Third and fourth graders' talk during collaborative writing assignments with teachers and peers was transcribed and coded. Found that the students devoted a significant amount of peer and teacher interaction to the subject of spelling, and that the amount of talk about spelling did not vary with the spelling ability of the students. (MDM)

Investigates the effects of early tobacco and alcohol use on adolescent sexual behaviors 2 years after initiation among 73 adolescent girls, 79 adolescent boys, and their parents. A relationship exists between age-related deviant behaviors and sexual activity and the effects of early transitions to adult behaviors such as tobacco and alcohol use.…

The supportive relationships of 167 sixth graders with parents, teachers, and peers were examined in relation to motivation at school. Relations of perceived support from parents, teachers, and peers to student motivation differed depending on the source of support and motivational outcome. Peer support was a positive predictor of prosocial goal…

In a dialogic essay, the authors reflect on aspects of their two professional lives in the field of English for special purposes (ESP), discussing their initial reactions to each other as authors, describing how they came to co-edit the present journal, providing personal and selective impressions of each other's careers, and summarizing currently…

Examined links between parenting and preschoolers' peer competence. Found that parent-child play was associated with boys', but not girls', peer competence. Mothers' coaching was associated with girls', but not boys', competence. Mothers' or fathers' involvement in child-peer play predicted lower or higher child competence, respectively. Mothers'…

This study examined the interactional social behaviors of six elementary grade children with specific language impairment. Data reviewed included teacher ratings of social skills and child self-perceptions of loneliness and peer contacts. Children also were observed during interactional tasks including access, negotiation, and cooperative work.…

A study identified the perceptions of six college students with visual impairments on what influenced their social activity on campus. It found influences were different for visually-impaired students than for traditional students. The need to intervene in the social development of students with visual impairments before college is stressed.…

Tested relations between low-income children's emotional regulatory skills and their social competence. Also examined children's use of self-distraction as an index of their regulatory skill. Found that children's use of self-distraction predicted a significant amount of variance in peers' ratings of social preference and in teachers' ratings of…

Describes a study that examined how relationships within diverse leadership teams engaged the strengths of all members to make decisions and transform schools. Results indicated that diversity issues affecting team effectiveness were apparent in team composition, agenda topics, and group representation. This paper presents recommendations for…

Describes two creative drama programs designed to improve peer-relations skills of early adolescents in classrooms. Discusses the utility of creative drama programs in relation to improved peer relations, staff training, and practical program evaluation. School social workers might find that this approach can be an effective modality for…

A study examined the impact of functional assessment interventions on appropriate and challenging behaviors of 75 typical children (ages 3-6), 60 children at-risk, and 75 children with special needs. Functional assessment procedures resulted in a decrease in challenging behavior and nonengagement and an increase in active engagement and peer…

Two studies investigated emotional-display-rule knowledge and its associations with family expressiveness and peer competence. Findings indicated that third graders combined expression regulation with prosocial reasoning, norm-maintenance, and self-protective motives more frequently than kindergartners. Negative expressiveness was related…

Used between-family analyses of data from adolescent twin girls to offer new evidence that early menarche is associated with earlier initiation and greater frequency of smoking and drinking. Found that association of pubertal timing with substance use could not be explained by between-family confounds, and pubertal timing influence on drinking…

Explores, by way of students' stories, how Chicancas establish and maintain their identity. Also examines to what extent and how race, ethnicity, family, language, school, peer relationships, and romantic relationships are gender based. Explores how young Chicanas manage conflicts emerging from traditional culturally prescribed gender roles as…

When a student tutoring program failed to improve freshmen's achievement, a St. Louis-area high school tried mentoring as a responsibility- and relationship-building model. Almost all freshmen now participate. Many still fail multiple courses, but school atmosphere has improved drastically and disciplinary referrals have declined 40 percent. (MLH)