Presents in-depth case study of preadolescent boy who showed most dramatic holistic changes in his construction of reality over 2.5 years spent in experimental Life-Impact Curriculum at residential center. Discusses need to empower children who have been victims of physical and sexual abuse. (NB)

Examined influence of maternal drug use and unconventional behavior on children's behavioral problems, cognitive functioning, and self-esteem for children aged eight and older born to teenage mothers. Findings from 581 mother-child dyads suggest that maternal attitudes and experiences as adolescent or young adult and current family structure had…

Compared adjustment of 30 young adults who had a stable, reciprocal best friend in fifth grade and 30 who did not. Found that lower peer rejection uniquely predicted overall life status adjustment. Friended preadolescents had higher general self-worth in adulthood, even after controlling for perceived preadolescence competence. Peer rejection and…

Defines the "peaceable classroom" concept, in which children are taught to deal more appropriately with feelings, to solve problems, and to make good decisions. Supplies instructions for classroom lessons to be used with five 12-year-old students. Claims that these lessons can help develop a peaceable classroom environment. (MKA)

Assessed contributions of internal resources, supportive family and peer relations, peer negative influences, and behavioral adjustment to positive expectations for the future for inner-city school children. Found that higher levels of positive expectation related to lower levels of problem behavior and to higher levels of school involvement,…

Discusses five Montessori insights about children's development as they relate to family and school life: independence and autonomy, community and socialization, interest in culture and morality, preadolescents' apprenticeship for adulthood, and adult acceptance of the evidence of change. Notes that underlying dynamics of home and school are alike…

Studied boys' dominance behavior as they made the transition from primary to middle school. Found that dominance decreased as boys made the transition to a new group; dominance had a significant aggressive dimension at the start of sixth grade; and both affiliative and aggressive dimensions of dominance predicted heterosexual relationships at the…

This study examined whether aspects of pubertal maturation in girls vary across race and ethnicity. Findings highlighted the importance of including socioeconomic factors in exploration of menarcheal differences across race/ethnicity. Perceptions of pubertal timing did not vary across racial/ethnic groups. (SD)

This study, with an 11-year-old male with severe mental retardation, investigated the effectiveness of selectively implementing punishment for only the most severe topographies of aggression and property destruction, whereas less extreme behaviors were ignored. Results indicated that severe behaviors were reduced to near-zero levels only when both…

In this study of 256 adolescents, it was expected that the group of adolescents referred for psychiatric treatment would have a narrower friendship network than the control group and that their friendship relations would be more conflictual and less rich in terms of attachment. The hypothesis was confirmed for the older referred adolescents. (TJQ)

Reviews four books that contextually examine definitions of childhood and adolescence: "Peer Power: Preadolescent Culture and Identity" (Patricia A. Adler and Peter Adler); "Angels' Town: Chero Ways, Gang Life, and Rhetorics of the Everyday" (Ralph Cintron); "Everyday Courage: The Lives and Stories of Urban Teenagers"…

The authors of this article, 4th grade and 6th grade teachers at Castle Rock Elementary School in Colorado, describe their efforts to engage their students in learning. Morgan recounts a math lesson in which he confirmed that 4th graders sometimes need extensive preparation and support to translate their impressive insights into the written word.…

Middle-schoolers have always been selectively sullen, shamelessly self-absorbed, and hopelessly obsessed with winning the admiration of their peers. In some ways, the preadolescent brain can't keep up with the demands on it. The frontal lobes, where organization and judgment and reasoning reside, aren't as well developed as the emotional centers.…

A longitudinal study was used to examine age differences in the role of body mass index (BMI) and sociocultural pressures in predicting changes in body image and strategies to both lose weight and increase muscles among 443 children aged between 8 and 12 years (207 boys, 236 girls) over a 16-month period. The strongest predictors of body image and…

Magic arts counseling is defined as a nontraditional, experiential curriculum utilized for promoting student growth. Applicable research and the history of using magic with students provide the rationale for its employment in educational programming. In an effort to systematically explore its benefits several educational factors and key elements…