The diagnosis and evaluation of families applying for family therapy is necessary to identify problems in their relationships that can be effectively integrated into treatment. In the Family Distance Doll Placement technique, a diagnostic tool for assessing patterns of closeness and distance within the family, parents are asked to make up stories…

This paper examines young adolescents' involvement with popular music and the health implications of that involvement. Initial discussion explores three central concepts: music media, adolescence, and mass media effects. A summary of research on music media in adolescence is offereed in two sections discussing exposure to, and gratifications and…

This document presents a personal statement concerning the recommendations in "Turning Points," a 1989 publication of the Carnegie Corporation's Task Force on Education of Young Adolescents. This document suggests how the reformulation of middle grade schools along the lines recommended in "Turning Points" can improve the life chances of young…

Using longitudinal data on 101 sixth-graders who participated in the Pennsylvania Early Adolescent Transitions Study, the following two hypotheses were tested by means of path analysis: (1) the goodness of fit between a child's temperamental characteristics and the temperamental preferences held by the peer group is instrumental in determining a…

Theory and research related to early adolescent sex role development needs to be addressed from both a life-span and an ecological perspective. A study was conducted to examine the development of male early adolescent sex role attitudes and behaviors in an ecological context. Data were the results of a state-wide survey of 10- to 14-year-old males…

During the last decade, the attributional aproach to achievement motivation has evolved into a powerful theory of motivated classroom behavior. Causal attributions, and their dimensional nature, are seen as influencing achievement behaviors through their effects on the expectations that individuals hold for outcomes in future achievement…

This study investigated how preadolescents and adolescents solve problems involving three temporal dimensions. Specifically examined was the question of whether speed and space information would influence the time judgments of 90 subjects 9, 12, and 15 years of age who solved 16 word problems describing the displacements of two cars. The problems…

The ways in which students in grades five and six solve problems is the focus of this paper, which provides background for the staff of the Skills Essential to Learning Television Project, (a multi-level series of video and print resources for classroom use). It considers the problem-solving process categories of understanding, transformation, and…

Examines the findings of 53 studies of sex differences in propositional logic, combinatorial reasoning, and proportional reasoning tasks. Finds sex differences for the latter two tasks to be vulnerable to Rosenthal's "file drawer" problem and effect size to be small for all tasks. Discusses possible explanations for sex differences in…

Interviewed elementary school children in 1969 and conducted a follow-up interview in 1978 using the same children, who were now out of high school, to determine the stability of self-concept over a decade. Used sex, race, and residence as independent variables. Results showed youth undergo minimal changes in self-concept during this age span. (BH)

Determined if intelligence quotient mean test scores of middle school students could be increased through the use of money and praise. Results indicated lower class performance increased with monetary reward, whites' performance increased with verbal praise, and white females' and middle class males' performance increased with monetary reward…

Physical educators must teach preadolescents about safe and realistic strength-training methods commensurate with their needs and physical capabilities. The risk of injuries can be reduced by setting prudent goals, using equipment tailored to the age level, and educating students about their unique growth state. (PP)

Risk factors for early adolescents' (700 between the ages of 10 to 13) delinquency were compared between groups of children high and low in childhood adversities. The samples represented young people from the two former Germanies (200 from former East and 500 from West Germany) who were interviewed in person. Additional information was gathered…

This workbook provides activities and ideas for children who are suffering the loss of a family member or friend through suicide. Each section contains activities to help them understand and cope with the loss. Displayed throughout are the words, drawings, and suggestions of children who have also suffered through this tragedy. Some of the…

Through interviews and participation with 20 preadolescent African American boys from 1 urban elementary school in school and during leisure activities, the researcher explored what "getting into trouble" meant to the boys themselves, and what it meant to the teachers, principals, truant officers, and relatives of these children. Taken…