Based on the belief that preadolescence is a highly stressful time of development and a period when people need support from peers to cope with stress, a network analysis was used to examine the social support networks of preadolescents and the behavior of central network members. Subjects, 24 sixth-grade children, completed specially constructed…

This document presents a guide for parents to help them understand and effectively parent their adolescent children. Section I focuses on Parent Haven, a weekly parent support group run by parents, volunteers, and staff of the Family Enhancement Program in Madison, Wisconsin, which provides on-the-job training and support for parents of preteens…

It has been estimated that about 30% of children will spend some time in a stepfamily and that 10% of children will experience two divorces of the custodial parent before they are 16 years of age. While there exists a substantial amount of research on divorce, there is a paucity of studies on remarriage. A longitudinal study was conducted to…

Differences in children's interpersonal perceptions and in their conceptions of behavior disorders in hypothetical peers were investigated in a sample of 34 boys between the ages of 10 and 13. Two groups of subjects were formed: 17 subjects attended special classes for the emotionally handicapped and were classified as exhibiting conduct problems…

A curriculum on family life and human sexuality for Grades 5-9 which attempts to deal with both facts and emotions was developed in the Mount Vernon Public Schools (New York). The raising of self esteem and the development of personal and social skills are focused on throughout. The following topics are covered in 12 separate units: (1) positive…

Focusing on the cooperative role of parents and public libraries in stimulating reading interests in children of all ages, this booklet addresses the following issues: (1) getting children interested in reading (reading aloud to children; encouraging children to read to you; starting a home library; showing children that you enjoy reading;…

The difficulties that younger students experience in understanding concepts related to the use of variables in computer programming are examined through descriptions of two studies: (1) detailed case studies of six highly intelligent children--three fourth graders and three sixth graders--who learned to program in BASIC during 60 hours of…

This monograph describes the Middle Grades Assessment Program (MGAP), presents 11 case studies of schools implementing the program, and offers experience-based suggestions for school improvement. The MGAP provides an approach to school improvement that involves training staff to assess their school on nine criteria, an approach designed for…

This study of motivational differences in the school situation and the development of a sensation-seeking scale of preadolescent children rests upon an interactive psycho-biological theory formulated by Farley (1981). Stimulation-seeking and arousal in relation to instructional features are central concepts. As a point of departure for the…

The literature suggests that children steadily move away from egocentric thought and acquire more effective interpersonal skills as they age, but at puberty a new egocentrism makes self-disclosure difficult. To develop an adequate behavioral measure of self-disclosure, 16 situations were described to children aged 8, 11, and 14 years old, who then…

Cognitive development proceeds through a series of four levels. The first is the single-class level, attained by infants at approximately 1 year of age. At the single-class level, concepts are based on element similarity or convention (for example, images and words for common objects). The second level is the relational level, attained by toddlers…

Piloted Me-ology Drug Prevention Program in Ohio among sixth graders in rural and small town schools. Conducted pre/post tests to measure students' knowledge of decision making processes, alcohol, drugs, and tobacco. Results supported use of program in expanding students' knowledge base. (NB)

Describes the changing social characteristics of early adolescence; provides research finding implications of the effects these changes have on the school climate and academic acheivement and offers suggestions to middle school educators who interact daily with early adolescents. (BB)

Evaluated seven-day program incorporating discussion, dance, and song to bring children and older adults from the community together in sixth-grade unit on aging. Survey of 21 students following the program suggests that students began to perceive older participants in active rather than passive terms and that nature of program became more…

Two groups of boys and their parents were given five divergent thinking tests as one part of a longitudinal investigation on exceptional giftedness in early adolescence. Canonical and bivariate analyses indicated that there was a strong correlation between the adolescents' divergent thinking test scores and their parents' scores. (Author/LMO)