Reviews previous work in training observers for collecting observational counseling data. Outlines a nine-step Systematic Rater Training Model, which includes overview and contract, concept presentation, stimulation, modeling, passive discrimination, active discrimination, production, transfer of training to performance, and ongoing evaluation.…

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a culturally tailored smoking prevention program for Asian American youth (Youth-PASS). A field-tested questionnaire was used to solicit information from participants on knowledge, attitudes and behaviors associated with tobacco and tobacco use, as well as satisfaction with prevention program content and…

Demonstrates how the latent growth model can be applied to the evaluation of programs targeting HIV risk behavior among drug users. Multigroup piecewise latent growth models were fit to longitudinal data with three repeated response measures. Participants were 430 drug users and their sex partners. (SLD)

Plain Talk is an approach to teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease prevention that enlists a broad section of community adults in the effort to protect teens from pregnancy and disease. The Plain Talk design called for creation of community consensus around the needs of youth by focusing on adults, both as recipients of accurate…

After two years of a three-year evaluation of a violence-prevention program implemented in two elementary schools with 203 students, it appears that the program may produce a decline in conflict. However, its effects are less apparent for female students, whose conflict behaviors are less overt. (SLD)

Determined the effectiveness of a voluntary educational program on the drinking attitudes and behaviors of college students (N=1,000). Survey results revealed that for those subjects who participated in the program, there was a significant improvement in their drinking attitudes and behaviors. (Author/RC)

This report provides reliable evidence that mentoring programs can positively affect young people. The evidence is derived from research conducted at local affiliates of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America (BB/BSA), the oldest, best-known, and arguably most sophisticated of the country's mentoring programs. Public/Private Ventures, Inc. conducted…

The effects of a program designed to generate self-maintenance of resident living areas and increase self-initiated activities among older adults were investigated. Subjects (N=22) were rewarded with paper tokens which could be exchanged for personal items upon completion of cleaning and maintenance. They were observed as to the quantity and type…

DAY ONE is an education program offered to parents of newborn children to help them become the child's first educator. The DAY ONE Research Project was a collaborative effort of the West Virginia Task Force on Children, Youth, and Families and the Charleston (West Virginia) Area Medical Center Women and Children's Hospital to measure the…

Reassessment for reentry has become a popular concept on college campuses as more nontraditional students return to college. A reassessment series, offered at the University of California-Davis from 1973-1977, was evaluated in a one-year follow-up study of the life changes for 234 female and 12 male participants. Data indicated that life change…

This document discusses a project designed to assess trends in service data and the effectiveness of the services provided over a 10-year period. It begins by describing the services provided by the Wilder Foundation Child Guidance Clinic, an outpatient mental health center serving children and families in the Saint Paul, Minnesota area. A number…

This study evaluated the outcomes of an ongoing child day-treatment program in operation at a health treatment center in the Midwest. The program emphasized development of social skills through modeling by adults and practice with peers in 3-hour sessions that met 4 times a week. Evaluation focused on the extent to which clients improved in social…

Project STAR (Social Thinking and Reasoning Program) is a classroom-based social skills program for students in grades 5-8. To assess the long-term effectiveness of this program, students participated in the project (N=331) were compared with control students (N=191) during 1980-83. The hypothesis that there are significant differences in current…

Families and Schools Together (FAST) is a 2-year program beginning with 8 weeks of multiple family meetings and transitioning into a long-term follow-up segment called FASTWORKS. FAST uses tested family therapy principles, delinquency and substance-abuse strategies, psychiatric techniques, family systems theory, and group dynamics to give parents…

An evaluation of two school "telecommunities" in Ohio and South Dakota demonstrated the importance of studying a range of technology effectiveness indicators: standardized measures, behavior, stakeholder involvement, technology competency, multicultural exchange, equity, new student and teacher roles, learning climate, teacher…