This article, based largely on participant observation by a British 18-year-old schoolgirl, considers forces that crush creativity in teenagers, including pressures at school, at home, and by peers. The article shows how teenagers whose creativity has been crushed then humiliate and crush the creativity of other teenagers. Mentoring is seen as one…

A study found that children whose parents smoke are more likely to be smokers than children whose parents do not smoke. Maternal smoking has a stronger effect than paternal smoking on smoking by young adolescents, and has a stronger effect on daughters than on sons. Perceived peer smoking is an important determinant of a child smoking, especially…

This paper reviews research on observational learning, including model characteristics and observers' responses, vicarious reinforcement as implicit punishment, vicarious effects on students with problem behavior, observers' other characteristics and vicarious effects, and aggression and vicarious processes. Regular class placement of students…

Presents program development and peer education training considerations for programs that attempt to influence healthy attitudes toward dating and preventing date rape. The paper discusses the program's theoretical foundations, goal determination, mixed-gender programs, themes students raise during programs, the consensual sex scenario as a…

Compared a 6-session, peer-led smoking intervention program for high school-age youth (n=93) to an identical program led by adults. Results showed a significant difference in the number of cigarettes smoked by students in both peer-led and adult-led groups when compared to the control group. (RJM)

Examined the influence of friends' behaviors and the features of their friendships on 297 adolescents' school adjustment. Found that students whose friends described themselves as more disruptive increased in self-reported disruption over the course of the school year. Girls' self-reported disruption was more influenced by that of their best…

A school-based approach to Positive Peer Culture (PPC) is most successful if integrated into academic curriculum. Examples of incorporating PPC into English, math, social studies, and science show how students can learn to think analytically about PPC's 12 problem areas. (SK)

Examined how support from parents and friends for romantic relationships of young adults affect relationship quality and likelihood that their relationships break up over time. Data from 101 dating couples over 2 years revealed support for positive effect of network support on quality of relationship. Hazard analyses showed that female partner's…

Describes characteristics of immigrant children from the former Soviet Union and implications of these characteristics for U.S. teachers. Considers differences between U.S. and Soviet schools in scheduling practices, bathroom routines, racial composition, meals, languages, clothing, naps, and parent/school relationships. (LB)

Finds a significant relationship between parental modeling and elementary communication apprehension but no significant relationship between elementary communication apprehension and parents' communication apprehension or spousal communication apprehension. (RS)

Assessed alcohol use by 1,190 fourth, fifth, and sixth graders in 4 rural school districts. Found that 596 students drank, but not regularly. Reported drinking increased with grade and age; males drank more than females. Child's attitude toward drinking, family attitudes toward drinking, number of drinking friends, and self-perceived wrongdoing by…

Questionnaire and interview data from 37 high school students suggest that presence of at least one parental figure with whom adolescents could talk openly was associated with lower levels of all substance use (cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, other drugs). Found no evidence that openness with close friend or perceived pressure from friends was…

Compared the effects of instruction using social interaction from a cognitive developmental perspective, and instruction with no peer interaction, on correspondence between sound and symbol as displayed through invented spelling. Children exposed to social interaction made greater gains than those exposed to individual work with teacher modeling.…

Responses from 574 of 827 students in introductory home economics classes identified positive influences in selecting home economics as a major: friends, high school home economics teachers, and home economics faculty. Negative influences were family, other high school teachers, radio advertisements, and campus recruitment. (SK)

High school students (n=41) evaluated 30 activities (smoking, drinking, drug use, sex) on perceived risk and benefit. Adolescents who participated in activity perceived risks to be smaller, better known, and more controllable than did nonparticipants. Participants perceived greater benefits relative to risks, greater peer pressure to participate,…