Describes research into the operation of peer learning communities on the MSc course in Change Agent Skills and Strategies at the University of Surrey. Argues for acknowledgment of significant qualitative differences in current usage of the term "learning community" in relation to higher education courses. Indicates educational…

Discusses the emergence of new types of abused drugs in the United States. Notes that young persons often search for substitutes for better-known substances. It is unclear, however, what factors determine the choice of drug or substance for experimentation, considering the wide range of choices. This paper attempts to delineate the factors that…

Finds strong support for the appraisal-emotion link, although the effect of message form on appraisals was weaker and more complex than expected. Implies that only a subset of the appraisals are relevant to influence attempts in close relationships, and finds that dominance and explicitness showed unique and nonparallel effects on appraisals. (SR)

Examines the effectiveness of a peer mediation program in which 6th-8th grade students (N=30) were trained to serve as mediators for peers in conflict. Mediators' responses to written tests indicated increased knowledge of mediation skills after training. Results reveal that 32 of 34 mediations resulted in satisfactory conflict resolution and that…

Discusses the use of various art and play activities to help facilitate healing in immigrant refugee children who have experienced trauma and grief. Describes the work of the Center for Grieving Children and pilot projects with refugee and immigrant children that involved self-healing through puppetry, cultural and ethnic diversity in art, and…

Explores how two classes of 10th-grade students experienced and learned from a required social-studies course that focused explicitly on teaching students to become more effective participants in discussions of controversial public issues. Finds, for example, that students' perceptions of their peers had a greater influence on their participation…

Focuses on gender differences in growth in mathematics achievement in relation to various social-psychological factors such as attitude towards mathematics, self-esteem, parents' academic encouragement, mathematics teachers' expectations, and peer influence. Results indicate that gender differences in growth in mathematics varied by the student's…

Assessed the relative influence of peer norms and parental involvement on adolescent cigarette and alcohol use. Surveys of secondary school students indicated that the relative balance of peer-parent influences did not differ across grades. In all grades, perceived peer norms had substantially greater correlations with cigarette and alcohol use…

Reactions to peers' distress were recorded for 52 toddlers (hosts), 18 to 36 months old, who were observed playing with familiar peers in their own homes during 2 sessions, 6 months apart. Four contextual factors were explored: the host's responsibility for the guest's distress, similarity between the toddler and the distressed peer, relative…

Past research has suggested that the aggregation of deviant peers during treatment may cause harmful effects (T. J. Dishion, J. McCord, & F. Poulin, 1999). This study compared the effectiveness of problem-solving skills training groups in which all members had conduct problems ("pure" group condition) with groups that consisted of adolescents with…

The incorporation of a social skills prevention program that includes proactive intervention message strategies that students can use when they encounter dangerous alcohol-related situations in social settings is argued to be a valuable tool in reducing current problems associated with high risk drinking. The purpose of this study was to identify…

Adolescent boys perceive their male peer group culture--and their socialization toward masculine norms emphasized within this culture--as negatively influencing their abilities to develop close male friendships. Boys who manage to develop close, male friendships, however, draw strength from these relationships to resist the social pressures of…

It is difficult to retain teachers who work in isolated communities, in very poor communities and communities where parental levels of education are not high. This paper describes the creation of a "New Teacher Academy" in one such unstable school district. Working closely with the new teachers in the district, a program was created based on peer…

This study aimed to prospectively examine the role of peer and media influences in the development of body satisfaction (incorporating the desire for thinness and satisfaction with appearance) in young girls, as well as the relationship between body satisfaction and self-esteem. A sample of 97 girls 5-8 years of age completed individual interviews…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a prompt versus no prompt condition in combination with a peer-directed intervention package that targeted children with low language or behavior problems. The current study (a) tested two conditions of a multi-component intervention package to increase social interaction between peers, and…