Studied popularity and aspects of self-esteem between girls evidencing more traditional masculine characteristics and girls with more feminine characteristics. Findings from 166 girls aged 9 to 10 years old reveal girls reporting both traits and behaviors considered traditionally masculine were less popular, had lower self-esteem, and were less…

Assessed Canadian young adolescents' peer relationships as students moved from grade 6 in small elementary schools to middle-level schools offering grades 7 to 12. Found that girls experienced greater instability in reciprocated friendships than boys. Found that girls, more so than boys, lost old friendships and formed new friendships with…

Reports on the results of 2 studies that use a non-Kohlbergian approach to categorizing justifications for moral judgments by Australian subjects from 7 to 15 and from 7 to 21 years. These studies support the view that moral reasoning up to late adolescence is largely a product of socialization. (KO)

The construct validity of 290 preadolescent children's responses to 3 instruments claiming to measure dimensions of self-concept was studied. Instruments administered to the fifth graders include the Self-Description Questionnaire; the Perceived Competence Scale; and the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scales. (SLD)

Offers parents and teachers suggestions on ways to help preadolescents develop positive self-esteem. A case study illustrates students' need for self-esteem. (BB)

Examined how children of different cultural backgrounds weigh competing considerations when presented with conflicts between two concerns: Justice-Authority; Justice-Interpersonal; Personal-Interpersonal; Personal-Authority. For each concern, subjects selected the course of action to be followed and weighed alternatives. Found differences between…

Examined whether sixth graders' adjustment to the school context (assessed by grades, achievement scores, and disruptive behaviors) was affected by factors from both the family context (as represented by the number of divorce-related parenting transitions and perceptions of current family climate) and the peer context (represented by peer norms…

Ninety Latino immigrant children in grades 3-6, many of whom were referred due to aggressive or other problem behaviors, participated for 1 year in a twice-weekly community program that featured judo instruction, tutoring, and parent training. Children improved significantly in academic achievement and behavior. Parents improved significantly in…

This discussion of problems associated with deriving pragmatic norms for older children and adolescents presents a model for analyzing and comparing pragmatic performance across language tasks. The multilevel model involves the interrelationship of situational, discourse, and semantic contexts--knowing what, to whom, when, and how much to say. (DB)

Studied diversity in high-level competence with 122 students identified as academically gifted, in grades 6-8. Results, which contradicted linear, single-scale models of intelligence, supported a three-factor solution: linguistic, logical-mathematical, and social. Specialization and generalization developed in tension with each other, yielding…

Describes a pilot mentoring program that involved 19 college students working with preadolescent and adolescent at-risk Hispanic youth in a Texas border city. The program, which consisted of 10 weekly classes in citizenship awareness and community participation and involvement, focused on dropout prevention and preparation for citizenship. (SLD)

Examined differential treatment of siblings in families with a disabled child and other families. Assessed connections between differential treatment, both children's adjustment, and sibling relationships. Results revealed greater levels of differential treatment in families with disabled children but no context differences in the correlations…

Analysis of a large corpus (80 pairs of speakers) of 7-12 year olds suggests that 2 principles underlie the development of dialogue coordination skills. The seven to eight year olds establish a limited common dialogue lexicon, whereas older speakers show evidence of deep coordination processes aimed at establishing mutual intelligibility of a…

Discusses results of interviews with 11 year olds in a longitudinal study of educational progress. Reports that students were aware of the importance of school work. Describes most students as looking forward to secondary school and the study of more specialized subjects. Reports that children perceived academic success as within their control.…

Three studies examined preadolescents for the relation between perceived deviance and negative peer reactions. In the first study, perceived deviance was related to social rejection. In the second and third studies, children's perceptions of responsibility for deviance predicted interpersonal affect and the degree to which the deviant person was…