Examines the society of a sixth grade class, which relies on "unofficial literacy" to cope with the social hierarchy and conflicts of home, school, parents, teachers, and friends. Concludes that teachers must be aware of how formal reading and writing skills are transferred into the classroom culture. (MM)

Reports use of social networking to recruit 64 Mexican-American children for an assessment of diet and exercise habits. Describes friendship, social, consanguineal, and coparenthood networks. Compares results of direct contact versus network contact. Discusses implications for recruiting ethnic groups for research. (LFL)

Discusses the influence of external environments on the functioning of families as contexts for child development. Describes studies on the interaction of genetics and environment, on relationships between the family and hospital care, day care, peers, schools, parental employment and support networks, the community, and major transition life…

Research among workers and entrepreneurs in three ethnic groups found that (1) ethnic employees in an enclave environment receive rewards in some ways superior to those available to their counterparts in the secondary sectors, and (2) special linkages exist between ethnic businesses that facilitate the prosperity of these companies in the…

The federal Migrant Education Program aims to minimize the negative effects on migrant children and youth caused by constant mobility and interrupted schooling. A primary activity of the program involves considerable efforts to identify and recruit children eligible for services. However, finding migrant children is not an easy task. This digest…

Executive Link is a group of farm businesses that meet for regular nonformal education and training in several chapters in eastern Australia. Each chapter consists of a number of boards, each made up of around six member farm businesses. The boards provide management advice to their members, who are free to accept or reject that advice. A study of…

Rural communities with populations of under 15,000 are the least resilient to negative economic shocks, but local initiatives can reduce the negative impact of rapid economic change. Data from a study of three rural Australian communities and one "community-of-common-purpose" were used to develop a model of how the informal learning…

A case study in a rural Australian township attempted to determine indicators verifying the existence of social capital. Social capital is provisionally defined as the networks, norms, and trust that constitute the capacity of individuals, workplaces, groups, organizations, and communities to strive for sustainable futures in a changing…

Presented at the National Council on Family Relations Annual Meeting, October, 1981, Milwaukee, WI. The creative response of households to boom-town stress is examined, indicating a significant amount of household-initiated future-oriented community building takes place under stress of rapid growth. (Author/JAC)

Comparison of two matched groups of seven students with severe disabilities (placed in either general education classrooms or special education classes) found that students in the general education placement interacted more frequently with nondisabled peers, provided and received more social support, and had larger networks of peers without…

Social lives of 14 children with emotional and behavioral disorders (E/BD) in segregated elementary school classrooms were compared with 14 typical students in general classrooms. Children with E/BD had little opportunity to engage in integrated school activities and their school social networks were dominated by individuals affiliated with…

Presents a conceptual framework and research model for examining the confluence of factors predictive of child maltreatment. The framework consists of an ecological approach which posits child maltreatment as a function of individual, family, social and cultural factors. Hybrid observational cohort-case/control design is the proposed research…

Intensive rotational grazing by Wisconsin dairy farmers represents a local expression of the sustainable agriculture movement. Contrary to interpretations that view local knowledge in agriculture as idiosyncratic, these graziers use horizontal forms of organizing and information exchange to overcome the limits of personal experience and share…

A study investigated effects of participation in freshman interest groups (FIGs) on students' learning experiences. Data were drawn from observation in 12 classes and 43 interviews with 24 students. Results showed FIGs allowed repeated interaction with a consistent set of peers, formation of a social network, and fostered engagement with course…

Describes the attempts of 247 adolescents, classified into sociometric statuses of popular, neglected, rejected, controversial, and average, to handle stressful events by mobilizing social support. Results suggest that sociometric status does not prevent attempts to mobilize support, but status may affect the amount or type of support that helpers…