A teacher recounts how she dealt with a new student who was prone to tears and her peers who liked to evoke them. After discovering that the child had family problems, the teacher selected a group of peers to befriend her. (CB)

Social support systems within academia, particularly those of mentor and colleague, are examined. Although both relationships are valued by academics, there is lack of consensus as to the characteristics and purposes of each. The mentor relationship can be defined as maintaining clear social and intellectual status differences. The value of this…

Reflects on the uniqueness of junior high/middle (JH/MS) school students, including their romantic rituals and fashion conformity, and offers these characteristics as reasons both for and against teaching JH/MS. (SRT)

Examines the effect of athletic-related activities on peer-group culture of students at a predominantly working-class middle school. Reports that certain extracurricular activities influence the male and female cultures of early adolescents by promoting specific values which are incorporated into the informal peer-culture of the school.…

This paper presents a flowsheet model describing the interpersonal process of adolescent identity formation in relation to peers and peer groups within a social-psychological context. The model describes a primary route, a secondary route, and a vicious circle as pathways toward identity formation in relation to peers and peer groups. In the…