Demographic information indicates that 6% of the general population is hard of hearing or deaf; however, deaf people are significantly underrepresented in drug and alcohol treatment on any given day. Deaf people are a minority whose primary language is American Sign Language (ASL), and information about substance abuse is not easily represented in…

Two national surveys, one of youth ages 12 to 19 and the other of adults over age 19 years, examined attitudes toward teen pregnancy. Respondents express more cautious attitudes toward early and casual sex than is generally believed, and large majorities of both groups support a strong abstinence message for teens coupled with information about…

Students who are the target of bullying episodes commonly suffer serious, long-term academic, physical, and emotional consequences. Unfortunately, school personnel often minimize, underestimate, tolerate, or ignore the extent of bullying and the harm it can cause. This digest examines the problem of bullying and some of its effects, and discusses…

Current educational reform initiatives could be strengthened by more actively involving students in teaching younger students with the collaboration of teachers and other adults. This handbook for teachers, students, and parents provides information about training and providing opportunities for students to tutor younger students. The book shows…

A study of students' group learning behavior in a laboratory course in experimental engineering at the University of New South Wales, Australia is reported. Observations of students at work and students' reports of their group activities indicate continuing group involvement in an extensive range of collaborative peer learning activities.…

Evaluated the effects of incarceration period on the educational achievement of 61 juvenile delinquents. Students in a residential institution were studied, using the Metropolitan Achievement Test. Results indicated that students' educational achievements varied according to whether they were in the beginning, middle, or end phase of…

Delineates Sigmund Freud's theories of symbolic relations, Jean Piaget's theories of cognitive development, and Eric Erickson's concept of identity crisis to analyze and explain the characteristics and phenomena of adolescent development. Suggests roles and tasks for teachers and parents in promoting healthy development. (WL)

Defines problem drinking and alcoholism, and differentiates normal drinking escapes from alcohol abuse by teenagers and other youths. Suggests teenagers consume alcohol for a myriad of reasons and this behavior often leads to alcohol dependence which can cause interference in normal relationships with others. (Author)

Investigated the influence of methodological variables on the performance of older adults. Contrary to expectation, communication performances with non-peers required less time and fewer utterances than with peers. The more distracting home setting required more attention cues to maintain partner attention than the laboratory setting. (Author/JAC)

Examined effects of cooperation on role taking and moral reasoning in 120 fifth-grade students. Classrooms using cooperative peer-initiated group learning were compared with other innovative and more traditional teacher-centered methods. Role taking was found to be enhanced by cooperative interdependence, but moral reasoning level was not…

A study of high school students produced information on their age at learning about sex-related topics, and the source and accuracy of their knowledge. Peers were cited most often as the source of information. Many sexual concepts were acquired by the age of eleven, and the overall accuracy was 78.7 percent. (FG)

Observers recorded the sex-typed activities of 49 children during free-play sessions in nursery school and kindergarten. Reinforcing and punishing responses of peers and teachers were also recorded. Among the results, children reinforced one another primarily for gender-appropriate activities. Most reinforcements and punishments were received from…

Results indicate equivalent levels of patient performance when contingent reinforcement in a residential token economy program was controlled by either patient peer groups or staff. Patients in a peer-managed program showed positive ward behavior, reductions in psychosocial problems, and increase in potential for adjusting to community life.…

Data from a survey of high school and college students, designed to measure the relative influence of peers, family, and the media on perceptions about sex, suggest quite strongly that peers and the mass media are powerful agents in the acquisition of sexual information by young people. (GT)

Proximity of dormitory peers, involvement in informal social activities, and lack of commitment to religious and academic values were independently related to drinking and drinking onset. Formal involvement in college activities and psychological stress had no independent effect. (CP)