Study assessed extent to which peer-influence vulnerability moderates the relationship between campus drinking norms and undergraduates' alcohol use, using the Attention to Social Comparison Information subscale. Students high in attention to social comparison information who believed others were frequent, heavy users of alcohol reported highest…

Study assessed the influence of group membership on the use of multiple substances among adolescents. Organized group activity included clubs and organizations, as well as athletic participation. Multiple substance included current use of any combination of alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana. Group participation had a buffering effect on multiple…

Study assessed relative influence of perceived level of support for adolescent's alcohol use by best friends, most students in school, live-in parents/guardians, and adults in neighborhood/community. Findings revealed some differences by sex and grade level, and the different kinds of drinking behavior. Prevention programs including all four…

Study tests two hypotheses of parent-peer conflict and the parent-peer linkages. The situational hypothesis predicts that parental attachment will be associated with school identity and peer attachment with relational identity. The parent-peer linkages hypothesis suggests that parental attachment influences peer attachment. Findings offer strong…

Used data from a statewide sample of 5,870 eighth graders in California to examine the correlates of smoking prevalence estimates. Best friends' smoking accounted for the largest proportion of the variance in prevalence estimates. Smoking by peers may give adolescents the impression that smoking is more normative and prevalent than it actually is.…

Investigated gender differences in adolescent drug use in terms of parental monitoring and peer deviance. Surveys of Swedish adolescents indicated that girls were more highly monitored than boys, and boys were more exposed to deviant peers than girls. There was a significant interaction for parental monitoring and peer deviance for the sample as a…

Presents evidence supportive of the conclusion that teacher and classroom practices can over-ride the effect of the "input mix"--the social and academic backgrounds of one's fellow students. Reviews evidence that teacher practices moderate the impact of the input mix on student learning and behavior and presents evidence that authoritative…

Reports estimates of peer effects on student achievement, using a 1997 census of eighth-grade achievement in Chile. The data allow detailed measures of peer characteristics to be constructed for each classroom within a school. Estimates suggest that the classroom mean of mothers' education is an important determinant of individual achievement,…

Critically reviews anecdotal reports and ongoing research on suicide. Describes ongoing studies which use psychological autopsies of cluster outbreaks and statistical analyses of time and space clustering of suicides. Concludes that both anecdotal case reports and epidemiologic research suggest that significant time-space clustering of suicide…

Examines the experiences and socialization process of beginning teachers. Finds that entry experiences often include unmet expectations that cause stress, frustration, and ultimately lead to exit from the profession. When attributing meaning to surprising events, beginning teachers rely on organizational and individual inputs. (DHP)

Examines student and faculty attitudes towards plagiarism, noting that plagiarism often arises from students' conflicting membership in social and academic communities. Describes two classroom strategies for exploring attitudes and values impinging on plagiarism, arguing that plagiarism is a rich topic for an informal collaborative research…

Examines group influences regarding music preferences to determine the effect that conformity has on the decision-making process. The study tested participants selections of popular and orchestral excerpts which had altered pitch and/or tempo. Concludes that preferences of music majors regarding orchestral music are not significantly affected by…

High school classmates wrote a play, "Empty Chairs," as a classroom assignment. The play has won national acclaim for its powerful message of the tragedy and futility of suicide. A videotape of the play is available and is currently being shown by schools and other organizations across the nation. (MLF)

To examine implications of a career developmental relationships model, data were gathered from 64 students in a social sciences doctoral program. Findings supported the hypotheses that (1) career mentors and peers were rated higher than sponsors on communication and affective bond and (2) mentors and sponsors rated higher than peers on power.…

Develops a research-oriented method of studying the digestive system that integrates species' ecology with the form and function of this system. Uses problem-posing, problem-probing, and peer persuasion. Presents information for mammalian systems. (27 references) (MKR)