Research contrasting special class placement, partial mainstreaming, and complete mainstreaming of students with mild academic handicaps is critically reviewed. Also reviewed is recent research on programs designed to improve the outcomes of mainstreaming, particularly programs directed at diminishing the rejection of students with mild academic…

Reviews recent literature which has investigated the interaction between learning disabled adolescents' self-concept and academic, peer family, and community systems. A unique behavioral pattern of emotional disturbance may result from continuous, negative self-concept experiences. In the family and/or community, however, these students can be…

Evaluates the effectiveness of social skills training methods specifically designed to enhance children's peer relationships. Discusses "coaching" methods on the basis of a small scale survey of social skills training procedures in use at social service agencies, guidance centers, hospitals, and clinical settings. (Author/AOS)

Argues that establishing the purpose of observed inappropriate social behavior could help in understanding reciprocal relationships. Suggests inappropriate behavior can occur because an unpopular child adopts an interpersonal strategy to cope with rejection. Studies show that differential deficiencies in social skills are associated with the type…

The competitive structure in which most children are taught to play is responsible for problems associated with stress. Athletic performance is important in how the child is perceived by peers and adults. Children who perceive themselves as inadequate at sports often feel low self-confidence and low self-esteem. (JN)

Investigation of determinants of 143 intermediate grade children's attitudes and behavioral intentions toward peers with physical disabilities found that the children's own attitudes toward inclusion of peers was the strongest predictor of behavioral intentions, though attitudes of teachers, principals, and parents were also significant…

Four types of peer victimizations (physical, direct verbal, indirect verbal, and general) were assessed using a sample of 200 kindergartners. Peer victimization was reported by a large percentage of children, with female and males being equally at risk. Victimized children were compared to nonvictimized children on several social and academic…

Studied self- and other-reported characteristics of 1,700 fifth through tenth graders varying in their use of coercive (aggression) and prosocial (cooperative) strategies of resource control. Found that children using both control strategies, labeled Machiavellians, possessed positive and negative characteristics and were socially central, liked…

A study of depression in Afro-Latino adolescents used national longitudinal data on over 12,000 secondary students in 134 schools, with oversamples of Black, Chinese, Cuban, and Puerto Rican adolescents. All groups of adolescent females, especially Afro-Latino females, showed higher levels of depression than adolescent males, and older adolescents…

A study examined young Mexican Americans' perspectives concerning their own ethnicity. Observations and focus groups with 30 Mexican American youths from a Southwest barrio indicate that respondents used racial terms to understand acculturation differences. Intense negative feelings were expressed about less- acculturated, Spanish-speaking…

A study of acculturative stress in children who served as language brokers surveyed 36 bilingual Latino fifth graders from a Southern California elementary school. The least acculturated children reported higher frequencies of language brokering and greater discomfort in doing so. High levels of acculturative stress were associated with increased…

Presents a response to Gifford-Smith and Brownell's "Childhood Peer Relationships: Social Acceptance, Friendships, and Peer Networks" (this issue). Suggests that an ecological/developmental perspective of the development of peer relationships, the contextualization of knowledge, and the utilization of action research as essential to the future of…

A review of 32 studies that compared social competence of children with learning disabilities and typical children in inclusive classrooms found children with learning disabilities and low-achieving children were at a greater risk for social difficulties than were average-to-high-achieving children and did not have accurate self-perceptions of…

A study examined perceptions of 26 teachers, including 13 special educators, of the Peer Buddy Programs implemented in a Nashville school district. Teachers reported positive relationships between buddies and their partners with disabilities and enhanced personal growth for students with disabilities. The majority agreed buddies assisted in a…

Used path analytic techniques to analyze differential social control theory as predictor of drug use among fifth-eighth grade students (N=860). Found that peer non-use expectations had largest effect on drug use and were directly influenced by parental, peer, and school attachments. (Author/CM)