The purpose of this ethnographic study was to examine friendships of early adolescents in a culturally diverse fifth grade class in an urban elementary school in the southeastern United States. The study described and interpreted the experiences of being a friend and having a friend in a culturally diverse classroom. The approach was grounded in…

One goal of a longitudinal study of stepfamilies, divorced maternal custody families, and nondivorced families was to assess the quality and functioning of the sibling relationship and to determine the conditions under which sibling relationships become more cohesive or more competitive during family transitions. Relationships between the target…

One goal of a longitudinal study of stepfamilies, divorced maternal custody families, and nondivorced families was to assess the response of children to the experiences associated with stepfamily formation and to identify factors that may buffer children against adverse life experiences or make them more vulnerable to negative outcomes. Children's…

A review of literature on the incidence and nature of injuries to young athletes is presented on the topics of: (1) physiological characteristics of preadolescents, adolescents, and young adults; (2) musculo-skeletal changes in the growing athlete; (3) epiphyseal injuries and their potential for resulting in temporary or permanent impairment; (4)…

This study examined whether preadolescents (fifth and sixth graders) perceived the same effects of parents' job stress as suggested by parent reports. Participating were 53 dual-earner families and 28 single-mother families in which all parents were employed at least part-time. Families were mostly European-American, middle-class, highly educated;…

Two studies examining the role of present and possible (future) academic selves are presented. In the first study, the relations between present and future selves, and changes in grade point average between the sixth and seventh grades, were examined. Results indicated that positive present and future academic self-concepts were related to…

Self-esteem has been defined as the "totality of the individual's thoughts and feelings having reference to himself as an object." Self-concept has been defined as the descriptive and evaluative beliefs that a person holds about multidimensional characteristics of the self. As children progress through primary school, general…

This study examined the effects of different types of cooperative learning environments on low, average, and high ability students' perceptions of the middle school science classroom environment. Subjects were 15 teachers and 1,185 students from the sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grades of two middle schools. Data were gathered from a variety of…

This study examined background factors in children that influence teachers' ratings on the Classroom Adjustment Rating Scale (CARS). Sixteen classrooms in five schools were selected to include a range of socio-economic and cultural groupings from Inner London, England Primary Schools. Teachers used the CARS and an additional short scale of overall…

Adolescent determination of behavior can be viewed as the result of perceived locus of control. To investigate adolescent perceptions of control in terms of age, loci of control (internal or external), situations (community and home), and direction of control (from or over the environment), 909 adolescents (345 males, 564 females), aged 11-19,…

This study assessed the effectiveness of a 6-week school-based intervention program for children of divorce. Children's school behavior problems, attitudes and beliefs about divorce, self-concept, academic performance, and measures of group support were evaluated. Participants consisted of 127 fourth and fifth graders randomly assigned to…

A longitudinal study of stepfamilies, divorced maternal custody families, and nondivorced families was conducted to assess the competence of mothers in different family structures, examine stepfather-stepchild relationships compared to relationships between nondivorced biological fathers and their children, see how relationships changed over time…

A key determinant of the persistence of preadult's political predispositions is the strength of the residues of preadult political socialization. Neither the strength of those residues, nor the impact of major socialization experiences on attitude strength, has been examined closely in the past. Political socialization proceeds through a series of…

Theory and research on the development and maintenance of depression have emphasized both cognitive and interpersonal processes. One potential integration of interpersonal and cognitive models of depression is offered by symbolic interactionism, which argues that the self-concept is derived from our perception of how significant others view us.…

This study examined the occupational perspectives and preferences of 178 students (ages 9-14 ) from three urban schools; one in a high socioeconomic area; the second in a lower socioeconomic stratum with parents in white and blue collar jobs; and the third in a low-income industrial area where most parents lived in subsidized low-income housing…