Researchers believe an ecological perspective that considers multiple factors as impacting delinquent behavior is important, and early intervention can effectively reduce delinquency. Four studies have shown reduced delinquency in children receiving early intervention services. The article examines several perspectives and suggests children must…

Of 4,100 adolescents, those who characterized their parents as authoritative scored highest on psychosocial competence and lowest on behavioral dysfunction. The reverse was true for neglected adolescents. Adolescents from authoritarian homes scored high on obedience but low on self-perception. Adolescents from indulgent homes evidenced…

Interview data from 40 inner-city seventh graders challenge the stereotype that adolescents' peer conflicts (APCs) are senseless, wasteful, and destructive. Rather, these conflicts raise important micropolitical concerns about power, conflict, coalition, and policy. APCs can increase the relevance of education, play an important role in social…

Discusses four strategies teachers can use to encourage friendships among and to develop interpersonal skills of students when incorporating special needs children into regular classroom settings. Strategies involve: (1) establishing a classroom climate that encourages peer interaction; (2) encouraging deeper friendships with diverse children; (3)…

Chronicles the experiences of a second-grade teacher as she accepts special-education students into her regular education classroom and emphasizes the cooperation between the special education teacher in charge of academic development and the regular education teacher who focused on the special education students' social development and the…

Notes the lack of male staff in early childhood settings and discusses benefits to young children from having positive interactions with men in a variety of roles and settings. Suggests making the presence of men a formal part of program policy and philosophy, and recruiting male volunteers as a way to bring men into a program. (TJQ)

Discusses trade-offs and ramifications of technology use in schools. Cutbacks in proven staples of mental development (arts, music, drama, and physical education) are used to finance technology programs. Youngsters often use educational software for mindless fun. Few advocates consider how extended computer usage affects children's developing…

Through the longitudinal study of families over two decades in Chiapas, Mexico, this chapter relates historical changes on the macro level to changes in human development and socialization on the micro level. (Author)

Examined the context of class activities and teacher/child interaction in 10 preschool centers in Bahrain. Found that children at educationally-oriented centers played more at cognitively challenging tasks and engaged in more dialog with others than counterparts at care-oriented centers. In general, children were more likely to engage in…

Research, while limited, finds that service learning positively affects participants as to social development, academic achievement, civic awareness, and career exploration. High-quality programs maximize student outcomes. The difference between service learning and community service is linkage to standards and specific curriculum content. Key…

Discusses the overwhelmingly positive evidence from experience and research which suggests that a multiage environment can be superior to one of age-segregated class levels. Illuminates the logic of educating students in mixed-age groups (called multiage) by discussing the academic and social advantages, the affective benefits, and the positive…

A study assessed the unique contribution of teacher-child and parent-child relationships to the prediction of early childhood school outcomes in a high-risk sample of 55 four-year olds. Results suggest that qualities of mother-child interaction are more strongly related to preschool and kindergarten adjustment outcomes than are the qualities of…

Examined the relevancy of group social functioning to individual social, academic, and psychological adjustment in China. Found that social functioning--including sociability, aggression, and shyness-inhibition--of group peers had unique contributions to individual social and school adjustment and adjustment problems, and that contributions of…

Tested a model linking parental formal religiosity to early adolescents' academic competence and socioemotional adjustment. Found that greater parental religiosity led to more cohesive family relationships, less interparental conflict, and fewer externalizing and internalizing problems in adolescents. Found that religiosity indirectly influenced…

Recommends using examples from sports and exercise pathology in the undergraduate psychology curriculum. Sports and exercise issues enjoy popularity among many undergraduates and contain many examples applicable to general psychology courses and psychological research. Discusses sports and exercise topics illustrating concepts from developmental…