Children's Social Networks Research Articles

Sibling Relationships of Preschool-Aged Children in Gross Motor Environments

Abstract This research describes the behaviors and interactions of preschool-aged siblings in two conditions: object-oriented and body-oriented. The hypothesis was that a child's social network, and more specifically, the child's siblings significantly influence motor skill development. Thirty-five pairs of same-sex (n = 20), and mixed-sex (n = 15) siblings individually performed motor tasks for seven minutes in each condition, and a Sony video camera recorded all behaviors. Two major categories of sibling behaviors and interactions—moving (five items) and observing (four items)—were coded using standard procedures from social-developmental psychology (Lamb, Suomi, & Stephenson, 1979). Item frequencies were analyzed using a four-factor (sex composition × sex of older child × age × condition) mixed analysis of variance procedure with age interval as a covariate. Two of the major findings for the movement items were (1) in the body-oriented condition, the older siblings usually initiated task performance wh...

Social impact and social preference as determinants of children's peer group status.

Three sociometric procedures, which utilize a two-dimensional social-impact and social-preference framework, were evaluated on three independent samples of fourthand fifth-grade children (N = 334, 173, 89). The stability and distribution of classification, the relationship between dimensions, the validation of dimensions, and the validation of classificatio n groups were considered. Overall, the Peery (1979) method appeared most problematic, due to both conceptual and practical drawbacks. The Coie, Dodge, and Coppotelli (1982) procedure was found to have nonexhaustive groups and had the potential of misrepresenting children's social networks when standardized scores were used. Furthermore, little support was found for the proposed controversial group in the Coie et al. classification system. An alternative two-dimensional sociometric model based on probability theory was proposed and was found to have excellent performance characteristics while still providing a constant frame of reference across social networks. The social reputational correlates of the impact and preference dimensions and the sociometric groups proposed by each model were also investigated. Although social impact and social preference are found to be reliable and valid determinants of peer group status, the need for alternative indicators of children's social standing in the peer group is discussed. The current empirical interest in children's friendships and peer relations has resulted in the increased use of sociometric classification schemes to categorize children both for nomothetic research and for clinical interventions. The further development of sociometric procedures and their appropriate use are important concerns for developmental and clinical psychologists because of the association between children's peer relations and subse

The social maps of children approaching adolescence: Studying the ecology of youth development

This article reports the first results of the three-year longitudinal study of the social maps of children beginning the transition to adolescence. This exploratory study is guided by Bronfenbrenner's conception of the ecology of human development, stressing the importance of a phenomenological orientation to development in the context of ecological transitions. The study focuses on characteristics of children's social networks (the web of relationships in which the individual is involved) as a function of neighborhood type, socioeconomic status, and level of physical maturation. The social heterogeneity of the social network (e.g., the relative salience of peers versus adults) is a primary concern. The child's and parent's perceptions of the network, of the people available to help the child, and the child's friends are compared within the context of ecological, socioeconomic, and maturational factors. The results (for 111 sixth-grade children from three contrasting neighborhood schools) shed some light on age segregation and the overall heterogeneity of the social environments of children facing the transition to adolescence. They provide a context and a baseline for the longitudinal study.

Family-School Interactions: The Cultural Image of Mothers and Teachers

Previous articleNext article No AccessViewpointFamily-School Interactions: The Cultural Image of Mothers and TeachersSara Lawrence LightfootSara Lawrence Lightfoot Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Signs Volume 3, Number 2Winter, 1977 Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/493472 Views: 15Total views on this site Citations: 18Citations are reported from Crossref Copyright 1977 The University of ChicagoPDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:Laura Hannon, Grainne M O’Donnell Teachers, parents, and family-school partnerships: emotions, experiences, and advocacy, Journal of Education for Teaching 48, no.22 (Nov 2021): 241–255.https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2021.1989981Audrey Addi-Raccah, Yael Grinshtain Teachers’ professionalism and relations with parents: teachers’ and parents’ views, Research Papers in Education 26 (Jun 2021): 1–23.https://doi.org/10.1080/02671522.2021.1931949Rachel Lehner-Mear Good mother, bad mother?: Maternal identities and cyber-agency in the primary school homework debate, Gender and Education 33, no.33 (May 2020): 285–305.https://doi.org/10.1080/09540253.2020.1763920Lisa S. Goldstein Preservice teachers, caring communities, and parent partnerships: Challenges and possibilities for early childhood teacher education, Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education 24, no.11 (Apr 2008): 61–71.https://doi.org/10.1080/1090102030240109Amy Stambach Consumerism and Gender in an Era of School Choice: A look at US Charter Schools, Gender and Education 13, no.22 (Jul 2010): 199–216.https://doi.org/10.1080/09540250120051204L.S. Goldstein MOTHERLY LOVE, TEACHERLY LOVE, AND PARENT‐TEACHER PARTNERSHIPS: IMPLICATIONS FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHER EDUCATION, Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education 20, no.33 (Aug 2006): 353–365.https://doi.org/10.1080/0163638990200313Hillel Goelman, Huan Guo What we know and what we don’t know about burnout among early childhood care providers, Child & Youth Care Forum 27, no.33 (Jun 1998): 175–199.https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02589564Lisa S. Goldstein Caught in the Middle: Tension and Contradiction in Enacting the Primary Grade Curriculum, Curriculum Inquiry 28, no.33 (Jan 2015): 311–337.https://doi.org/10.1111/0362-6784.00093Sari Knopp Biklen Feminism, methodology and point of view in the study of women who teach, Melbourne Studies in Education 34, no.11 (Jan 1993): 10–21.https://doi.org/10.1080/17508489309556255Christine B. Burton Defining Family-centered Early Education: Beliefs of Public School, Child Care, and Head Start Teachers, Early Education & Development 3, no.11 (Jan 1992): 45–59.https://doi.org/10.1207/s15566935eed0301_3Rosabeth Moss Kanter Work and Family in the United States: A Critical Review and Agenda for Research and Policy, Family Business Review 2, no.11 (Jul 2016): 77–114.https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-6248.1989.00077.xPhilip M. Ferguson, Dianne L. Ferguson, David Jones Generations of Hope: Parental Perspectives on the Transitions of Their Children with Severe Retardation from School to Adult Life, Journal of the Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps 13, no.33 (Nov 2016): 177–187.https://doi.org/10.1177/154079698801300308Michael Lewis, Candice Feiring, Jeanne Brooks-Gunn Young children's social networks as a function of age and dysfunction, Infant Mental Health Journal 9, no.22 (Jan 1988): 142–157.https://doi.org/10.1002/1097-0355(198822)9:2<142::AID-IMHJ2280090203>3.0.CO;2-9Susan Kontos, Wilma Wells Attitudes of caregivers and the day care experiences of families, Early Childhood Research Quarterly 1, no.11 (Mar 1986): 47–67.https://doi.org/10.1016/0885-2006(86)90006-2Miriam E. David Motherhood and social policy-a matter of education?, Critical Social Policy 4, no.1212 (Jun 2016): 28–43.https://doi.org/10.1177/026101838400401202Susan Kontos, Helen Raikes, Alice Woods Early childhood staff attitudes toward their parent clientele, Child Care Quarterly 12, no.11 (Mar 1983): 45–58.https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01258079Roberta I. Rubin, Patricia P. Olmsted, Mary J. Wetherby Tracing developmental trends in Ira Gordon's programs for children and families, Children and Youth Services Review 2, no.44 (Jan 1980): 403–424.https://doi.org/10.1016/0190-7409(80)90034-1 Rosabeth Moss Kanter Families, Family Processes, and Economic Life: Toward Systematic Analysis of Social Historical Research, American Journal of Sociology 84 (Sep 2015): S316–S339.https://doi.org/10.1086/649244