A pilot study was conducted with three 8th grade boy and three 8th grade girls to understand their interpretation of the existence of peer groups and their belonging to a specific peer group. The study also attempted to determine whether boys and girls differ in their perceptions of social relationships in school. A literature review was conducted…

This report describes approaches used by schools to prevent or reduce gang involvement among schools. The study of gang prevention and intervention builds on a large-scale National Study of Delinquency Prevention in Schools. A sample of 1,279 schools participated in the study. Overall, 7.6% of the male and 3.8% of the female secondary students…

This project was undertaken to develop a comprehensive account of the levels of problem behaviors in schools. It also looked at what schools do to prevent problem behaviors and how they promote a safe and orderly environment. Chapter 1 provides an introduction to the study and explains some school-based interventions such as social competency…

Discusses the experiences of a family including several white children, a six-year-old Asian (Filipino) girl, an eight-year-old American Indian (Chippewa) girl, and a black four-year-old boy with a voluntarily desegregated Northern school. (Author/JM)

Describes an approach to consultation with core city elementary schools that utilizes the concept of encouraging children to be helpful to each other--which necessitates a lateral rather than a vertical classroom structure, with decision making and problem solving shared by the children. (RJ)

Students from two elementary schools were studied in an investigation of "social isolates," students who are overlooked or ignored in the classroom. Data were gathered from groups of students and individual students. Findings, drawn from comparisons of students, interviews, and test instruments are discussed. (CJ)

A study of language use of bilingual Alsatian youth, 15-18 years old, showed French acculturation to be growing, although German dialectal tendencies persist. Socioeconomic status and the role of recent generations in this process are considered. (MSE)

A 22-item instrument (My Classmates) was developed to measure fifth-sixth graders' perceptions of their peer relationships, and administered to 621 students. The instrument's reliability and validity were supported. Group membership was found to be related to certain student characteristics. (The questionnaire is appended). (GDC)

Examined cortisol and behavioral reactions of 36-month olds in an unfamiliar playgroup. Found that, when compared to at-home levels, cortisol levels were lower when children were receiving adult support and higher for one-third of children when interacting with peers alone, and that children showing adrenocortical arousal before the challenging…

Four types of peer victimizations (physical, direct verbal, indirect verbal, and general) were assessed using a sample of 200 kindergartners. Peer victimization was reported by a large percentage of children, with female and males being equally at risk. Victimized children were compared to nonvictimized children on several social and academic…

Describes a group of seniors at a Montreal high school, the offspring of working class Southern European immigrants, whose socialization is confined to school because most work part time. Suggests the importance of balancing the focus on leisure youth groups with school-based cultures such as this. (DM)

Reports the findings of a naturalistic study of stigmatization processes in the peer interactions of a kindergarten class. Discusses the social construction of deviance, and the implications of labeling. (FMW)

Studies common explanations for juvenile involvement in Satanism (participants manifest unique attributes that promote involvement or participants become involved through processes common to other deviance types). Data from interviews with 530 Texas youths incarcerated over 6 months for delinquency suggest that Satanism may emerge from unique and…

Studied the ability of measures of inhibition to unfamiliar events that are obtained in toddlerhood to predict social behaviors during an interaction with an unfamiliar peer at the age of five years. Results revealed that the role of child inhibition as a predictor of social behavior may be more evident during the initial encounter with the peer.…

Aggressive data from four experimental play groups of seven- and nine-year-old black males were coded to examine whether qualitative aspects of aggression serve to distinguish among the behavior patterns displayed by the groups. Found that age makes a great deal of difference in these behavior patterns. (Author/GLR)