An exception to most observational studies examining sex differences is Ladd's (1983) study of popular, average, and rejected children, which reported sex differences within as well as across groups. Like Ladd's research, the present study looks at sex differences within and across subsamples of boys and girls, comparing the playground behavior of…

Children's relationships with their peers become more intimate as they grow older, with girls tending to experience intimacy in their friendships at an earlier age than their male counterparts. The size, friendship composition, and activity of elementary school children's play groups were recorded in an attempt to identify probable environmental…

This paper identifies issues confronting early childhood educators who want to integrate young children with special needs with other children, and the implications of such integration for the design of outdoor play settings. The main thesis of the paper focuses on the ambiguity involved when developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood…