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Based on a two-year and three-wave longitudinal sample of 118 Chinese preschoolers, the present study examined the cross-lagged associations between teacher-child relationships and social competence, and the cross-system generalization of social competence between home and school. At each of the three waves, teachers rated the children's teacher-child relationships and social competence in school, and mothers rated the children's social competence at home. The results showed that high closeness and low conflict in teacher-child relationships at three months after preschool entry (T1) predicted children's social competence in school at the end of the first preschool year (T2). T1 teacher-child closeness also predicted social competence at home at the end of the second preschool year (T3). Although early home competence did not predict later school competence, T2 school competence was associated with T3 home competence. Finally, T2 school competence fully mediated the path from T1 teacher-child closeness to T3 home competence. (Contains 3 tables and 2 figures.)

This study examined the contents of adolescents' hopes and fears for the future in a sample of 1,975 urban and rural 8th, 10th, and 12th graders in China. Chinese adolescents' hopes and fears were most often related to future education, occupation, parental well-being, marriage and family, academics, leisure activities, wealth, interpersonal relationships, collective issues, and self-related issues. Urban adolescents compared to rural ones reported more hopes for education and leisure activities and held fewer hopes and fears for parental well-being and interpersonal relationships. Males reported more hopes and fears for marriage, whereas females reported more hopes and fears for parental well-being. These results suggest the important role of the social and cultural context in adolescents' future thinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]