Through the longitudinal study of families over two decades in Chiapas, Mexico, this chapter relates historical changes on the macro level to changes in human development and socialization on the micro level. (Author)

Examined the context of class activities and teacher/child interaction in 10 preschool centers in Bahrain. Found that children at educationally-oriented centers played more at cognitively challenging tasks and engaged in more dialog with others than counterparts at care-oriented centers. In general, children were more likely to engage in…

Research, while limited, finds that service learning positively affects participants as to social development, academic achievement, civic awareness, and career exploration. High-quality programs maximize student outcomes. The difference between service learning and community service is linkage to standards and specific curriculum content. Key…

Discusses the overwhelmingly positive evidence from experience and research which suggests that a multiage environment can be superior to one of age-segregated class levels. Illuminates the logic of educating students in mixed-age groups (called multiage) by discussing the academic and social advantages, the affective benefits, and the positive…

A study assessed the unique contribution of teacher-child and parent-child relationships to the prediction of early childhood school outcomes in a high-risk sample of 55 four-year olds. Results suggest that qualities of mother-child interaction are more strongly related to preschool and kindergarten adjustment outcomes than are the qualities of…

Examined the relevancy of group social functioning to individual social, academic, and psychological adjustment in China. Found that social functioning--including sociability, aggression, and shyness-inhibition--of group peers had unique contributions to individual social and school adjustment and adjustment problems, and that contributions of…

Tested a model linking parental formal religiosity to early adolescents' academic competence and socioemotional adjustment. Found that greater parental religiosity led to more cohesive family relationships, less interparental conflict, and fewer externalizing and internalizing problems in adolescents. Found that religiosity indirectly influenced…

Recommends using examples from sports and exercise pathology in the undergraduate psychology curriculum. Sports and exercise issues enjoy popularity among many undergraduates and contain many examples applicable to general psychology courses and psychological research. Discusses sports and exercise topics illustrating concepts from developmental…

Five years of research on collaborative practices have led the Center on Families, Communities, Schools, and Children's Learning to formulate 10 policy recommendations for a comprehensive program of school, family, and community partnerships to improve the academic achievement and social success of all students. (SLD)

Zero-tolerance policies, security systems, peer mediation, and other "supervisory" violence-prevention measures ignore the classroom's potential for forming or modifying student behavior. When properly trained in cooperative-learning methodology, teachers can reinforce positive social behaviors and encourage tolerant attitudes on a daily…

Discusses evidence that social understanding informs word learning in infants. Asks: (1) Is genuine social understanding necessary for word learning?; (2) Are social clues criterial for infants' learning?; (3) Can word learning proceed without aid of social understanding?; and (4) Is social clue processing too difficult for everyday word learning?…

Examined spontaneous daily family interactions in Taiwan for events of children's shame. Found that shame events occur in multiple episodes of the child's transgression and, in half the cases, some authority was evoked to judge the child's behavior but family members were always present and ready to share the child's transgression and shame.…

This article comments on two studies (EC 629 876) that investigated the validity of a set of 15 general growth outcomes (GGOs) for identifying young children with disabilities. It discusses concerns relating to whether the research is sufficiently meritorious to result in a valid measure of growth outcomes suitable for national use. (Contains 4…

This response to comments on two studies (EC 629 876) that investigated the validity of a set of 15 general growth outcomes (GGOs) for identifying young children with disabilities, discusses the GGOs as a way for educators to provide a quick effective reading of a child's status and growth within a developmental area. (Contains 8 references.) (CR)

All school professionals working with children and adolescents deal with social skills issues. Even if not the primary issue or goal, teachers, counselors, school psychologists, other specialists such as nurses, speech and language therapists, etc., and some administrators make informal assessments of their students' ability to successfully…