Two questions serve as the focus in this study on factors affecting perception of femininity among pre-adolescent girls: (1) What are the meanings that girls themselves invested in gender and feminity? and (2) Through what social processes do girls negotiate meanings of gender and femininity? Researchers used a participant-observation study in…

Although the problems of high-risk youth are well known and raise widespread concern, few alternative educations exist to help troubled youth who are poor. This book describes various peer-group programs to rehabilitate high-risk youth. Following the introduction, chapter 1 describes the goals, stages, and techniques of peer-group programs.…

In light of college students' high level of knowledge about Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and their persistence in engaging in risky sexual behaviors, this paper reviews the current literature on college students' level of AIDS knowledge, their patterns of behavior, factors essential in designing effective AIDS education programs, and…

High school is an important time in an adolescent's life, during which the influence of peers can be both positive and negative. Using data from a national longitudinal study, high school students' peer groups and the relationship between the values of peer groups with whom students associated in high school and a broad range of educational…

The relationships that children have with significant others influences the perceptions that they hold of themselves. This study examined the relationship between closeness to significant others and self-esteem. Children (n=142) in grades 4-6 responded to statements concerning self-esteem and were asked to rate how close they felt to mother,…

Early cognitive theorists have emphasized the link between what people say to themselves and how they feel and behave. This study investigates the relationships between self-talk (what people say to themselves with particular emphasis on the words used to express thoughts and beliefs about oneself and the world to oneself) and significant others'…

This report evaluates the second and third years of conflict resolution programs that were established at both the elementary and secondary levels during the 1991-92 school year. The programs emphasized peer mediation, in which students in conflict meet with a pair of students trained in mediation skills. The mediators attempt to open…

There has been little empirical research on the gender role socialization of Jewish men. This paper explores Jewish male gender role socialization and provides a model by which gender and ethnicity may be studied. A description of the gender role socialization of Jewish men, with an emphasis on advantages and disadvantages of such socialization…

The use and abuse of dangerous and illicit drugs, particularly among young people, continues to rise despite recent efforts to develop and implement drug education programs in schools. This study investigated substance use by rural Kansas fifth and sixth graders. Independent variables were gender, family structure, perceived relationship with…

A program developed interventions for improving student writing in the areas of technique and creativity. The targeted population consisted of students in the first through fourth grades in three different school sites, all being similar upper-middle class communities, located in the suburbs of a mid-western city. The problems that some students…

This booklet comprises the seventh grade component of a series of curriculum guides on fire and burn prevention. Designed to meet the age-specific needs of seventh grade students, its objectives include: (1) practicing responsible decision-making regarding fire and burn hazards, including peer pressure related to fire risks; and (2) practicing…

This paper describes conditions that enhance planned change efforts in rural secondary schools. The following six conditions are vital to school improvement efforts: (1) teacher commitment; (2) a common understanding of research on best practices; (3) collaborative planning; (4) an egalitarian approach; (5) peer leadership; and (6) support from…

The study examined the claims that social support from family and friends are not the same in their effects on young adolescents; and that the relationship between social support from family and friends is not the same for African-American and Latino students. A sample of 792 students from the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades of 18 Chicago…

A national stratified random sample of superintendents (N=432) responded to a 42-item questionnaire listing probable causes of students dropping out. They were asked to identify causes that they believe should be given high priority as well as those that had the necessary research foundation from which to develop significant intervention programs.…

Teens for AIDS Prevention (TAP) is a model peer intervention program designed by the Center for Population Options to increase knowledge and change attitudes and behaviors among youth to reduce their risk of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection. The program utilizes peer pressure in a positive sense: to encourage youth to protect…