This study focuses on children's participation in community and the research question is as follows: "What do children describe as hallmarks influencing their ability to participate in the ECEC community?" The study is based on a qualitative hermeneutic analysis of semi-structured group interviews with 12 five-year-old children from…

High social status youth are often influential in the peer system. Thus, they may serve as agents of cultural socialization if they exhibit characteristics that reflect cultural values (e.g., interdependence). This research examined the behavior that contributes to high social status in the United States and China. At each of 3 waves, 934 early…

Social relationships and peer interactions play an important role in the healthy development of the child, and opportunities for socialization in early childhood present a good opportunity for children to gain the necessary experience and maturity for development of healthy relationships in the future. This study looks at factors associated with,…

This paper asks if Estonian and Chinese tweens' access to pocket money influences their brand valuation, as well as value orientations in the context of perceived peer popularity and personal well-being. Surveys conducted in autumns 2006 (China n = 188) and 2007 (Estonia n = 111) show an inherent cultural resistance among tweens in both countries…

We examined associations between children's peer relationships and (a) their parents' social competence as well as (b) their parents' behaviors during the children's peer interactions. Participants were families of 124 children ages 6-10 (68% male), 62 with ADHD and 62 age- and sex-matched comparison youth. Children's peer relationships were…

Evidence supports the hypothesis that adolescent peer groups play a significant role in the genesis of youth antisocial behavior. A longstanding interest in research focused on individual differences in teen exposure to deviant peer groups is the notion that high-risk youth aggregate because of their common rejection within social contexts, such…

A study explored the peer cultures of 10 children with significant disabilities in six inclusive preschools and found that the children expressed the desire to participate in peer culture through a range of social-communicative and symbolic behaviors, and experienced inclusion by coordinating social activity and establishing reciprocal…

The report documents the findings of a 3-year study of the social skill development of severely handicapped youth within integrated school and community settings. A series of seven studies were instituted on two central issues: (1) the ability to train and promote generalization of social language skills in the form of initiation and respondent…

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…

Investigated males' and females' sociometric evaluation of same- and opposite-sex elementary school classmates. Sex differences were noted. (Author/DB)

We examined the influence of children's peer relationships and maternal emotional socialization on children's development of emotion knowledge. Children's emotion knowledge was assessed at the beginning (time 1) and end (time 2) of their first semester of kindergarten. Children's peer interactions were measured through observations and teacher…

Examined changes in low-accepted children's behavior and peer acceptance resulting from a social learning approach to social skill training. Three social skills were taught: asking questions, leading, and offering peer support. Trained children performed significantly better at follow-up than did control children. Results generalized to classroom…

Five adolescents with visual impairments participated in trust engendering activities in five separate peer focus groups. At the completion of the intervention, four of the students with visual impairments showed marked improvement in their social acceptance and had higher scores on the Social Skills Assessment Tool for Children with Visual…

The paper points out the problem of social isolation and rejection experienced by individual children or minority groups who lack particular knowledge and skills. Social isolation is conceptualized as a social process in development. Inclusion and exclusion skills are discussed in terms of the implications for peer interaction and relationships…

A study investigated the grounding strategies used by four Hispanic families with children with disabilities who are experiencing successful friendships with peers without a disability. Results found families, particularly mothers, actively facilitated friendships most frequently by finding opportunities and providing some level of interpretation…