Provides counselors with concept-based materials that clients can use to understand and structure career problem-solving and decision-making process. Notes that clients can use this knowledge to solve immediate career problems; transfer knowledge to future career problems; or generalize knowledge to other types of personal, social, and family…

The author describes the process and development-related benefits of "participatory research." Her example is of the efforts of Canada's native people to resolve the issue of family and child welfare. (Author/CH)

Discusses expertise, what an expert system is, what an expert system shell is, what expert systems can and cannot do, knowledge engineering and technical communicators, and planning and managing expert system projects. (SR)

Presented is a questionnaire to help individuals determine their own unique thinking style: pragmatist, analyst, realist, synthesist, and idealist. Questionnaire is from "Styles of Thinking: Strategies for Asking Questions, Making Decisions, and Solving Problems" by Robert Bramson and Allen Harrison. (JN)

Tested conceptual model of context, processes, and outcomes of joint marital decision making of married couples (N=188) which specified spouses' process variables as individual-level measures and partners' consensus as a couple construct. Found context factor of spouses' emotional interdependence influenced both partners' coerciveness and degree…

Theorizes that there are two primary dimensions or continua along which delays or dysfunctions may occur in career decision making: the decided/undecided state and the decisiveness/indecisiveness trait. Suggest that the combination of the two dimensions yields four distinct diagnostic categories which demonstrate the need for differential…

Describes educational collaboration and its relationship to school consultation as structured planning, decision-making, and problem-solving process. Identifies characteristics of collaborative school and its organizational structures. Articulates roles and skills counselors can use to provide leadership in developing and implementing…

The author provides background on the junto and defines its role as a voluntary discussion group attempting to solve problems. She describes recent uses of the junto at conferences and provides guidelines for planning a typical group. (CH)

Develops a detailed profile of dysfunction and disablement in the open family system: its intrinsic defects, response to crisis, and likely process of breakdown when overstressed. Suggests that somatic symptoms of stress in children may grow out of accelerated independence combined with parental overinvolvement. (JAC)

Presents case study exemplifying use of curriculum-based measurement (CBM) in educational decision making. CBM is portrayed as more than just set of brief fluency tests with strong conceptual ties to three related assessment models (behavioral, ecological, and problem-solving assessment). Delineates key elements of each model. Case study shows how…

The author presents five pitfalls encountered by postsecondary students when making career decisions. They include (1) skill abandonment, (2) inaccurate information, (3) predictability versus flexibility, (4) title versus setting, and (5) workplace change. (CH)

Programs to help people cope with critical life events should first help them identify what information is needed and then teach them the necessary skills. Unfamiliarity with potential information sources is the greatest barrier between the individual and the source of information. (JAC)

Presents a theoretical framework for viewing adolescent contraceptive usage. The problem-solving process is used for developmentally examining the competencies that must be present for effective contraceptive use, including: problem recognition, motivation, generation of alternatives, decision making and implementation. Each aspect is discussed…

Most schools do not include their staffs in decision making and problem solving. A system of governance is needed that makes use of the professional skills and knowledge of teachers, empowers them to identify and solve problems, and gives them a share in making decisions. (JD)

Presents the Decision-Making Process Model, a framework for working through questions that require action. The seven steps are identifying the decision; determining why it is needed; identifying alternatives; analyzing information; estimating practicality; and deciding on a conclusion. The focus is on adolescent sexual decisions. (Author/JAC)