Siblings are far more likely to be different than alike in personality and psychopathology. Different genes and different environmental experiences can account for why one sibling becomes mentally ill and another is not affected. Environmental experiences play a much greater role in sibling differentiation than has been previously recognized.…

A study investigated parental perceptions (n=351) of eight physical and human resources available to meet the needs of children with developmental disabilities in Kenya. Most parents reported a match between expected use and importance in five areas: health, friends, religious affiliation, community acceptance, and having one's own home. (Contains…

This commentary on Enrique Gracia's (2003) article, "Social Isolation from Communities and Child Maltreatment: A Cross-Cultural Perspective," discusses the relationship of neighborhood context to child maltreatment. The difficulty of sorting out individual and contextual factors is emphasized, along with the problem of clearly defining the unit of…

Reviews books comprised of papers or chapters written by various authors. The books are (1) "Directors of Development: Influences on the Development of Children's Thinking"; (2) "Best Methods for the Analysis of Change: Recent Advances, Unanswered Questions"; (3) "Family Transitions"; (4) "Parent-Child Relations…

Reviews studies on the risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among homeless adolescents, and makes policy recommendations. Discusses factors affecting delivery of services, social networks and risk acts, and describes intervention programs aimed at homeless youth. Homeless youth are well informed about HIV and responsive to behavior change.…

Examined predictors of cigarette smoking and alcohol use in nationwide sample of 1,200 Icelandic adolescents. Found that use of tobacco and alcohol was related to sex, residence, hours of paid work, physical activities, social network, educational performance and beliefs, and psychological distress. Concludes that existing theoretical perspectives…

We analyzed the role that psychosocial empowerment and social support factors play in the employment status of immigrants who participate in job-readiness programs financed by the European Social Funds and the Welfare Services of Andalusia, a region in the south of Spain. The goal of these programs is to find new ways to improve immigrants'…

One factor that contributes to adolescent positive mental health is active engagement. Engagement is defined as any activity that is initiated to attain an outcome. In general, two forms of activities exist that correspond with engagement: solitary, non-structured, and non-cooperative pursuits, often without adult supervision (e.g., playing video…

Drawing on a research study into the spatiality of teachers' workplaces, this article explores the "concrete realities" of the artefact-filled world with which teachers, support staff and students interact, and considers the way in which networks of people and things order the spaces of the school. Spatiality is examined explicitly in…

A learning community can play an important role in facilitating student learning in a class and this is especially evident for distance learning courses. Creating a learning community that is virtual requires the use of online communication tools such as email, threaded discussion boards, and chat rooms. Many online students also benefit through…

Although the literature on social networks has made a considerable contribution to the sociological imagination in recent years, it has been largely ignored in conventional course materials. Such an omission is curious, considering social networks' intuitive imagery, broad theoretical relevance and extensive empirical application. This article…

The need for strong mentors has received more professional attention since the author first began teaching thirteen years ago. Tied to recent changes in teacher certification in their state, the mentoring component is now an integral part of teacher development and evaluation in her district. But mentoring alone is not enough to ensure continued…

The purpose of this study was to investigate two research questions: What literacy learning did preservice teachers experience through a Penpal Project embedded in an early literacy course? What sense did preservice teachers make of the Penpal Project?--with an overarching focus on bridging literacy theory with practice. Data were gathered in a…

This paper describes the application of a mixed-evaluation method, published elsewhere, to three different learning scenarios. The method defines how to combine social network analysis with qualitative and quantitative analysis in order to study participatory aspects of learning in CSCL contexts. The three case studies include a course-long,…

This research paper describes various aspects of the 12-day July Festival and period of preparation for it in one valley on the island of 'Ua Pou, Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia. This case study is of a well-delineated cultural event which exemplifies many themes presented in "Patterns of Social Interaction and Concepts of…