Choice of leisure activity expressed by students and one parent each from four countries supports a three-dimensional factor structure of leisure dimensions, identified as aesthetic-intellectual, sports, and social-entertainment. Subjects were 642 U.S., 174 French, 243 Danish, and 139 New Zealand college students and their parents. (SLD)

Assigned 48 junior high school students screened for unassertive school behavior to social skills training groups which included modeling only, instructions only, modeling and instructions, and control. Found significant improvements in self-reported assertion and in assertive school behavior for training groups. Trained students were able to…

A microanalytic description of teachers' interactions with children suggests that the sociomoral atmospheres of three types of classrooms differ considerably. Children in the direct-instruction classroom experience an almost totally unilateral relationship with the teacher; in the constructivist classroom, there is more reciprocity and intimacy;…

Children's discourse with peers was examined in relation to speaker gender, partner gender, and age level. Girls' and boys' communication patterns were more similar than different, but gender-related differences with medium to large effect sizes were found. Findings are interpreted in terms of developmental and contextual accounts of gender and…

Social skills and levels of inappropriate assertiveness/impulsiveness were assessed using the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills with Youngsters, with 17 autistic children (ages 2-21) and 17 matched nonautistic children. Significant differences in both appropriate and inappropriate social behaviors were found. Results suggest the importance of…

Twenty-eight children with and without disabilities were observed during free play in integrated early childhood programs, and associations among program quality indicators and children's play were analyzed. The study attempted to predict dynamic/process measures of program quality (teacher behavior) from global and structural measures of quality…

Relations among dominance, sociometric preference, and social behavior were examined in groups of unacquainted first and third grade boys meeting in play sessions. Younger groups with high aggression showed less coherent organization than did others. Dominance was associated with social preference in younger groups, and with leadership in older…

This study involving three autistic and four nondisabled preschool children found that a peer-initiation intervention produced increases in peer initiations and social interactions when the teacher verbally prompted, but not without verbal prompts. When a correspondence training/visual feedback package was implemented, peer initiations and social…

The interactions of three dyads, consisting of one student with moderate mental retardation and one nondisabled peer, were assessed while playing computer games. Results indicated that students (ages 13-14) exhibited more frequent social initiations, higher degrees of game satisfaction, and equal/higher degrees of peer satisfaction while playing…

Argues that one of the most valuable contributions that an internationally oriented education system can provide is to inhibit the development of an overly conformist attitude. Contends that the ability to dissent is essential for healthy personal and societal functioning. Recommends that education about dissent should be made compulsory. (CFR)

Contends that the game of "musical chairs" demonstrates how students learn about competition versus cooperation as well as a variety of sociological concepts and theories. Outlines material requirements and rules for playing the game, and suggests methods for post-game debriefings. Notes sociological applications and implications that can be…

Examined fourth, fifth, and sixth graders' self-conceptualizations about their own appearance in relation to peer evaluations of social behaviors. The children also indicated how important they believed appearance to be for peer relationships. Found that the association of appearance self-discrepancies and particular behavior dispositions occurred…

Offers educators and families a variety of strategies to help facilitate the development of friendships among students with disabilities and their typical peers. Activities to teach students about individual differences, music and art activities to promote friendships, and sample get-acquainted and class-cohesiveness activities are listed. (CR)

Colleges and universities are finding that ways to misbehave in computer-mediated communication come along faster than institutions can create policies to deal with them. Although most schools have acceptable-use policies, technological advances change the environment quickly and require flexible policies. Most institutions have created a mix of…

Provides 11 primary sources that enable students to contemplate how Thomas Jefferson and his slaves produced a culture and community at Monticello (Virginia) and his other plantations. Focuses on Jefferson's relationship with his slaves, particularly addressing Sally Hemming's relationship with Jefferson, in order to study the complicated history…