Adolescents (n=353, 55% female) described their use of product levels and exposure to marketplace-related communication. Females used labels more and had greater exposure to communication, which influenced label use. Parents and peers were important sources of consumer learning. (SK)

Evaluated the usefulness of peer interaction on the development of professional knowledge among prospective secondary mathematics teachers. Data gathered from following two students involved in a teamed, field-based practicum over 11 weeks indicated that peer collaboration and collaborative reflection helped facilitate teacher development. Peers…

Reports a study that examined social factors which might predict adolescent smoking transition from nonsmoking or experimental to more advanced stages. Data from teens who participated in the Teenage Attitudes and Practices Survey indicated that best friends' smoking status was the only factor that consistently predicted adolescent smoking…

Discusses quantitative and qualitative approaches in research on peer effects on student attainment, using two texts to argue that the definition of "effect" cannot be restricted to "statistical effect," and that institutional properties are not the sum of individual properties. Asserts that quantitative investigators have…

Examines the importance of peer influence and personal attitudes in relation to self-reported use of alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana for 213 younger adolescents and 219 older adolescents. Friends' use was significantly related to substance use for both age groups, both sexes, and all substances examined. Resistance self- efficacy was…

Examined how peers and international student recruitment agencies (agents) influence Thai students' choices of international education and to what degree. Found that agents exert a stronger influence than peers, and that Thai students from different levels of education perceived the influence of peers and agents in a different way. (EV)

A meta-analysis of 38 studies of social skills training interventions with antisocial youth was performed. Also examined were treatment effects for interventions that differed in group composition. As predicted, skills training interventions delivered in the context of groups consisting of only antisocial peers produced smaller benefits than did…

Surveyed ninth graders regarding the prevalence of nonverbal pressures in their daily experiences, noting gender differences. Students reported high levels of exposure to and conformity with nonverbal pressure, with differences in prevalence of receiving threatening gestures, space invasion from males, trust toward deceptive smiles from males, and…

Interpersonal influences on the desire to have a child were examined in a sample of pregnant low-income urban adolescents. It was hypothesized that adolescent girls who report poorer relationships with their parents would report greater emotional reliance on their boyfriends and greater reliance on boyfriends would predict greater desire for a…

The University of Georgia has implemented a program in which junior faculty members are matched with senior faculty mentors. Despite some scheduling problems, the program has succeeded in providing participants with valuable suggestions on improvement of classroom practices. (MSE)

College students (N=142) viewed videotape of distressed high school student, then assessed student's potential for committing suicide, running away, entering therapy, or abusing alcohol. Subjects who were told that the teenager knew of two recent suicides in community rated her as more likely to commit suicide or run away than did subjects not…

Feelings of team ownership promote team cohesiveness which yields better performance. Coaches should implement strategies that encourage team members to share with the coach responsibility for morale, skill-building, play improvement, and decision making. Maturity level of athletes influences the degree of ownership allowed. Strategies for…

A buddy system was used to help reintegrate pairs of learning-disabled students into regular classroom programs. Students were taught to observe, monitor, and reinforce appropriate behavior of their "buddies." Following implementation in the resource room, the program was extended to the regular class placement. (DB)

Examined kibbutz youth alcohol patterns and problems. Administered questionnaire on consumption and consequences of alcohol use to 54 high school-aged youth from Israeli kibbutz. Found that 69 percent of respondents reported using alcohol, with higher proportion of females than males saying they drank. Comparison with other studies showed that…

Interview responses of 72 fifth-, eighth-, and eleventh-graders revealed developmental changes in the scope and nature of perceived peer influence and in the extent to which peer group reactions have an impact on self-evaluations. Developmental changes in the apparent reference-group functions of peer groups for adolescent identity formation are…