According to a recent Washington State survey, middle school educators need more than general training in teaching and administration to meet young adolescent students' needs. Respondents desired more knowledge about young adolescents' emotional, social, and intellectual development, and appropriate teaching and discipline techniques. Includes…

Assessed the impact of different forms of maltreatment on the socioemotional development of 70 children aged 5-7 years in a day camp. Maltreated children scored lower than the comparison group on self-esteem and prosocial measures and higher on withdrawn behavior ratings. (RJC)

Although Grusec and Goodnow provide a compelling framework for organizing disciplinary encounters found to affect moral internalization, their hypothesis remains untested. Researchers need to devise conceptually sound measures of message acceptance and show that message acceptance does indeed mediate internalization before committing themselves to…

Although Grusec and Goodnow make interesting suggestions concerning discipline variables that may affect internalization, their ideas are not integrated into a theory, and their definition of internalization is limited because parent-child similarity may result from children's attributing their values to parents. A theory linking discipline and…

Examined role of social anxiety, social withdrawal, and locus of control in the developmental level of interpersonal negotiation strategies (INS) when resolving hypothetical conflicts. Found that sociable children were more likely than socially withdrawn children to exhibit greater competence in INS. Children with internal locus of control were…

Examined the effects of a game involving cooperative interaction and symbolic play on child development in children ages six and seven. A pretest-intervention-posttest design was used with a sample of 125 experimental and 53 control subjects. Results suggest the intervention stimulated significant improvement in social behavior and in some…

Notes that a developmentally designed classroom environment supports children's individual and social development; encourages exploration, focused play, and cooperation; provides choices for children that support self-directed learning; and supports the caregiver-child relationship. Offers guidelines for a developmentally designed environment for…

Focuses on the role of instinctual and affective forces in internalization, a process identified by Piaget and Vygotsky as the primary mechanism underlying the development of higher mental structures and functions. Discusses the theory of contemporary psychoanalyst Hans Loewald, who shares Piaget's and Vygotsky's emphasis on internalization but…

Japanese nursery school and kindergarten activities are designed to facilitate the socialization of Japanese children. The culture of the home and the culture of the school (and by extension the rest of Japanese society) are so different from each other that it is believed the open and unselfconscious help of the education system is necessary to…

This study examined means and variances of teacher behavior in effective versus ineffective elementary schools. Teacher and principal interviews and observations on seven dimensions of teaching behavior indicated effective schools had better teacher socialization processes, stronger instructional leaders, strictly enforced schoolwide discipline…

Children are exposed to violence in media and everyday life, which may promote aggression as a means to solve problems. Skills and strategies of problem solving, conflict resolution, and peace making can be learned through well-organized and frequent exposure to literature. Books that deal with misunderstanding, jealousy, playground skirmishes,…

Addresses importance of planned motor skill development, providing specific guidelines for adults working with three-, four-, and five-year olds. Describes the influence of motor development on cognitive, language, emotional, and social development. Suggests using verbal feedback, visual assistance, and demonstration for teaching motor skills.…

To assess how they compared themselves to peers, elementary school students were observed in class and interviewed over a three-year period. Found that overt forms of social comparison were most frequent among younger children, and subtle forms among older children. With increasing age, children were likely to see subtle forms of social comparison…

This article describes the House of Shalom Youth Centre Program in Ontario, Canada, and the group model which was developed there for working with youth. Six career counseling workshops were developed using the "Life Skills" lesson model. An example of an experiential exercise is provided. (LKS)

New Zealander educators are using computer and multimedia technologies effectively to help students with physical and intellectual disabilities make significant learning advancements. Using computers can provide special-needs students with recognition and support and can enhance self-esteem, self-confidence, and motivation. Tips are provided for…