Peer support arrangements are an evidence-based practice for increasing interactions between students with severe disabilities and their peers in general education classrooms, but it is unclear how interactions vary across instructional formats or generalize outside the classroom. In this single-case design study, we tested the efficacy of peer…

Validating and generalizing from holistic observation protocols of classroom practice have proven difficult. These tools miss crucial classroom characteristics, like the type of instruction, the organization of learners, and the level of cognitive engagement that occur differentially in the time span of a lesson. As a result, this study examined…

The purpose of this article is to synthesize the available studies regarding responsive interaction intervention (RII) for children with or at risk for developmental delays with a focus on six dimensions: (a) the characteristics of participants, (b) the features of RII, (c) the measurement of treatment fidelity, (d) the overall effectiveness of…

An analysis of racial prejudice employing the learning processes of discimination and generalization is presented. It is suggested that the generalization process can help to explain the problem involved in racial prejudice. Voluntary interaction between the races is necessary for prejudice to be overcome. (Author)

Six severely mentally retarded students (ages 9-16) were paired with six nonhandicapped fourth- and fifth-graders (Group 1) who received training to act as tutors during outdoor recess. Six of their nonhandicapped friends (Group 2) received no training. Group 3 consisted of all other fourth- and fifth-graders who were also present during the…

In this paper we focus on the role of signs in students' perceptive processes underpinning the generalization of numeric-geometric patterns. Based on a videotaped Grade 9 classroom group activity undertaken by three students and framed by a cultural-semiotic theoretical perspective, we carry out a microgenetic analysis of an elementary form of…

This study demonstrated that five withdrawn adults living in a residential center for psychotic and mentally handicapped persons could serve as peer therapists to increase the social interaction of other withdrawn residents. Positive results were maintained during a four-month follow-up condition. (Author/DB)

In this study, clique analysis methodology was used to analyze the social interaction of preschoolers (two with social delays and four nondelayed) in a nontraining or generalization setting. Analysis suggested that students with social delays became more integrated during free-play times following peer-mediated instruction. (Author/DB)

Five teachers using a conversational approach to language teaching with hearing-impaired students were studied. Teachers tended to exert a high level of conversational control, though conversational control decreased over time. The children (ages 4-10) exhibited language growth in their imitations and responses but not in spontaneous utterances.…

The nine readings in this monograph focus on ways to improve the social skills of students with emotional/behavioral disorders. The following readings are included: (1) "Analysis of Literature on Social Competence of Behaviorally Disordered Children and Youth" (Sarup R. Mathur and Robert B. Rutherford, Jr.); (2) "A Validation of Social Skills for…