Reports results of 2 studies on the relationship between social competence and social-cognitive development in children aged 9 to 12 years. There were reliable age differences in interpersonal negotiation strategies in thought and action. Both measures were associated with behavioral adjustment and social status. (GH)

Presents a study of the effect of differences in reading strategies on the construction of meaning from novel length text. Discusses relevant psychological theory. Hypothesizes effects of differing strategies in reading the book "Animal Farm." Concludes that teacher-directed reading provides a depth of meaning not found when students…

Stability from morning to afternoon and from year to year of 25 kindergarten and first grade teachers was examined for time and frequency of interactions during reading, story reading, and all instruction. Possible reasons for the lesser stability of first grade teachers are discussed. (SLD)

Updates knowledge about the representation of occupations on prime-time network dramatic television using data on 14,902 television characters, and explores how these representations may be related to perceptions of over 3,000 high school students about their future work. Television may be doing young people a disservice in its portrayals. (SLD)

Evaluation of 26 children (ages 24-55 months) with pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) while interacting with either the mother, a familiar female teacher, and an unfamiliar male doctor. PDD subjects were most severely impaired during the mother episode. During the teacher episode, PDD subjects were twice as variable in interpersonal response…

Presents study results comparing attitudes of elementary school students who did or did not attend an in-school opera performance. Explains that students completed questionnaires measuring attitudes toward opera. Reports that fifth- and sixth-grade students experienced a positive effect from attending the opera. Suggests that fourth grade may be a…

A Many-Faceted Rasch Model (FACETS) for measurement of writing ability is described, and its use in solving measurement problems in large-scale assessment is illustrated with a random sample of 1,000 students from Georgia's Eighth Grade Writing Test. It is a promising approach to assessment through written compositions. (SLD)

Discusses positive verbal feedback, or praise, from teachers to students. Presents four purposes for praising students: (1) recognition; (2) encouragement; (3) description; and (4) evaluation. Provides a chart listing criteria for assessing verbal evaluations and a six-item list of suggested readings. (CFR)

An interview method for assessing reading processes was pilot tested to examine reader-text interaction among native-Spanish-speaking fifth graders. Subjects were active participants in the reading situation but were lacking in aspects related to the text's cultural content. The reading interview method is highly recommended for use in…

Evaluates gender differences in the relation between stressful life events and adjustment among elementary school children, using 63 Israeli children and parallel questionnaires from 83 Israeli mothers. Life events are associated among boys, but not girls, with increased anxiety and heightened withdrawal. Other differences are discussed. (SLD)

This article explores the possibility of linking essential skills within elementary content areas to Algozzine and Ysseldyke's model of effective instruction. Specifically, suggestions are offered for using handwriting and art to express ideas and feelings. The suggestions address the teaching principles of motivating students and providing…

A problem-solving strategy for dealing with disruptive student behavior in the college classroom is outlined. It uses a series of questions designed to provide perspective on the problem and aid in generating responses. Steps include clarifying the problem, identifying critical elements, describing context, analyzing emotional and behavioral…

Describes efforts to assess the effectiveness of high school-aged interpreters through the use of a field experiment and measures of audience response. Concludes that youth naturalists were not always as effective in delivering interpretive programs as are adults; however, data suggest that the efficacy of employing youth as interpreters is strong…

Provides an overview of the research concerning students' perceptions of foreign nations. Compares and contrasts the various measurement techniques including the two most commonly used; semantic differential scales and pair comparisons. Suggests methods for alternative analysis and offers recommendations for future research. Includes a sample…

Examines whether negotiation addresses the need of second- language (L2) learners to focus attention on L2 form. The study analyzed the utterances of negotiation produced as 20 English native speaker-nonnative speaker (NS-NNS) dyads engaged in communication tasks. Negotiation assisted the NNS needs for data on features that were possible in the…