Self-reports of depression, anxiety, conduct problems, and somatization were collected from 449 elementary-school children in central Italy. Peers completed sociometric nominations for play partners. Socially rejected children rated themselves as having significantly more conduct problems than other social-status groups. Sociometrically neglected…

Describes the principles, practices, and procedures of the Teaching Students To Be Peacemakers program, a comprehensive, schoolwide conflict resolution and peer mediation training initiative targeting grades 1 through 12. Findings of the program's efficacy and impact in diverse school settings are presented. (GR)

This study compared the stress, social support, and adjustment of 40 middle school students with learning disabilities or mild mental retardation and 396 general education students without learning problems. The students with learning problems experienced more stress, less peer support, greater adult support, and poorer adjustment, than those…

Examined the relation of direct parental management of peer relationships with young adolescents' and their best friends' antisocial behavior and academic achievement. Found that subjects reporting higher levels of parental monitoring reported lower levels of drug use and delinquency. As hypothesized, patterns of results for perceptions of…

Presents data on personal, family, peer, and school factors associated with preadolescent students manifesting anger-related problems at school. Results indicate that cumulative positive and negative experiences at home, in school, and with peers have a major impact on the frequency and intensity of anger experienced at school. Urges school…

Investigated linkages between aspects of emotional competence and preschoolers' social skills with peers, as well as parental emotion socialization practices as predictors of social skill. Found that emotional competence variables were meaningfully related to the peer variables and that, for non-constructive anger reactions, maternal reports of…

Examines the historical and conceptual foundations of friendship research. Areas addressed include functions of friendship, study of peer relations and peer systems, associated methodological and measurement challenges, and the study of friendship today. The discussion is framed around the "Harry Potter" (by J. K. Rowling) phenomena. (SD)

A survey of 269 undergraduate students at the University of Manitoba found that students' perceptions of their social capital resources had direct and indirect effects on their developing self-concepts and their educational achievement. Students' perceptions of support, particularly peer support, were an important resource, positively related to…

Presents a 25-item annotated bibliography of journal articles (published between 1991 and 1994) describing writing and research exercises and approaches for helping students becomes aware of their own families and others. (TB)

Direction sequences initiated by coworkers to eight individuals with mental retardation were compared to those initiated by school personnel to eight special education students with moderate mental retardation in community-based vocational training. Although most directions in either setting were direct/noncomplex, more indirect commands occurred…

Multiple measures of social behavior were used to evaluate a systematic replication of a conversational multiple-exemplar, self-instructional training intervention with 4 students (ages 14 to 19) with moderate mental retardation and limited social interaction with peers. The procedure was effective in increasing participants' generalized…

Analysis of videotapes of the signed communication (mostly Signed Exact English) of five preschool children with deafness in a special class found their communications brief and focused on the here-and-now. Topics of conversation were similar to those of nondisabled children. Child-initiated utterances were longer and more semantically diverse…

Observed teachers touching 5- to 63-month-old children in a nursery program to establish baseline touching levels. Teachers were then instructed to touch children more frequently; and teachers', children's, and parents' touching was subsequently observed. Found that boys were touched more frequently than girls by teachers and peers, and older…

Compared impact of maternal influences and impact of peer influences on eating problems among Japanese adolescent girls. Found greater impact of peer interactions in grades 10 and 11, while maternal influence was stronger in grades 8 and 9. Measured participants' sensitivity to social evaluation and found no effects of grade in this area. (SD)

Self-managed peer group discussions were used to examine achieving high school seniors (n=40) peer relationships and attitudes toward school. Interviews, student-shadowings, field notes, and 25 hours of open student talk were analyzed. Findings are discussed in terms of overall communicative actions, content, group life, group culture, and…