One of the most important tasks of childhood is to develop and maintain socially competent relationships with peers. Some children are easily accepted and liked by their peers, while other children experience problems in their relationship with peers and are rejected by the peer group. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the factors…

Although current research has not shown prevailing effects of the preschool experience on overall achievement scores, it does indicate a positive effect on language related skills, particularly for males. This study examined the relationship between language related achievement test scores between those first graders with preschool experience and…

The use of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) for predicting academic success has generated tremendous debate about fairness and bias. Despite discrepant observations and arguments, the need for a credible assessment formula remains strong. Although widely used by a large number of American colleges, the SAT and similar tests are not widely used…

Perceived norms are important mediators of social behavior. Social perception, however, is often biased or inaccurate. Recent research has shown that college students overestimate normative drinking rates. This study examined whether this trend continues over time and if students' perceptions of normative drinking are predictive of personal…

This study examined parental influence on children's cognitive skills by investigating characteristics of parent-child interaction in two tasks that required strategic activity and within which instruction in metacognition could occur. Subjects were 60 third and fourth grade girls and their mothers, who were divided into 2 experimental groups and…

This study examined differences between the positive mother-infant interactions of adolescents and those of young adult mothers, both before and after controlling for socioeconomic status (SES) and educational level. The study also investigated factors related to adolescents' early and later maternal-infant interaction patterns. Subjects were 100…

This paper presents results of a preliminary study which evaluated medical birth data as potential predictors of developmental outcome, and developed and tested an instrument designed for this purpose. Forty low birthweight children, all of whom had experienced neonatal intraventricular hemorrhage, were evaluated at school age (66 months) on the…

This study investigated selected attitudinal and demographic factors, involvement, and philanthropic awareness of alumni donors and non-donors from a Research I, public university. A random sample of 500 alumni (250 donors and 250 non-donors) was selected from a population of 37,691, resulting in 371 (74 percent) usable surveys. Discriminant…

This study examined the relationship between the security of children's attachment relationships to parents and teachers and how children negotiate and manage conflicts. Sixty-six preschool-aged children participated in story completion tasks regarding their attachment relationship with parents and teachers, and in hypothetical situations…

This study used system-wide student satisfaction data from the 14-university Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (SSHE) to develop a model for predicting student retention, to identify individual students who could be retained with appropriate intervention, and to target factors which may be useful in the intervention process. A student…

This study examined the relationships among parent psychological well-being, parents' perceptions of their children's social competence, and reported use of authoritative parenting strategies during the kindergarten year. Parents of 179 kindergarten children in a small Midwestern U.S. city who were also involved in a Head Start Transition Study…

A questionnaire was administered to 167 preservice elementary education undergraduates. The questionnaire was designed to assess the relatedness of personological variables to the expected use of computers in teaching by preservice student teachers. The data collected comprise the baseline for a 5-year longitudinal study that is to be conducted…

Forty-two pairs of experienced and novice teachers predicted the rank order of their pupils' scores on the reading and mathematics portions of the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS). The pool of novice teachers were first semester students in the Arizona State University Professional Teacher Preparation Program (PTPP). The experienced teachers in…

A survey of school media centers in Minnesota elementary and secondary schools was undertaken to determine the extent of the progress they have made towards meeting the Information Power guidelines for automation. Two hundred schools were selected to receive an eight-page questionnaire, and 57% responded. The results show that Minnesota library…

To identify a set of predictor variables for student grades in a first-quarter English course, a study was undertaken of students' reading and language scores on the Career Planning Program (CPP) and the Multiple Assessment and Program Services (MAPS) placement tests. In addition, the relationship was examined between the first-quarter English…