Examined the relationship between sex role identity and two measures of adjustment--self-acceptance and peer acceptance--among adolescents. Sex differences were discovered regarding factors positively associated with self-acceptance. Findings suggest that a model of sex role differentiation during adolescence must recognize differential pressures…

Initial validity studies for the Sliding Person Test (SPERT) demonstrate sufficient validity for experimental use. SPERT is an assessment method that children can learn to use and record by themselves. It can be a catalyst for student self-disclosure and teacher-student or counselor-student communication. (Author)

Legislation mandating the mainstreaming of special needs students has found many school systems unprepared for and ignorant of the disabilities and abilities of handicapped children. One way to bring about an awareness of the needs of special needs students is to organize a handicap awareness day. (Author)

The article reviews the recent literature on the personality attributes and self-perceptions of the gifted, and the attitudes and perceptions held about them. Among the conclusions are that the gifted appear to have higher self-esteem than others, and that gifted students are more popular with their peers than others. (Author/DLS)

Because the physically disabled student must adjust to his/her inclusion into a nonhandicapped environment and to large group instruction simultaneously, the preparation of inservice teachers and nonhandicapped students should acquaint them with the physical, psychosocial, and academic factors associated with handicaps. (JN)

The student initiated classroom interaction (SICI) schedule was used to measure interracial attraction in desegregated classrooms. Verbal initiations and student friendship choices across race and sex were examined in 41 seventh and eighth grade classrooms in Indianapolis, Indiana. (JN)

For the child with cancer, return to school signals a return to normal living and provides a sense of future. Cooperation among the patient, family, medical staff, and school personnel is important for successful school reentry. (CJ)

Under a research and development project entitled Reducing Isolation in the Mainstream, classroom teachers who had hearing impaired or vision impaired students in their classes were recruited to join special educators in investigating how to promote integration of handicapped students. (SBH)

Study indicates that clique membership is related to academic performance but not attitude toward school. In the case studied, attitude of clique members was more highly related to achievement and attitude for male students. The need for teachers to promote social integration of socially isolated students is also discussed. (RW)

Examined whether children who vary in their behavioral responses to ambiguous provocation but have similar attributional processes differ in their social goals and self- efficacy perceptions. Subjects were 781 4th and 5th graders. Found that aggressive, withdrawn, and problem-solving responders differed in the social goals and self-efficacy…

Interviews with 46 nondisabled children (ages 3 to 6) in inclusive programs found that most children were aware of physical disability, half the children were aware of sensory disabilities, but no children expressed an awareness of Down syndrome. Children were most sensitive to effects of a physical disability on a child's motor performance. (DB)

Examined preschoolers' peer acceptance, aggression, and peer competence. Found that children with at least one mutual friend were better liked by peers and were rated by teachers as being more competent than children with no mutual friend. Children with at least one mutual friend were better liked by peers a year later than children with no mutual…

Five elementary schools were studied to investigate the way teachers used peer interactions to facilitate the inclusion of a student with moderate or severe disabilities. Strategies included encouraging peers to work with students with disabilities, treating the student as "just another student;" encouraging age-appropriate interactions, and…

A study of 43 children with mental retardation working with peers on a cooperative task found that different factors influence peer acceptance and rejection. Acceptance was influenced by overall quantity of a child's interactions and peer perceptions of positive behavior; rejection was influenced by positive behavior of the target child and peer…

This study describes the use of self-management procedures to improve the productivity of two women with mild mental retardation who worked in restaurants. Substantial improvements were observed as a function of treatment, and the procedures were deemed acceptable by the participants, their coworkers, and their supervisors. (Author/CR)