Children's behavior and sociometric status were rated in kindergarten and first grade. Mothers provided data on family ecology. Rejected children were more likely to come from low-SES families in which restrictive discipline was used, and were more aggressive and less academically skilled than accepted children. Children whose SES improved across…

Describes the implementation and supports the effectiveness of a cognitive-behavioral group counseling game, the Social Skills Game (Berg, 1989) in enhancing social skills, as measured by the Walker-McConnell Scale of Social Competence and School Adjustment, of third- to sixth-grade children with learning disabilities. (LKS)

A sociometric rating scale and a measure of social problem-solving skills were administered to 61 Chinese kindergartners. In comparison to Canadian children examined in an earlier study, Chinese children were less accepting of each other, less prosocial, and more authority oriented in social problem solving. (BC)

Studied the relationship between academic performance and socially responsible behavior, sociometric status, goal setting, interpersonal trust, and problem solving in a sample of 423 sixth and seventh graders. Found that each aspect of social competence was related to students' grades. (BC)

Four third grade students with learning disabilities, poor interpersonal skills, and low self-esteem participated in weekly individualized social skills training. After five weeks, all students showed improvements in peer acceptance and social and general self-esteem, whereas two to three students showed improved attention and academic…

Studied whether co-parenting and family-group process influence early social competence. Found indirect pathways linking low levels of support and mutuality in the co-parenting relationship to problematic peer relationships, and direct pathways linking the family's affective climate to positive peer behavior. Discovered that effects were strongest…

Examined relationship between child behavior and peer preference from the person-group similarity and the social-skill models with 2,895 first graders. Found support for both predictive models, with the acceptability aggression and withdrawal varying across classrooms and the effects of inattentive/hyperactive behavior and prosocial behavior…

Explored the relation between measures of emotional competence, behavioral regulation, and general social competence and African American preschoolers' peer acceptance and popularity. Found that gender, emotional knowledge, emotion regulation, and themes of violence in response to hypothetical situations of interpersonal conflict were strongly…

This study examined relations between children's humor, behavioral characteristics, acceptance by peers in kindergarten and primary school, and self-perceptions. Subjects were 35 kindergarten, 88 fourth grade, and 95 eighth grade Norwegian children. For all students, assessments included sociometric ratings of classmates, teacher assessments of…

This study examined the aggressive behaviors of children through peer ratings to teacher ratings of problem behaviors and social skills and peer ratings of friendship. Peer data are valid measures and may be more accurate than teacher or self measures because peers are more likely to be present when aggression occurs. This study examines a peer…

The study examined teacher and peer assessment of 34 mainstreamed educable mentally retarded (EMR) children in grades 3 through 6 in nine public schools in central Illinois. A comparison sample of 34 nonretarded Ss was matched to the EMR Ss on sex, race, and grade level. Children in each S's regular classroom were asked to rate on a five-point…

The purpose of this study was to see if a social learning method for training verbal social skills might influence the social effectiveness of third grade children with low peer acceptance. Children were trained in three verbal skills: asking questions of peers; leading peers (e.g., offering useful suggestions or directions); and, offering…

This manual describes the buddy skills training program, which provides teachers with a set of tested strategies designed to facilitate interactions and support the development of friendships between preschoolers with and without disabilities. The training procedures are philosophically based on social exchange theory. To support the concept of…

This study used microethnographic techniques to analyze the communication strategies used by a hearing-impaired preschool child to access social interactions. Strategies tended to be similar to those of his peer subgroup, though nonverbal strategies prevailed. Teachers promoted the child's verbal request "Can I play," but it was unsuccessful in…

Three studies examined preadolescents for the relation between perceived deviance and negative peer reactions. In the first study, perceived deviance was related to social rejection. In the second and third studies, children's perceptions of responsibility for deviance predicted interpersonal affect and the degree to which the deviant person was…