The author of EC 602 983 comments on his areas of research interest, speculates about the reasons why the social adjustment of kindergartners appears so different from that of older elementary school children, and examines the benefits of providing kindergarten experiences that maximize interactions among bright pupils. (JDD)

Peer relationships play an important role in socialization during childhood and young adolescence. Negative relationships may pose multiple difficulties for children related to their development that can have lifelong influences. Research indicates that the quality of peer relationships is associated with a variety of outcomes, such as social…

The paper examines current research on the social and personal competence of learning disabled (LD) adolescents and young adults, revealing two major lines of inquiry: (1) interpersonal environment (perceptions by others, sociometric status, social behavior deficits, verbal and nonverbal communication skills), and (2) affective status…

A physically disabled adolescent describes how, as a middle school student, he formed a wheelchair club to provide support and a forum for shared experiences among similarly disabled peers. Eventually, club members invited guest speakers and developed several disability awareness programs for their nondisabled classmates and teachers. (JW)

Claims that children's peer relations are significant in their social, cognitive, and moral development, and are correlated to later problems in social adjustment. Includes a brief historical perspective on the subject, and explores direct and indirect influences. Claims that peer relations develop within ecological frameworks, and identifies the…

This paper explores the role of social rejection and peer identification in the development of deaf community, by analyzing interactions through which deaf people are alienated from hearing people and identify with other deaf people. Life history interviews were conducted with 25 graduates of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf. The…

This paper reviews the literature concerned with the effect of various social systems (e.g., the family and the school) on the growth of social competence in the individual child and makes suggestions for further research. The discussion employs the contemporary view of socialization which emphasizes reciprocal causality (i.e., the reciprocal…