Performance contracting is a scheme precisely delineating teacher and administrator expectations by defining the objectives to be achieved, by determining responsibility for attaining those objectives, and by assessing results to determine the extent to which desired outcomes have been achieved. (JD)

Two exploratory studies describe patterns found in middle school discipline referral records. The first project involved the establishment of criteria for identifying the "most difficult" middle school students who would be candidates for a specialized mentoring program. The second project compared the discipline referral patterns of…

Surveyed over 900 students in the rural northwest in grades 4, 6, 8, and 10 for alcohol and drug use. Measures self-reported usage of seventeen substances. The descriptive statistical results are reported by gender as well as grade-level usage rates. Discussion includes targeting drug prevention programs for specific grade and gender levels based…

Anonymous questionnaires administered to 1283 middle school/high school students and 930 college students revealed that most of these students viewed all types of alcohol intervention programs as somewhat effective in reducing alcohol abuse among youth. Analyses revealed that drinking motivations and behavior produced a significant effect on the…

Reviews the literature on children who are overly successful, perfectionistic, and hard-driving (Type A) so as to provide an assessment of Type A behavior in elementary school children. Provides a trait checklist for assessment purposes and discusses ways counselors can address the emotional needs of these children. (Appendix lists parallels…

Provides recommendations for improving the accuracy of diagnosing Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder using rating scales of procedures. Outlines strategies for managing the error intrinsic to the use of diagnostic measures, specifically behavior rating scales. Recommends a multiple stage procedure involving one or more levels of screening…

Ethnographic techniques were applied to a post hoc examination of children's incidental behaviors during a metalinguistic intervention procedure--behaviors ignored in the original experimental design. The reflective and qualitative nature of ethnography was used to account for the 12 phonologically impaired 4-year-olds' varied perceptions of…

Described are the basic materials and procedures used to study defensive burying behavior and suggested laboratory projects. Discusses live targets, non-living targets, social variables, and previous experiences of the subjects. (CW)

Discusses Erving Goffman's work on public places with regard to how that work represents women's experience in public places. Reviews strategies that women devise to manage appearances in public places in order to illustrate how gender-conscious appraisal is necessary to appreciate the character of public places. (Author/LS)

This case study describes a 39-year-old intellectually gifted man with learning disabilities who demonstrated symptoms of amnesic-semantic aphasia at age 13, leading to placement in a class for students with mental retardation and to dropping out of school. The man's remarkable behavioral and cognitive adjustments led to a fulfilling life and…

This study compared parent and teacher behavioral ratings for 77 children (ages 5-16) diagnosed as having attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity (ADD/H), attention deficit disorder without hyperactivity (ADD/WO), or learning disabilities (LD). ADD/WO and LD children were rated similarly on symptoms of withdrawal and impulsivity but differed…

Forty children with mental retardation were compared on everyday leisure-time behaviors with children without mental retardation matched for mental age (MA) or chronological age (CA). Although MA best predicted overall functioning on leisure-time behavior, CA best predicted both single highest behavior performed and highest behavior considered too…

Gathered data on arcade use in adolescents (n=460). "Regular" arcade visitors varied sufficiently from the more "casual" visitors in their orientation to, and experience in, arcades. Regular visitors were more likely to score positively on indices screening for addiction. Raises questions about children's access to potentially…

Fifty children and adolescents with affective disorders and mental retardation admitted to a psychiatric inpatient unit were compared with 50 inpatients without depression. Behavioral symptoms occurred significantly more often in the affective group than in the comparison group. The behavioral presentation of affective symptoms in children and…

Illuminates the nature and direction of social comparison research using a sample of 168 Dutch individuals. Some of the findings revealed uncertainty and frustration related to a need for social comparison, a desire more for information than affiliation about similar others, and the influence of health problems in evaluating one's situation. (RJM)