Profiles the career and contributions of Abraham Flexner, a U.S. progressive turned conservative under the influence of German higher education. Fascinated by the high standards of teaching and research at German universities, especially in the medical facilities, Flexner became a pioneer in transatlantic comparative educational studies. (MJP)

Presents a biographical profile of Heinrich Roth, a psychologist and educator who had served in the Wehrmacht's political warfare division. Roth later experienced a spiritual and professional rebirth becoming completely immersed in U.S. educational theory. He devoted the rest of his life to developing a democratically-oriented theory of learning…

Presents a theoretical framework suggesting ways to design peer intervention programs and group existing programs. Suggests criteria for effective racial awareness programs, discussing examples of successful college prejudice activities. Notes diversity education efforts are most successful when based on a theoretical model that recognizes the…

Current thinking of researchers from different disciplines about interaction among students in educational settings and the potential of peer interaction for learning and cognitive development is discussed. Topics of the eight papers presented include: potential outcomes of peer interaction, its nature, peer learning settings, and factors shaping…

Two Oakland University (Michigan) peer support programs have helped improve faculty performance in scholarship, teaching, and service by helping faculty cope with professional demands. One group orients the faculty member to the campus community and department and aids him/her in progress toward tenure and promotion. The second promotes…

Determinants of alcohol, cigarette, marijuana, and/or crack use were assessed in 2,078 fourth graders and 1,082 fifth graders (predominantly African-American urban). Patterns suggest that peer behaviors and attitudes are more influential for socially censored behaviors than for more socially approved behaviors. Perception of friends' behaviors is…

Studies student attitudes and teacher influence on educational outcomes among 137 undergraduates attending the University of California at Los Angeles. The existence of a grade-point-average perspective (emphasis on good grades over critical and analytical learning) is confirmed, and the influence of teachers on this perspective and educational…

Reviews peer-led substance-abuse prevention programs for middle school youth to determine whether they are efficacious in minimizing substance use. A meta-analysis of 120 studies examined program features and effectiveness. Results indicated that interactive peer interventions for middle school students were statistically superior to…

Reviews literature and discusses results of two national surveys to identify factors influencing participation of women and minorities in science and engineering. Notions of self-concept/self-efficacy, peer influence, and goal commitment, which can be traced to early socialization experiences, may account for most participation disparities by race…

Examined the importance of students' academic performance levels and extracurricular activities as predictors of drug involvement relative to peer influence. Data were obtained from 2,229 randomly selected students in the 8th, 10th, and 12th grades from school districts in northeastern Ohio. At all grade levels, involvement in extracurricular…

This study investigated prospective risk factors for increases in body dissatisfaction in adolescent girls and boys in the Eating Among Teens Project. At the time of first assessment (Time 1), participants were a cohort of early adolescent girls (N = 440) and boys (N = 366) and a cohort of middle adolescent girls (N = 946) and boys (N = 764).…

This study focuses on the prediction of self-initiated bullying from family, school, personality, and shame management variables. Reintegrative shaming theory provided a theoretical framework for data gathered from students (n = 1,401) and their parents (n = 978). To test the importance of shame management in relation to bullying, the MOSS-SASD…

This article presents the first results of an investigation in a scholastic context aimed a determining the conditions that favour the acquisition of knowledge in biology within interactions in groups of 4 pupils. There were three work sessions in small groups, and some sessions in class groups. The pupils' conceptions were assessed at the…

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the impact of the Going Places Program and mediation of treatment effects. Seven middle schools were randomized to intervention or comparison conditions and students (n = 1,320) in two successive cohorts provided five waves of data from sixth through eighth grade. The Going Places Program included classroom…

Past research on academic achievement has tended to overlook the diversity among Asian American groups and the educational and socioeconomic difficulties that many Asians, particularly Southeast Asians, face. The present study addressed several shortcomings of past research by contrasting parent attachment and discipline, peer delinquency, and…