, and street culture as significant others and socializing agents for Black youth. Also discusses how significant others might be used to foster achievement. (CMG)

The effect of social facilitation, particularly the impact of perceived evaluation and relative competence of handicapped learners, was tested for efficacy in predicting 26 learning disabled elementary children's oral reading performance. Results revealed that children who read with similar-ability peers performed significantly better than with…

Perhaps the most well known treatment modalities in the field of prevention and treatment of addiction are groups. Group settings serve to bring individuals with addictions together at one time in one place to work on relevant issues together. Groups may serve as a safe environment for learning new social and relationship skills, gaining…