Explains how whole language classes differ from traditional developmental classes and illustrates how both African American and Caucasian students benefit from a whole language approach. Makes a case for the importance of using African American literature as well as other literature. Describes reading and writing assignments. (TB)

Presents strategies for coaxing students into insightful book discussions. The strategies include creating a comfortable environment, choosing groups that work together, being a good leader, picking meaningful books, following the students' leads, spinning conversational threads, lighting the conversational fire, and examining different angles on…

A study assessed the needs of 170 Hong Kong secondary schools for leadership training of students in different domains of school activities and their endorsement of university-school collaboration in these activities. Schools were in need of student leaders in different student activities, especially in those less related to academic concerns.…

Provides a conceptual and empirical analysis of the associations between the fundamental sociometric dimensions of acceptance, rejection, and social preference. Examines whether nomination and rating scale measures index the same constructs. Notes that sociometric ratings measure social preference, but can also yield indicators of acceptance and…

Compares the family-centeredness of East and West Berliners with primary school-aged children shortly after the breakdown of East Germany by examining parental attitudes regarding friendship among children. Observes that while parents in East Berlin exerted greater control than those in West Berlin, children's integration into their extrafamilial…

Examined classroom social integration of elementary students with mild disabilities. Used questionnaires to assess peer group membership, peer-assessed behavioral characteristics, and associates' peer-assessed behavioral characteristics. Found that most belonged to peer groups. However, they were overrepresented as social isolates; differed from…

Assessed long-term consequences of 1,253 early adolescents' orientation toward peers for adjustment during high school. Found that adolescents willing to sacrifice their talents, school performance, and parents' rules engaged in greater problem behaviors and evidenced lower academic achievement than other high school students. Tendencies to seek…

Explains how parents can help their middle school students cope with cliques and find a sense of belonging in a healthy, positive way. This includes helping them identify the school's social hierarchy (the popular group, fringe group, friendship circles, and loners); discussing the advantages and disadvantages of each group; and helping them…

Argues that careful assignment scaffolding combined with substantial training and ample opportunities for peer collaboration can make response groups a highly successful classroom practice. Describes what happened when some inexperienced students participated in peer response groups. Describes revisions that students made in their writing. (TB)

Focuses on the specific nature of the class structure in a peripheral economy in Wales and the role of language in the creation of class fractions. (29 references) (Author/CK)

Describes some of the ways in which youngsters in a multilingual peer group made use of one another's languages. Discusses the relationship between this "language crossing" and racism. Suggests that linguistic exchange points to the emergence of what S. Hall calls "new ethnicities," which are grounded in an acceptance of multiracial difference.…

Investigates the relations between peer harassment, psychological adjustment, and school functioning with a sample of middle school students. Tests a conceptual model that proposed that self-perceived peer harassment predicts psychological adjustment, which in turn predicts school outcomes. Changes in perception of victimization, self-worth, and…

Tests a model that posited that three diverse sets of academic outcomes for children were uniquely determined by psychological, family, and peer factors. Results reveal that early verbal skills are unique predictors of academic outcomes, and that the relative importance of psychological and peer factors depends on the kind of academic outcome of…

Offers a coherent framework for applying psychology in the schools. Explains that the model's practice and research base emphasizes the importance of both formal (public) and informal (hidden) processes and demonstrates the relationships among these aspects of staff, pupil, and family subsystems. (CMK)

Analyzed two episodes of videotaped play and interaction of 3- to 5-year-old boys in a childcare setting. Found that interaction appears chaotic on the surface but close analysis reveals finely organized play, with older boys teaching newcomers how to be masculine in the block play area. Illustrates that masculinity is determined through practice…