Describes the development of the Adaptive/Maladaptive Perfectionism Scale (AMPS) for children. Expert reviewers and samples of 4th- and 5th-grade students were used to develop items and evaluate the internal structure and reliability of scores for the resulting instrument. Results supported 4 dimensions of perfectionism that could be reliably…

A national survey of 806 children, aged 8-13, revealed children's attitudes regarding television viewing, college plans, career choices, spending habits and wishes, favorite books, people they admire, things that make them angry or happy, things they are afraid of, disliked foods, and interesting things about school. (CB)

The Freedom from Distractability Index (FFD) on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children- Third Edition (WISC-III) is an index score comprised of the sum of the scores on the Arithmetic and Digit Span subsets. Although the FFD is often interpreted as a measure of attention and concentration, there are a number of other possible explanations…

Examines whether grieving children tend to recall dreaming more frequently than nongrieving children. Results reveal that grieving children do tend to recall dreams more frequently and appear to be more aware of their dream worlds. Suggests that counselors interested in creatively assisting clients through the grieving process might utilize this…

Investigates the factor structure of five self-concept scales from a hierarchical, multidimensional theoretical model. The scales were administered to 221 students in grades 5 through 8. Each scale yielded strong general factors and six dominant factors that coincide with the proposed theoretical model, which reflects social, affect, competence,…

Examines relationships between family environment, discrepancies between the "actual" and the "desirable" environment, and children's test and trait anxiety. Main findings reveal that children's levels of anxiety were negatively correlated with dimensions of family environment and positively correlated with discrepancy between…

Critically examines methodology used by Vincenzi (1987) in study reporting association between childhood depression and reading ability. Asserts that methodology does not support such a conclusion. Extends examination to the general literature on depression and cognitive impairment and argues that a clear association has yet to be demonstrated.…

Examines the response of children in the Golan Heights to the ambiguous situation during the continuing peace talks between Israel and Syria concerning a possible evacuation of the region's settlers. Results suggest that social support, defensiveness, religion, and living in smaller settlements predicted better coping, whereas less social support…

An overview of the literature on childhood depression precedes results of a study of 192 regular class students (grades 4-6) in Alberta, Canada, in which diagnostic measures were used to predict aspects of depression. Among findings were that self-esteem and family stability variables significantly predict depression in children. (Author/JW)

A middle school physical education program should meet the unique needs of "transescent" students. If the middle school physical education program is to achieve its potential, then curriculum decisions must become student-based rather than activity-based. (CJ)

Retention, the practice of requiring a child to repeat a particular grade, is often presented as the answer for poor academic or behavioral performance in school. To explore the effectiveness of this approach, the long-term impact of retention is discussed here. The paper focuses on students who were retained in kindergarten and these students'…

This address, based on 10 years of clinical and research experience with immigrant children and their families, discusses the fundamental information that both clinicians and researchers interested in the experiences of immigrant adolescent girls should consider. The various stresses of immigration are detailed, as are the factors that may…

This paper investigates the influence of divorce on middle level students (grades 5 through 8) and how it relates to the students' performance (both academically and emotionally) in school. Also important to the discussion is what teachers should know about working with the children of divorce. The paper includes a review of the literature on…