Studied high school students' (N=31) perceptions of significant adults as well as possible relationships between facets of alienation. Results showed parents were the adults most frequently named as significant. Teachers were not often chosen. There were no differences in adult relationship patterns between alienated and nonalienated students.…

Studied the role of social networks and protective agents in developing social capital among children of color, examining how children wrote a narrative of resistance within contradictory cultural norms. Investigated social dynamics behind discipline statistics provided by referrals issued to middle school students when expelled from class and…

This study examined the personal networks and social supports of 316 blind and visually impaired youth, ages 14-23, in the Netherlands. The average participant had a personal network of 15 people (compared to 15-20 for sighted adolescents.) The oldest adolescents had the largest networks and blind adolescents had the smallest. For all adolescents,…

A study examined self perceptions of eight persons with mental retardation on the adequacy of their social support systems. Suburban participants had more informal sources of support and utilized informal supports more frequently than rural subjects. Suburbanites also had a higher self-perception of the adequacy of their social support systems.…

Describes New York City initiatives for parent participation in education, including the Parent Involvement Program (PIP), the Parent Orientation Program (POP), and the Parent Leadership Assistance Network (PLAN). These programs incorporate commitment to the family, broadened definitions of parent involvement, varied involvement strategies, and…

A survey of 150 elderly people with disabilities in Hong Kong found that a high proportion was living alone in the community with only minimal networks for emotional support. Effective measures to promote family care of disabled elderly people and approaches to integrating the formal and informal care sectors are discussed. (DB)

Examines the development of employment networks among undocumented Mexican migrants in Chicago (Illinois). The ethnographic study of about 100 immigrants indicates that kinship networks have lost importance for migrants seeking employment in Chicago. Presumptive causes for these changes and consequences for the average migrant are discussed. (SLD)

Demonstrates ways that a classroom teacher can get a distorted picture of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students and their resources and how viewing literacy in a social context illustrates the way relationships are negotiated. Suggestions are made for teachers to create ESL classrooms where the role of literacy in students' lives can be…

Ethnographic data from a black middle-class Chicago neighborhood indicate that dense social networks fostered by residential stability facilitate informal supervision of neighborhood youth and enhance formal crime-prevention activities. Nevertheless, inclusion of gang members and drug dealers in networks of law-abiding kin and neighbors thwarts…

Considers educational challenges and opportunities for universities offered by sociotechnical networks, such as the Internet. Uses the case of a course on globalization to outline some practical possibilities for using the Internet to facilitate critical thinking. Suggests that geography educators need to develop a technoliteracy that…

Exploration, in three elementary classes, of the social affiliations of students who were either academically gifted or had learning or emotional/behavioral difficulties found students formed distinct peer clusters around shared characteristics, particular social characteristics were associated with students' level of centrality in the classroom,…

Studied the social networks and daily activities of children and adolescents living or working on the streets of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Found that youngsters who lived at home and worked on the street appeared to be experiencing orderly development despite their impoverished circumstances. Youngsters who lived on the streets, however, showed…

Examines the origins of the British Federation of Women Graduates (BFUW) in the context of feminist concerns with women's positions in the universities in the early 1900s. Depicts the difficulties faced by the organization during their first 30 years. In 1990 the BFUW became the British Federation of Women Graduates. (MJP)

Hypothesized battered women (compared with nonbattered women) use more violence, receive lower levels of social support, and experience higher levels of self-blame. Also hypothesized these three variables are interrelated. Research results supported all the major hypotheses and revealed female-to-male violence in battered women is negatively…

An exploratory study examined the characteristics and attitudes of 78 West Virginia women, age 25 and older, who enrolled in a state college after an absence from schooling. The women were embedded in traditional Appalachian networks of family, church, and community but demonstrated quite liberal social attitudes toward women's roles, abortion,…