Studies conducted in specifically age-segregated housing for older persons suggest that such age-homogeneous settings encourage networks of friendships and mutual assistance. Since patterns of age segregation exist within communities, such segregation may result in similar social benefits. Interviews (N=1,185) assessing social networks were…

An inservice program for teachers involves a peer group strategy for helping them set goals and experiment with new teaching behaviors. This supportive inservice model proceeds from the premise that meaningful change occurs when the individual perceives a need for change. The major component of this program is a support group of tenured teachers…

The purpose of this preliminary study was to identify small informal groups of teenage American Indian boys at a Bureau of Indian Affairs boarding school, in order to help determine if the school's declared objective of cultural integration were being met. The sociometric instrument chosen was disguised as a civil defense planning questionnaire…

For four years Lord Fairfax Community College has conducted voluntary, bi-weekly "Instructional Development Clinic" sessions to provide assistance to individual faculty members asking for help on improving specific course practices. Sessions usually focus on diagnostic, prescriptive, and/or prognostic instructional considerations,…

This paper reviews Piaget's stages of play and discusses the implications of play for early childhood education. The three stages of play identified in Piaget's research are: (1) practice play, (2) symbolic or make believe play and (3) games with rules. The characteristics of each type of play are presented and examples of play at each stage are…

This paper integrates theory and research on the adolescent society into a comprehensive model of the status attainment process. The analysis reveals that a multidimensional conception of the adolescent role informs understanding of the dynamics of the status attainment process; that perceived peer status does not mediate antecedent effects on…

Past research is held to indicate a consistent relationship between participation in interscholastic athletics and educational orientations. This research is said to focus specifically on the "athletic success". Athletic success should be a stronger facilitator of the mobility attitudes of black youth, it is argued, because sports is…

This paper reports a research design guided by the hypothesis that adult constraint and peer cooperation exert conflicting forces on the development of racial awareness attitudes of 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds. Subjects were 60 preschoolers from Tennessee, with an equal number of white and black children at each age. Methodology used was a modified…

In a study of the effects of mixing children of different backgrounds, 18 disadvantaged Mexican-American children were integrated into classes with 36 advantaged Anglo peers to see if the intellectual performance of the Mexican-Americans would be favorably affected. Comparisons were also made between 18 children of the same ethnic group who were…

The peer group network for black teenage females (16-19 years of age) from low income families serves as the powerful interactive mechanism to enable these young women to develop job orientation for themselves and others. Through a group process simulation and guidance model steps can be taken to enter and to remain in the labor market. In New…

GROUP WORK IN THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IS AN EFFECTIVE METHOD FOR DEALING WITH THE INSTRUCTIONAL ASPECTS OF GUIDANCE AND OF ASSISTING CHILDREN WHO SHOW A DEFEATING SELF-CONCEPT OR AN INABILITY TO RELATE TO OTHERS. GROUP WORK IS AN EFFICIENT WAY OF DEALING WITH GROWING NUMBERS OF MALADJUSTED CHILDREN IN SCHOOLS. THE FORCE OF THE PSYCHOLOGICAL GROUP IS…

Two research traditions in the study of learning and motivation are integrated for the study of adolescent behavior. One is concerned primarily with the normal functioning of adolescent society, the other with the design of reward structures to foster academic achievement. The literature covering the use of material incentives for motivating…

This article attempts to help teachers use group experiences for teaching purposes. It focuses on the importance of preplanning and designing the learning experience, the identification of events and behaviors that may emerge during the group process, and ways of dealing with these behaviors. (NG)

Results generated by peers, teachers, and unbiased observers converged in some behavioral domains and diverged in others. All three sources provided similar pictures of the relation between aggression and status, although observations of third grade boys did not yield sufficient frequencies of aggression to allow meaningful conclusions. (RH)

Describes the following steps in an approach to writing research reports in which students work in teams, with systematic guided practice: (1) topic selection, (2) planning, (3) researching the topic, (4) organizing, and (5) writing. Includes pointers for implementation. (JD)