Examined adolescent suicide attempts and temporal cycles in a multiethnic population. Medical records in Hawaii were reviewed for adolescents (ages 12-18) admitted for suicide attempts during the years 1987-91. Results showed significant increases in attempts during the afternoon/evening and on Mondays and Tuesdays and transition points between…

This article identifies sources of information about syntactic ability of school-age children and adolescents from language samples (spoken and written) and standardized language tests. Language samples yield information on sentence length, clause density, and use of higher level discourse-motivated structures. Syntactic subtests from three…

Sibling differences in family processes, such as parental monitoring, and in individual adjustment were examined for 133 pairs of 10- to 18-year-old siblings in divorced families. Found that siblings who lived apart after their parents' divorce differed more than siblings who lived together. (MDM)

In a survey of 242 seventh and eighth grade students ranking highest (129) and lowest (113) in occupational attitudes and abilities, those who believe a variety of careers possible have high self-esteem, middle to high socioeconomic status (SES), cognitive vocational complexity, and are mostly female. Those doubtful of their career potential have…

Examined associations between the quality of the interparental relationship and the success of 68 family triads (mother, father, preadolescent son) in solving family problems. Parental agreement on child rearing issues facilitated problem solving, whereas strong parental coalitions inhibited problem solving. The latter result may be attributed to…

Examined gender differences in means and standard deviations for main subscales of the Children Motivation Analysis Test (CMAT), an instrument for quantifying human motivational dynamic traits among upper elementary school children. The test was administered to 540 Zimbabwean children in sixth grade, and results indicated that the CMAT is suitable…

Presents initial findings in a study of language use by preadolescent African-American male participants in a neighborhood sponsored Youth Basketball Association. Using data collected over a 30-month period in Chicago (Illinois), the study takes an ethnographic approach for exploring communicative competencies in oral and written language. (JB)

Describes the "Unpuffables Program" in which two states tested receptivity to and feasibility of a smoking prevention activity package for fourth through sixth graders and parents. High awareness and participation rates were seen, and "Unpuffables" provided an opportunity to discuss smoking at home, motivating smokers to…

Piaget's hypothesis that children's interactions with peers during middle childhood are essential to their moral reasoning development was tested with 48 female preadolescents who were paired with a female agemate or their mother. Subjects paired with peers showed more sophisticated moral reasoning and used more active transacts in their…

Agreement between multidimensional self-concept ratings by preadolescents and inferred self-concept ratings by teachers and parents was studied for 188 Australian children in grades 3 through 6. Children and significant others completed the Self-Description Questionnaire I. The degree of self-other agreement is discussed. (SLD)

Value orientations of 116 Canadian children (60 males and 56 females) ranging from 10 to 12.5 years old (40 of Anglo-Celt, 40 of French, and 36 of Italian origin) indicate similar concepts of ideal self and self-esteem but gender and ethnic differences with respect to peer relations. (SLD)

Relations among observed family interaction patterns, preadolescent boys' classroom self-restraint, and academic achievement were studied in a sample of 65 intact families. Findings identify behavioral self-restraint, a form of social competence, as a noncognitive mediator between the quality of family functioning and academic achievement in early…

Examined the instructional reform process in 17 middle schools. Reforms included heterogeneous grouping, cooperative learning, active learning, and interdisciplinary instruction. All reforms relied on teachers' willingness to change daily instructional content or strategies. Heterogenous grouping and interdisciplinary instruction posed the…

Reviews research on the effects of ability grouping on the achievement of middle school students. Found no or few effects of ability grouping for high, average, and low achievers in 27 studies. Alternatives to between-class ability grouping, including cooperative learning and within-class grouping, are discussed. (PAM)

A total of 1,771 children completed self-report questionnaires during sixth and seventh grade. Early adolescents who believed their parents asserted and did not relax their power and restrictiveness scored higher than other adolescents on items that measured an extreme peer orientation. (MDM)