When teachers set a standard and model courteous behavior, students learn that good manners are aspects of caring and respect. The paper presents class activities that put courtesy in context, including role playing, creating comic strips, reading appropriate books, and creating a paper chain marking courteous behavior by the students. (SM)

Notes that Grusec and Goodnow's model of discipline encounters as context for children's internalization of parental values seems best suited for middle childhood and adolescence. Suggests that processes such as social referencing, sensitivity to standard violations, emergence of self, and self-regulation may be important antecedents and signs of…

A leadership and social skills program, with parent involvement and support, was implemented with 20 elementary-age children either at risk for academic and social problems or normally achieving and developing. Suggestions are offered for helping families participate in social skill instruction. (DB)

This study examined the effectiveness of a Positive Talk curriculum in promoting specific conversational social skills of nine incarcerated female adolescent juvenile delinquents. Sequential application of a multiple baseline across groups design demonstrated that the training was successful in promoting the participants' social skills.…

The Individualized Education Program of an 11-year-old boy with severe disabilities was written to emphasize development of social skills and friendships. Opportunities to develop friendships were created, classmates examined their feelings about the meaning of friendship, and parents' and teachers' reactions were assessed. (JDD)

Describes a group-counseling approach to teaching elementary school students social skills designed to reduce their use of aggressive behaviors in the school environment. Eight sessions are described that have activities designed to influence the affective and behavioral components of these behaviors. Several suggestions are described to assess…

This article examines peer intervention as a strategy for modifying disruptive behavior in inclusive classrooms, focusing on the method known as peer confrontation. A vignette of this method's application to reduce the incidence of verbal abuse in a regular classroom is provided, and implications of peer mediation for inclusive schooling are…

Considers the research in addressing how society should reasonably invest in the treatment of violent juvenile offenders. The authors first examine the problems of evaluating interventions with violent youth, then explore various intervention options. The use of multisystemic therapy is offered as a cost-effective program for reducing juvenile…

Interviewed 22 women who were survivors of childhood sexual abuse, yet who were able to have relationships, stable careers, and healthy personalities. Interviews revealed resiliency themes of ability to find emotional support outside the family; self-regard or ability to think well of oneself; spirituality; external attribution of blame and…

Four students (ages 4-6) with developmental disabilities who exhibited challenging behaviors in teaching situations were exposed to high intensity and low intensity social interaction in a play situation and a task situation. Interaction intensity made no difference in students' behavior. Two students exhibited task avoidance and two exhibited…

This article reports on the activities and interactions of a highly gifted 9-year-old boy working in a fifth grade classroom with students of mixed ability levels. School modifications to manage gaps between the boy's intellectual development and his social and emotional development took little account of his affective needs, and resulted in…

Only the Social Withdrawal and Social Competence subscales of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) tapped a Social Competence factor in common with Social Competence subscales from a parent rating scale (Social Skills Rating System) and a scale (Pupil Evaluation Inventory) for teachers. Mothers of 93 boys (aged 7 to 11 years) completed the CBCL.…

Analysis of social competence and problem behaviors for 164 special education students in grades K-3, using the Social Skills Rating System, found weak to moderate relationships between parents' and teachers' ratings. Gender comparisons revealed mixed findings. Results provide evidence for the instrument's convergent validity and suggest that…

A shortcoming of traditional caretaking models is an emphasis on telling children what not to do. The adaptive alternatives caretaking approach is based on behavior shaping: it minimizes blaming, breaks problems down to manageable size, makes children partners in problem solving, and creates positive relationships by focusing on alternative…

The Princeton Peer Leadership Program, which evolved from Sharon Rose Powells' doctoral research in the 1970s, trains seniors to serve as mentors to high school freshmen. The program involves the freshmen in school life and with students outside their social cliques, breaks down social and cultural barriers, and exposes the universality of many…