Challenging behavior in preschool is a serious concern for teachers. In recent years, positive behavior support (PBS) has been shown to be effective in reducing such behaviors. Class-Wide Function-related Intervention Teams (CW-FIT) is a specific program for implementing PBS principles in classroom settings. CW-FIT is a group contingency that…

The purpose of this action research project was to improve the social skills of eight preschool students and four first grade and second grade students through the use of Social Stories and visual supports to create a more positive learning environment. The teacher researchers wanted to increase the social skills of students who had been diagnosed…

This report describes a program for increasing employment skill awareness for students to be better prepared to enter the world of work. The problem of insufficient employment skills is documented by data revealing large numbers of students who are unable to meet the demands of employers. Analysis of probable-cause data revealed students' lack of…

This literature review examined the relationship between depression and marital interaction patterns in marriages where one spouse is depressed. The social exchange process between the depressed individual and the spouse is dysfunctional in comparison to the processes in non-depressed couples and may be responsible for the maintenance of…

This report describes a project for improving classroom behavior through positive discipline. The action research will take place from September 2001 to December 2001. The targeted 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students live in the suburbs and are composed of low income, middle class, and high income communities. The problem was noted by researchers who…

This paper reviews research on childhood depression and its relation to developmental processes, family functioning, academic performance, and peer relationships. The methodological strengths and weaknesses of the research are examined. A section on developmental perspectives looks at early childhood, school age children, and adolescence. Support…

This paper outlines a theory of communicative competence and argues for a view of communicative competence as a postulated set of abstract cognitive operations that serve to generate mental representations of the social world. In addition to this function, the discussion serves as a review of literature bearing on the subject of communicative…

This action research report describes a program to improve and enhance students' social skills in and out of the classroom. The targeted population consisted of two fourth grade classrooms at two different suburban sites. The need to address this issue seems to have grown due to an increase in school violence and the decline of the traditional…

This document describes various discipline procedures adopted with the intent of modifying inappropriate student behavior. The targeted population consisted of one fourth grade physical education class, one fifth grade physical education class, and one eighth grade industrial technology class. The study documented the problem of student…

This action research project designed and implemented a program for the instruction of cooperative learning and conflict resolution strategies in order to increase social competencies. The targeted population consisted of two multi-age, grade 2/3 classrooms and one fifth grade classroom in a stable middle class community in a large midwestern…

This study examines through Conversation Analysis (CA) the way requests for action are interactionally accomplished in naturally occurring spontaneous conversation, and uses the findings as the basis for an evaluation of the way requests are presented in published English language teaching (ELT) materials. The following areas are discussed: (1)…

This study focused on the role played by two factors--interpersonal attractiveness of group members and pattern of distribution of task-relevant information--in forming an influence base in task-oriented discussion groups. For purposes of the study, members of discussion groups who were confederates in the study were assigned attitudinal…

This report describes a project for teaching students to implement social skills in the classroom, playground, and lunchroom. The hope is to reduce the inappropriate behavior that occurs in these areas. The targeted population consisted of a middle to lower income elementary school in Illinois. After analyzing the data collected, it was revealed…

In order to determine the competencies possessed by teachers who have conducted successful reading programs, a qualitative study was conducted in Area C, Chicago Public Schools. It presents the views of twelve principals who assisted in identifying fifteen teachers designated superior in the teaching of reading in the middle grades (grades four…

This report describes a program for increasing the targeted student's ability to demonstrate appropriate use of social skills in a cooperative base group setting. The targeted population consisted of elementary students in an urban middle class Midwestern community. The problem of lack of appropriate social skills was documented through teacher…