In the brain, five modules or systems (emotional, cognitive, physical learning, social, and reflective) wax and wane in influencing our thoughts and behavior. Emotionally, socially, and physically comfortable students attuned to the content being taught learn relatively easily. Focusing solely on cognitive learning is counterproductive. (MLH)

Describes a study that examined the effect of direct experience on traditional aged college students' attitudes, perceptions and intentions toward distance education. Used a repeated measures design, set up to measure before and after effects of direct experience and peer influences on a sample of undergraduates. (Contains 26 references.)…

Explored the role of clothing in expressing individual and collective identity among preadolescent English students. Results found that a relaxed enforcement of school uniforms created space for students to use clothing to gain recognition, generate common bonds, and share interests within peer groups. Clothing and footwear were used as an…

Examined peer intervention in bullying among 58 first through sixth graders, using naturalistic observations on school playgrounds. Found that peers were present during 88 percent of bullying episodes and intervened in 19 percent. Interventions toward the bully were more likely to be aggressive. Interventions toward the victim or the dyad were…

Young female offenders (n=29) and female high school students (n=47) were compared in terms of delinquent behavior and relationships with their best female friend and peer group. Results indicated friendships of delinquent and nondelinquent female adolescents are essentially similar despite higher levels of peer pressure among delinquents. (BF)

Examined whether preschool children's play-partner choices were stable over time and how they influenced behavior. Found that partner preferences were highly sex differentiated and stable over time. Identified two types of consequences of partner choice: a binary effect that influenced differences between the sexes and a social dosage effect that…

Past research suggests that congregating delinquent youth increases their likelihood of problem behavior. We test for analogous peer effects in the drug use and sexual behavior of male (n = 279) and female (n = 435) college students, using data on the characteristics of first-year roommates to whom they were randomly assigned. We find that males…

Taken from a larger study about life in high school classrooms from students' perspectives, this paper discusses how study participants pinpointed individual classrooms as the nerve centers in students' high school experiences. Punctuating the swirls of movement within school days, individual class periods contain clues about how students…

Childhood environment and skills are important factors that contribute to the achievement gap of students, but blaming only the preschool years for low achievement will not solve the problem. Ample funding of schools and transformative power of teachers and peers can rid the student of the gap.

We investigated deviant peer associations as a mediator of the influences of general and peer-oriented self-esteem on problem behavior using data from a 2-year longitudinal study of 350 young adolescents. Measures of problem behavior included substance use (alcohol use, smoking) and antisocial behavior (fighting, stealing). Using latent growth…

Objective: To explore the transitional phase between experimental and regular smoking from the perspective of teens. Method: Narrative analysis of semistructured, individual interviews. Results: The need to belong and immediate social gain are major themes influencing teen smoking decisions. Conclusions: Our findings have significance for public…

A direct pathway to children's literacy forms through the development of shared meaning. Proto-narrative construction and social pretend play with peers can be important tools in children's developing emergent literacy. Early child-care programs provide relatively little unstructured time. To reemphasize shared meaning in the lives of children,…

Recent decades have seen a proliferation of books that "listen in" on the everyday lives of girls. In their research the authors maintain that "listening" to girls in order to make claims about what they "heard" is a theoretically mediated process, and therefore it is not as straightforward as many authors imply. The…

Dance education experiences of boys and male youth are investigated in terms of dominant constructions of contemporary Western masculinity and the potential limitations these hegemonic discourses may place on male participation. Recent research on boys and male youth in dance, although limited, suggests prevailing social stigma, heteronormative…

Analyses examined risk factors for seventh- and ninth-grade youth categorized as nonoffenders, physically violent, relationally aggressive, and both violent and relationally aggressive. Bivariate and multivariate results showed that relationally aggressive youth were elevated on most risks above levels for nonoffenders but lower than those for…