Examination of data from the sophomore and senior cohorts of the High School and Beyond survey reveals that students are only one-sixth as likely to choose a cross-race than a same-race peer as a friend. Controls for school and individual variables account for only a third of this differential. (Author/BJV)

Two University of Rhode Island teachers, of journalism and economics, designed student projects simulating real interactions between professional journalists and economists. The projects increased both groups' ability to communicate, awareness of communication needs, interdisciplinary understanding, and mutual respect. (MSE)

This study sought to identify the critical factors that differentiated 42 antisocial first grade boys from a comparison norm population. The multimethod approach found three areas of significance: (1) teachers' ratings on measures of aggression, (2) academic engaged time, and (3) negative interactions on the playground. (Author/DB)

Videotaped four- to eight-year olds as they interacted with computer software at different levels of developmental appropriateness. Facial expressions and other affective behaviors were analyzed as a function of age, presence of a peer, and appropriateness of software. Found that responses were mediated more by age, gender, and social condition…

Colleagues of the late Virginia Carter Smith, former communications vice president of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), comment on her special qualities and contributions to the organization and its administration. (MSE)

Describes one teacher's attempt to use storybooks to help her students accept a special needs student in her classroom. Notes that some children's books, however, give the message that diversity makes children different and they must be treated differently. Suggests teachers carefully assess themes in children's literature, as well as their own…

Strategies are presented for using dialog journals to improve the written communication skills of students with hearing impairments. The strategies involve using dialog journals not only in self-contained classrooms but also in resource rooms and inclusive environments, including the regular education teacher as a third person, and having deaf…

Introduces research conducted by the Santa Barbara Classroom Discourse Group, a collection of teachers, researchers, and students affiliated with the University of California, Santa Barbara. The group is concerned with understanding how everyday life in elementary and secondary classrooms is constructed by teachers and students through their…

A study investigated effects of participation in freshman interest groups (FIGs) on students' learning experiences. Data were drawn from observation in 12 classes and 43 interviews with 24 students. Results showed FIGs allowed repeated interaction with a consistent set of peers, formation of a social network, and fostered engagement with course…

Surveys of students aged 4-14 in 22 Toronto (Canada) classrooms, their parents, and teachers found that a third of students were involved in bullying situations, with involvement higher among boys and in grades 5-6. Teachers and parents were unaware of individual children's involvement, and children perceived teachers' interventions as infrequent.…

Examined the relationship between childhood loneliness and insecure-ambivalent attachment in infancy. As predicted, the most loneliness in early childhood was reported by children classified insecure-ambivalent in infancy. Possible explanations center on the contribution of attachment to peer relationships, internal working models, and child…

Describes the attempts of 247 adolescents, classified into sociometric statuses of popular, neglected, rejected, controversial, and average, to handle stressful events by mobilizing social support. Results suggest that sociometric status does not prevent attempts to mobilize support, but status may affect the amount or type of support that helpers…

Presents the bibliotherapeutic approach as a clinical strategy for working with children. Offers an overview of bibliotherapy, discusses how it can be used in treatment, and recommends books for various problems facing children. Notes that research on the effectiveness of bibliotheraphy is inconclusive and that it should be used only as adjunctive…

Direct observation and sequential analytic techniques were used to analyze rates, antecedents, and predictive sequences of aggressive behavior for 28 elementary school-aged children with emotional/behavioral disorders. Results indicated that low rates of positive social interactions characterized the daily classroom ecology of students displaying…

Two experiments examined the effects of rewards alone, rewards plus discussion, and self-evaluation plus rewards on peer interactions of elementary level students with emotional or behavioral disorders. Observational data on eight students showed the self-evaluation procedures to be effective in improving peer interactions when implemented in a…