An analysis using data drawn from Nancy Bayley's Berkeley Growth Study is performed for didactic purposes to illustrate the use of structural equation modeling on a child development data set. Alternatives to standard latent factor approaches are demonstrated for use in research situations in which the subject-to-variable ratio is less than…

Investigates 8-, 11-, 14- and 17-year-old students' choices of either a familiar adult or peer, or an adult or peer expert to provide counsel. The findings support the conceptualization that adult-child relations are transformed from unilateral dependence in childhood to increasing mutuality in adolescence. (RJC)

A review of 13 studies examining job loss in mentally retarded workers found reasons for loss broadly distributed across both social and nonsocial domains. Factors included job responsibility (poor attendance and punctuality), task production (inadequate quality and work rate), social skill deficits, and personal-social inadequacies. Training…

Proposes three understandings of spirituality and examines how they challenge religious educators. Stating that spirituality can be understood as a common human yearning and experience, as a developmental reality, and as a discipline involving the whole person, the author concludes that people cannot ignore their relationship to nature and to the…

The frequency of interactions with teachers and peers in two groups of preschool children (nine mildly/moderately handicapped, nine nonhandicapped) were observed. For both, positive temperament patterns increased interactions with peers and, for nonhandicapped, also increased child-teacher interactions. Teachers interacted more with those…

This reprinted 1982 article with a 1988 update describes how the emotional and social development of gifted adolescents often lags behind their academic aptitudes. Difficulties with peers, emotional isolation, and fear of failure can lead to suicide. Preventive steps include respect, awareness, tolerance, and participation by parents and teachers.…

The group setting of the classroom constitutes a social experience that helps shape a child's view of the world. This paper explores how individual-oriented computer assisted instruction might influence how a child construes the world. (MT)

Middle school students use note writing not only as a natural response to real social and emotional needs, but (when caught by teachers) as an indirect means to communicate with adults. Although these notes are important, it is difficult to determine if note writing makes a difference in children's success at writing or developing social skills.…

Studies two examples of Harold Innis' social theory to show that he had a sophisticated ecological understanding of the many forces at work in social dynamics. Argues that Innis' concept of monopolies of knowledge involved freedom both in elite control of a dominant technology and popular resistance to this dominance. (JD)

Attempts to delineate some of the positive and negative social effects of traits displayed by gifted adults. Five traits (divergency, excitability, sensitivity, perceptivity, and entelechy) seem to produce potential interpersonal and intrapersonal conflict. Unless gifted adults learn to value themselves and find support, identity conflicts and…

Investigates the relationship between distributive justice, immanent justice, and egocentricism for 21 preschoolers and 24 second graders. These concepts were assessed using the Distribution Justice Scale, immanent justice stories, and an adaptation of Piaget's mountain task. Results indicated significant main effects for age and a significant…

The article highlights five facets of critical development for exceptionally gifted students: (1) interpersonal relationships, (2) acknowledgement of uniqueness, (3) school adjustment, (4) creative self-expression, and (5) user-friendly environments. Intervention strategies are proposed within each area. (CL)

This article provides an overview of the contributions made by older women to social and economic development in the Third World, as well as how the forces of modernization are affecting their roles and status in society. Discusses the definition of "older woman," labor force participation, income, and family roles. (CT)

Sociolinguistic skills needed by hearing impaired children are analyzed, and socialization approaches undertaken by parents through presuppositions, stylistic variations, and pragmatics are reviewed. The importance of curricula in which students learn to respond to changing context is emphasized, and teaching strategies that provide models in…

The article reviews the literature on three major social learning constructs advanced to explain the etiology of reactive depression in children and adolescents: learned helplessness, social skill deficits, and coercive reinforcement patterns. Implications for classroom management are noted. (CL)