Examined contribution of family variables such as parenting and literacy activities to the pre-academic competence of 93 Head Start children. Found that maternal educational expectations, home literacy variables, and maternal school involvement were predictive of children's competence even after accounting for the effects of maternal education,…

Examined differences in child-mother interaction, classroom adjustment during kindergarten, and retention in kindergarten between 41 first-born children of adolescent mothers and 88 first-born children of adult mothers. Found that the children of adolescent and adult mothers were generally indistinguishable in areas of classroom adjustment,…

Investigated relations among child and classroom factors, and observations of 48 typical and 22 special-needs preschoolers in teacher-directed group play. Found girls were more likely than boys to play cooperatively in teacher-directed groups; special-needs children were more likely to play with a teacher and less likely to play cooperatively with…

Reviews the research on the efficacy of prevention and intervention programs for aggressive behavior among preschoolers who are otherwise typically developing. Summarizes some key characteristics of 17 studies: (1) model/treatment focus; (2) target sample; (3) design; (4) reliability; (5) treatment description; (6) duration and follow-up; and (7)…

Examines the literature on child-adult relationships in early childhood with respect to the role of social processes linking child-adult relationships with early school outcomes. Presents implications for a developmental perspective on schooling and addresses processes and mechanisms involved in relationships that may prove fruitful in future…

Observed children in family and center day care settings, exploring changes in interaction with adults and peers. Found that children who spent more time with peers engaged in more complex peer play than did those who spent less time. Caregivers influenced amount and complexity of peer play, but indirectly, through the degree to which they helped…

Assessed changes over time in kindergarten children's school attitudes and perceptions of peer acceptance and friendships. Found that initial levels of peer group acceptance were associated with liking school at both assessments, while the number of mutual friendships was associated with an increase in school liking. Girls who developed…

Examined toddlers attention to distress in a daycare setting. Found that crying and screaming, intensity level, caregiver responses in general, and moral causes of distress were related to higher levels of attention by the group. Results had implications in terms of the future of moral education at the preschool level. (SD)

Compared children retained in kindergarten with matched samples of age and grade mates, using teacher ratings as an index of their social and academic skills. Found that retained children showed a reduction in behavior problems, specifically acting-out and shy-anxious behaviors, but only slightly increased competence for task orientation across…

Introduces this special journal issue by outlining previous research on early peer relationships. Explains that the articles in this issue provide a backdrop for identifying the early precursors of individual patterns of success versus failure with peers. (JS)

Studied social interaction among a sample of children at risk for the development of later and more severe behavioral-control difficulties. Observed 121 children in pairs. Found that children in the high-risk group displayed significantly and consistently more aggressive behavior than did the children in the low-risk group. (JS)

Proposes and briefly discusses several hypotheses concerning the unique developmental status of peer relations in the first three years of life. Analyzes the meaning of individual differences in very early peer competencies. Suggests that developmental differences in peer relations might translate into hypotheses regarding early individual…

Introduces this special journal issue by describing what developmental approaches are and how they can be applied to children with disabilities. Gives a short preview of the articles in the issue and raises future challenges for developmental research and intervention with young children with disabilities. (JS)

Studies of friendships in children with developmental disabilities have evolved primarily from the research on children with typical development. Children with developmental disabilities, however, present unique issues that warrant consideration such as measurement issues, developmental level, the etiology or type of disability, the experience and…

Investigated parents' and kindergarten teachers' beliefs about effects of child care on children's school adjustment. Found that parents who used child care for their own children rated a hypothetical "day care child" most positively, which parents who kept their own children at home rated the "home care child most positively. Teachers rated both…