The mother of a mentally retarded adolescent describes the implementation of her idea to hire nonretarded neighborhood peers as friends and resource persons for her daughter. The program's purpose was to educate nonhandicapped youth as well as to increase her daughter's opportunities for socialization and peer contact. (JW)

Reports on a study which examined the relationship of classroom environment to attitudes toward science and achievement in science among tenth grade biology students. Results indicated that student attitude toward the classroom environment was a signficicant predictor of the student attitude toward science. (TW)

Reviews research in the following areas of adolescent anticipatory socialization to the workplace: (1) family; (2) peers; (3) educational institutions; (4) mass media; and (5) part-time jobs. Research from each area demonstrated some influence on adolescents' occupational expectations; however, a number of inconsistencies were evident. These…

Investigated the use of popular students in promoting the acceptance of socially neglected children. Results from fifth- and sixth-grade students suggest that popular students can be effectively directed to enhance the acceptance of socially neglected children. (Author/ABB)

Reports on a comparative study of nursery school children in the United States and Italy. Identifies and discusses the importance of basic routines in the peer culture of young children for the development of communication skills and social knowledge. Explores the possibilities of universal features in young children's peer cultures and develops…

Examination of 390 Black American adolescents demonstrates that males and females experience very different structured forms of social support. Females report more frequent contact with network members, who were both male and female, slightly older, and met in private settings. Males report larger groups of intimate friends, who are overwhelmingly…

Explores the extent to which social cognitive aspects of preschool children's free play behaviors varied according to two classroom contextual variables: (1) presence in different learning centers and (2) number of children and adults in those centers. Results incdicated that children behaved differently according to these variables. (Author/AS)

Argues that adjustment to nursing homes is influenced by peer group and staff-patient interaction. Concludes that both staff and residents place demands and expectations on newcomers' conduct, and staff define successful and unsuccessful adjustment so that patients are constrained in the range of socially acceptable behavior they are permitted to…

A Brigham Young University program using students to provide individual advising and orientation assistance to entering students, an effort to reduce the problem of students accepting admission and not showing up, is described and discussed. (MSE)

An improved school climate and dramatic gains in student attendance, achievement, and behavior are outcomes of one school's improvement project that utilized practices including student involvement in planning and peer counseling, teacher modeling of optimistic attitudes and increased expectations of students, parent participation, rewards for…

"The Link" is a periodical published by the Child Welfare League. The Child Welfare League of America is the nation's oldest and largest membership-based child welfare organization. They are committed to engaging people everywhere in promoting the well-being of children, youth, and their families and protecting every child from harm. This issue of…

This paper presents an exploratory analysis using NLSY97 data of the relationship between the likelihood of school continuation and the choices of whether to smoke or drink. We demonstrate that in the United States as of the late 1990s, smoking in 11th-grade was a uniquely powerful predictor of whether the student finished high school, and if so…

Noting that ethnographic records point to gender as an important theme in young children's daily lives, this study examined how Taiwanese children experienced the issue of gender in their play and outside of play in their preschool life. Research methods for this ethnographic study incorporated extensive video recording of naturally occurring…

One notable gap in the evolving literature on bullying and victimization during early adolescence is the role that peers play in promoting such behavior by either reinforcing the aggressor, failing to intervene to stop the victimization, or affiliating with students who bully. This Digest looks at the limited research available on the role of the…

According to a recent national survey, 9 out of 10 high school students in the United States reported that they had tried alcohol at least once. Previous research has identified drug resistance self-efficacy (DRSE) as an important construct in adolescent drug use, which is the focus of this research study. A total of 361 students in grades 9-12…