Over the past several decades, the education, mental health, and social service fields have witnessed a significant shift in the focus of assessment of children moving from a solely deficit-based approach to a model incorporating strengths and competencies, which has been referred to as strength-based assessment. The "Behavioral and Emotional…

Background: This study examined whether a sensory adapted dental environment (SADE) diminished anxiety and agitation in adults with intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) when compared to a routine dental environment (RDE). Method: Agitated behaviours (frequency and duration) were video-taped and anxiety-related physiological measures…

A growing number of research groups are now including older minimally verbal individuals with autism spectrum disorder in their studies to encompass the full range of heterogeneity in the population. There are numerous barriers that prevent researchers from collecting high-quality data from these individuals, in part because of the challenging…

The conceptual foundation for Direct Behavior Rating as a behavior assessment method is reviewed. A contemporary definition of Direct Behavior Rating is framed as combining strengths of systematic direct observation and behavior rating scales, which may result in a usable and defensible assessment tool for educators engaged in formative purposes.…

Emerging research suggests that teachers' perceptions of fairness with respect to interactions with school administrators, decision-making processes, and decision outcomes can contribute greatly to understanding effective schools. This study of Virginia public high schools used correlational analysis to measure the strength of the relationships…

Describes a unique performance appraisal method known as "behaviorally anchored rating scales" (BARS) which is especially useful for managers of instructional developers. Steps and procedures used to collaboratively construct BARS for a particular position are discussed, and factors to consider when planning any appraisal system are…

This study examined the responses of kindergarten, first, third, and fourth grade girls to examples of good and bad behaviors followed either by good or bad outcomes. The results indicated that good behavior did not affect judgments of outcome but that a good outcome raised judgments of bad behavior. (JMB)

Several research studies conducted during 1971, designed to better understand and predict behavior variables related to a child's development of academic and social skills, are described. Nowicki Strickland IE scale, including 40 Yes-No questions readable at fifth grade level and understandable to younger children, was used. Reliability and…

Describes a specific empirical method for the systematic observation of examiner behavior during psychoeducational assessments, the Systematic Observation Scale for Assessments (SOS-A). Discusses development of the instrument and presents data on intra- and interobserver agreement. The instrument is regarded as an initially adequate method for…

The development of behaviorally-anchored rating scales (BARS) will permit researchers measuring the effectiveness of school administrators to utilize sound, ethnographic methods instead of relying on traditional, theory-based rating systems. In this document the author describes his own modified process for developing BARS and explains the…

The author explores some germane implications of cognitive consistency theory. An "affective-cognitive consistency" theory, which specifies the relationship between the affective and cognitive components of the attitude structure, was taken as the theoretical basis of this study. The theory suggests that by knowing what a person values, it should…

An attempt to determine the predictive and correlational validity of the Parental Attitude Research Instrument was made by comparing attitudes identified through the PARI with other independent measures of behavior and attitudes of the same sample. (Author)

Reviews of research in the area of creativity have consistently emphasized the importance of the criterion problem while simultaneously documenting its neglect by contemporary investigators. The failure to explicitly place the criterion problem within an appropriate conceptual model is perhaps a major reason for the failure to confront directly…