For the past eight years, Social Development Project researchers have assessed more than 2000 children from nine elementary schools, beginning when they were kindergartners. Researchers found a link between social skills and academic performance. Stable peer acceptance over the early school years protects children from early academic difficulties.…

Defines the goals of social constructivism as providing a democratic and critical learning experience for students through the building of knowledge about self, school, everyday experience, and society. Reviews specific implications and practical applications of the philosophy. (TB)

Draws on an ethnographic study of four adolescent girls to examine how focal students comply with and resist official institutional expectations, how participation in the classroom is influenced by the underlife present within the school, and how a person's membership within groups regulates literate practices. Argues that students' performances…

Describes the role of observational research in the assessment of children's peer-related social competence and the conceptual frameworks that serve as a foundation for observational assessment of children's social goals. Describes technological advances that allow more descriptive, precise, and complex behavioral codes. Provides an example of an…

The Social Relations model of D. A. Kenny estimates variances and covariances from a round-robin of two-person interactions. This paper presents a matrix formulation of the Social Relations model, using the formulation to derive exact and estimated standard errors for round-robin estimates of Social Relations parameters. (SLD)

Investigated links between experimentally assessed social understanding and naturalistically observed verbal communication between friends among 38 young children. Found that performance on social understanding tasks was significantly associated with connected communication between friends. (MDM)

Ten elderly members of an adult day care center were observed before and during an intervention with an itnergenerational nursery school at the center. Significantly higher levels of social interaction and lower levels of solitary behaviors were observed when the school was in session. (SK)

Discusses two issues raised by Underwood et al.: the distinction between indirect and relational forms of aggression, and implications of indirect aggression for definitions of aggression; and the normative view of aggression that indicates that aggressive individuals may be socially skilled. Suggests that both issues lead to the conclusion that…

Twelve children with autism, 12 with Down's syndrome, and 12 typically developing children, matched on gender and verbal mental age, were given a series of forced choices to examine characteristics of autism concerning preferences for relatedness, animate or inanimate objects, and interpersonal relationships. Performances of the groups differed on…

Presents a theory of child-development stages that reflects the relationship between children's play and the need to create a personal identity. Considers the relationship between socializing play and individuation, and defines four stages of identity development through play: amorphous, play, games, and generalization and maturity. (JPB)

This observational study suggests that many toddler friendships are occurring all the time, waiting to be discovered and fostered by astute teachers. Asserts that those working in toddler programs need to be sensitive to the potential for friendships in 2-year-olds and nurture these first fragile bonds. (EV)

Comparison of 15 high functioning children (ages 8-12) with autism and two control groups (specific language disabled or normally developing) on measures of anxiety and social worries found children with autism were most anxious on both measures used. High anxiety subscale scores for the autism group were on separation anxiety and…

The subject of discipline is often confused with classroom management. Although related, classroom management and discipline are distinctly different topics. Classroom management deals with how things are done. It entails structure, procedures, and routines, to the point of becoming rituals. When procedures are explained to and practiced by…

The study examined perceptions of issues associated with inclusive education of 437 parents from a midwestern state in the United States who have a child with a mild, moderate, or severe disability. Parents responded to a modified form of the Opinions Related to Mainstreaming (ORM) Scale (Antonak & Larrivee, 1995) and provided additional written…

Early childhood education must bolster basic cognitive and social-emotional competencies to prepare children for authentic learning. The preschool educators should view academic skills and concepts as valuable tools in the process of developing essential competencies.