Never having been a principal, I've always been curious about what it takes to be one. Over the years, I've been privileged to meet a number of K-8 principals and have almost always come away impressed. I don?t have to tell you how complex and challenging the principal's job has become, especially since the No Child Left Behind Act took effect.…

This study looked at how six infants in a group child care setting produced and appreciated humor. With the use of multiple qualitative methods, participant and non-participant observations, journal writing, videotaping, interviewing, and document review this study looked at children's humor as indicated through their smiles and laughter. Findings…

An evolutionary analysis of the dynamics of one-on-one and coalitional male-male competition provides a theoretical frame for conceptualizing the evolved functions and proximate developmental forms of the social behavior of boys, and for appreciating why the behavior of boys differs from that of girls. We propose the accompanying selection…

This qualitative study explored the relationships between six Little Sisters (mentees) and their Big Sisters (mentors) to develop an understanding of the perceptions of high-risk adolescent female mentees and their mentors regarding their mentoring relationships. Participants were purposefully selected--those actively involved in a formal…

While many explanations have been offered for the increased rate of autism, the true cause remains unknown. Nonetheless, in the United States, "diagnoses of autism are increasing faster than any other diagnosis of developmental disability in children." But this statement, like others pertaining to the characteristics of autism and the relevant…

Students identified with emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBD) present a special case within special educational needs (SEN) and inclusion. EBD is perhaps the only category of SEN that exposes a child to increased risk of exclusion as a function of the very SEN identified as requiring special provision in the first instance. Students…

This article describes an investigation of a tallgrass prairie undertaken by 3- through 7-year-old children in a preschool and a combined kindergarten/first-grade classroom at a Midwestern university. The teaching teams were curious about how these two age groups would explore their questions about the prairie--how their questions would differ by…

Annual survey data on 776 students from sixth through ninth grade were used to examine the relationships among after-school activities, misbehavior in school, and delinquency. The social development model hypothesizes that antisocial behavior in one developmental time period leads to less involvement in activities and interactions that have…

In an attempt to diversify the economy and stimulate private enterprise development, government agencies and private institutions in many countries have emphasized the importance of setting up and developing small and medium-size enterprises and promoting entrepreneurship. An important question confronting policy makers, however, is how they can…

Using a predominantly African American Head Start sample, this study examined whether maternal self-efficacy moderated the relationships between parent involvement (comfort and endorsement of school, school-based involvement, and parent-teacher contact) and children's academic readiness, approaches to learning, and socioemotional development.…

The impact of family mobility from domestic or international moves can be challenging for families. Some families adjust and other families experience crisis. For some families, relocation may be due to a job promotion and transfer, while for other families moving may be due to divorce, loss of employment or other stressful circumstances.…

The impact of speculative, capricious, and unreliable information on the current state of autism knowledge is difficult to judge. Notwithstanding this concession, variable and often incorrect information illustrates a significant lack of understanding about autism spectrum disorder (ASD) issues and challenges, as well as significant disagreement…

The broader context of relational aggression in adolescent romantic relationships was assessed by considering the ways such aggression emerged from prior experiences of peer pressure and was linked to concurrent difficulties in psychosocial functioning. Longitudinal, multi-reporter data were obtained from 97 adolescents and their best friends at…

This study investigates the relations between children's perceptions of self and play in 89 school-aged children (52 girls, 37 boys, ages 5 to 8) in two Canadian schools. The study involves standardized measures, interviews, and drawings to assess children's perceptions of play and self. Teacher ratings of emotional competencies were also…

The unique contributions of peer acceptance, friendship, and victimization to adjustment were examined. How these relational systems moderate the influence of one another to influence adjustment was also investigated. Friendship quality, a unique aspect of friendship, was expected to be especially important for adjustment when other relational…