An examination of the influence of early bilingualism (German and Italian) on personality, social behavior, perception, and linguistic competence of four- to six-year-old Italian preschoolers (N=65) found no significant differences in social behavior, but some differences in terms of self-confidence, self-control, memory, and oral skills. (CB)

Examination of six one- and two-parent families reveals the following: (1) members of the same family have different perceptions of family experiences, including divorce and its impact on family relationships; (2) single parents seem to become closer to their children than do married parents; and (3) a one-parent two-sibling family differs from a…

Determined whether specific personality characteristics of group leaders predict group members' evaluations of leaders and of the group experience in self-exploration groups. Assessed group leader and group member state anxiety, trait anxiety, and cognitive style. Found significant effects for initial group rating and leader evaluation, and none…

Research that provides a detailed analysis of college instructor expressiveness indicates that it influences student achievement and perceptions of teacher control in the classroom, but not for all students or in all classrooms. This body of research can contribute to development of models for classroom instruction. (MSE)

The fields of information processing, motivation, and metacognition are included in this review of research on student motivation. The multidisciplinary approach is discussed, as are the differences between achievement motivation and intrinsic motivation, and various learning models. (GDC)

Contained in this publication are re-prints of articles which deal with guiding youth and families from risk to resiliency that appeared in the journal, Resiliency in Action. This compilation shares the results of scientific studies showing how people overcome risk, trauma, and adversity. The articles exemplify how the field of psychology is…

This book analyzes the MacArthur Longitudinal Twin Study, a collaborative study by leading developmental scientists and behavioral geneticists on the transition from infancy to early childhood. Part 1 of the book describes the twin method and procedures used and introduces the analytic strategies. Parts 2 through 4 present results related to…

The term "socioeconomic gradient" is often used to describe the relationships between social outcomes and socioeconomic status (SES) for individuals in a specific community. In research on child development the social outcome is typically a measure describing cognitive ability, health, behaviour, social skills, or personality traits.…

A study of resilient at-risk students was commissioned by the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium to identify factors that students believed contributed to their academic success. Sixty-two resilient and academically successful at-risk students from six school divisions took part in in-depth interviews. Factors identified by students were…

This digest briefly describes how educators and schools can foster resiliency in all youth. The starting point for building on students' capacities is the belief by all the adults in their lives, particularly those in their schools, that every youth has innate resilience. All individuals have the power to change, and teachers and schools have the…

The Hogg Foundation for Mental Health created the School of the Future (SoF) project to enable selected Texas schools to coordinate and implement school-based social and health services on their campuses and to demonstrate the effectiveness of this method of service delivery by evaluating the project. This booklet reports on one aspect of the…

This study examined whether or not student, parent, and peer engagement factors that contribute to at-risk students' success in graduating from high school continue to be important in making the transition from high school to postsecondary education. The data set used was the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988, which included 1994 data…

This study compared personality traits of students in five health professions. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator was completed by 1,508 osteopathic students, 654 pharmacy students, 165 physical therapy students, 211 physician assistant students, and 70 occupational therapy students. Comparing the extrovert/introvert dimension revealed that pharmacy…

This study investigated the effects of child behavioral ratings on the Behavioral Assessment System for Children (BASC) assessed for elementary-age students residing in Oklahoma, Los Angeles, and Seoul, Korea. The students completed the BASC Self Report of Personality (SRP) to examine the differences in the self-report ratings of behavioral…

Based on the rural life experiences of Iowa children who grew up during the great farm crisis of the 1980s, this book focuses on successful adolescent development and its links to the social resources of families with ties to the land. In 1989, the Iowa Youth and Families Project began a panel study of 451 two-parent families in north central…