Summarizes a sampling of theoretical and empirical research on play leadership in young children, and suggests ways in which teachers can encourage leadership or following behavior in their classes. (BB)

Urges development of gifted programs appropriate to rural schools. Discusses groupings, curricula, technology, and differentiated education. Emphasizes the importance of peer and community involvement. Provides 21 references. (SKW)

The concept of entrapment, viewed as a conceptual framework for social interaction skills training, is a behavioral process whereby newly acquired social responses come under the control of naturally occurring reinforcers, usually the social behavior of peers. Selection of target behaviors and intervention procedures to promote entrapment are…

The education and health of students are at risk due to a rise in drug and tobacco use in schools. Social workers can help schools and students by designing, executing, and evaluating prevention interventions. Empirical data from two controlled studies are presented. (VM)

Two experiments investigate how attributes of peer models influenced achievement behaviors among children who had experienced difficulties learning mathematical skills in school. Children in the single-coping-model, multiple-coping-model, and multiple-mastery-model conditions demonstrated higher self-efficacy, skill, and training performance,…

Recommends and offers methods for teaching decision making skills to developing adolescents using controversial topics pertinent to their stage in life. (SRT)

The Fear of Success Consequence Scale was used to assess early and mid-adolescents' fears of potential social consequences of academic success. Results indicated that fear of academic success decreased through adolescence and girls generally had a greater fear of academic success. (DWH)

There are many misconceptions about how funding decisions are made within federal agencies. Observations of how bias creeps into an otherwise objective evaluation process are presented, and hints are offered on improving the probability of receiving federal support. (Author/MLW)

Poor kids quit attending school because they need money for personal or family needs, they cant' compete with their peers financially, their parents don't value education, and/or the curriculum is not geared toward their needs. Work study funds, school-parent communication, curriculum revision and extracurricular participation could reduce their…

Investigates differences in the person orientation of male and female high school students that may have significant influences on their achievement strivings. Boys are particularly susceptible to anti-intellectual influences from peers. Interference of affiliative concerns with achievement behavior may not be relevant to understanding males'…

Study One examined Swedish and American children's understanding of what constitutes fair criteria for the distribution of goods (i.e., distributive justice). Study Two compared children's distributive justice in family and peer contexts, and Study Three attempted a longitudinal assessment of distributive justice reasoning in two different…

A sample of 689 adolescents responded to a self report survey measuring perceptions of peer pressure in five areas of behavior: involvement with peers, school involvement, family involvement, conformity to peer norms, and misconduct. Results elaborated the process of peer influence in adolescent socialization and identity development. (Author/LMO)

Several individual attributes covering prereading and oral language abilities, motor skills, personality, and home background were assessed. The best predictors of reading achievement were tasks tapping phonological processing skills, interdigital dexterity, and familiarity with the alphabetic code of English script. Peer ability was a strong…

Compared non-users and users of alcohol and/or marijuana (N=1,020) in an inner city junior high school. Separate subcultures were strongly indicated with differences in attitudes, behavior, peer group, and significant adults. Almost any activity was seen as appropriate for a drug abuse prevention program. (JAC)

Published twice a year and distributed nationwide, "Strategies for Success" keeps readers informed about events and developments in the field of drug testing. It reports the latest research findings on the effectiveness of drug testing as a tool for reducing substance abuse. Each issue also provides a wealth of guidance and resources on…