Explored the relation between types of peer behavior in young children to children's level of intention understanding. Found level of intention understanding predicted types of overtures made, types of objects offered, monitoring of partner responses, partner compliance, and types of speech acts addressed to partners. (Author/DLH)

Interviewed 22 children, ages 7-9, in a mixed-age classroom about their conceptions of peer interaction and collaboration and about what it means to teach someone something. Found that children know they can teach their peers and are able to shift between acting as teacher and as learner in the active role. (DLH)

A study examined the accounts of parents of 515 Hong Kong students with special needs of their children's experiences. Academic requirements were found to be a great burden to children and parents. Children with intellectual impairments, autism, and hyperactivity encountered more problems in peer relationships. (Contains references.) (CR)

Maintains that the study of peer relations has focused heavily on children's dyadic experiences. Argues that an analysis of children's experiences at the network or group level provides an equally compelling perspective on their relations within their peer system. Shows how the dynamics of peer networks determine social experiences and influence…

Describes ICEA (Iowa Chemistry Education Alliance), a consortium of high school chemistry instructors and university faculty that developed concept-oriented modular units for the high school chemistry curriculum and provided teachers with opportunities for peer collaboration. Discusses the ICN (Iowa Communication Network) that has synchronous…

Examined friendship among 160 African American, Latino, and Asian American ninth graders from low-income families. Found significant gender and racial/ethnic differences in the characteristics and quality of close and general friendships. Correlates of friendship quality varied across the type of friendship and across gender. (Author/KB)

The Alcohol-related Harm Prevention (AHP) program is a normative education and skill-acquisition program designed to reduce serious, long-term alcohol-related harm in college students. Without admonishing students not to drink, which is likely to fail in many student populations, the AHP program attempts to give students the necessary perceptions,…

How do meetings in elementary classrooms influence student attitudes and behaviors, both individually and collectively? Can regular opportunities to participate in collective problem solving educate students for peacemaking and alter the social dynamic of the classroom? As an experienced teacher who previously studied class meetings in a private…

Open-ended questions were used to obtain narrative accounts of what makes a girl (or a boy) popular (or unpopular) at school. The participants were 489 African American students in Grades 1, 4, and 7 recruited from high-risk inner-city neighborhoods. Appearance and self-presentation were mentioned the most in Grades 4 and 7. Prosocial…

The United States has been swept up in the "Harry Potter" phenomenon, with film adaptations, companion readers, and literary critique and analysis following J. K. Rowling's books on the adolescent wizard's adventures. The book has also touched off a reaction from conservative Christian institutions seeking to ban the books in school…

This study compared the peer functioning of a community sample of preschool boys with pervasive hyperactivity (N=33) and comparison boys (N=34), and examined the extent to which any differences in peer functioning between these groups could be explained by comorbid child conduct problems and parenting factors. The quality of boys' peer relations…

Trait emotional intelligence ("trait EI" or "trait emotional self-efficacy") is a constellation of emotion"related self"perceptions and dispositions comprising the affective aspects of personality. The present study investigated the role of trait EI in children's peer relations at school. One hundred and sixty pupils (83 girls; mean age = 10.8…

This paper reports on an Appreciative Inquiry project called "Growing Talent for Inclusion" which has been running since 2002. The project grew out the authors' work in a Local Authority Support Service assisting schools to meet the needs of pupils with a range of additional educational needs. Faced with a large number of individual referrals,…

The aim of this study was to assess elementary school nurses' perceptions of student bullying, actions when they encounter bullies or victims, and perceived level of preparation for dealing with this problem. School nurses identified the most common barriers to dealing with bullying, which included bullying taking place where the nurse is not…

Undergraduate biology curricula are being modified to model and teach the activities of scientists better. The assignment described here, one that investigates protein structure and function, was designed for use in a sophomore-level cell physiology course at Earlham College. Students work in small groups to read and present in poster format on…