This article concentrates on the question what kind of model--conceptual and statistical--can serve as a good working model for the study of learning and teaching processes qua processes. We claim that a good way of answering this question is to begin by observing a teaching and learning process as, where, and when it occurs. In addition, a…

Although systems science has emerged as a set of innovative approaches to study complex phenomena, many topically focused researchers including clinicians and scientists working in public health are somewhat befuddled by this methodology that at times appears to be radically different from analytic methods, such as statistical modeling, to which…

Mental health problems among children in schools are on the increase. To exercise due diligence in their responsibility to monitor and promote mental health among our nation's children, school counselors may learn from triage systems employed in hospitals, clinics, and mental health centers. The School Counselor's Triage Model provides school…

The evidence-based parent training intervention known as Parent Management Training-the Oregon Model (PMTO) is one particularly well-supported treatment approach for addressing child behavioral problems. Yet, there remains a need to further examine how this intervention promotes change. The purpose of this study was to develop a grounded theory…

This paper assesses the engagement of family therapy and family practice with families with children, who are living in poverty. It analyzes four promising models from two perspectives. The first perspective relates to critiques, which have been made of the practice of family therapy with families living in poverty; and the second relates to the…

The Boston Children's Museum has a participatory exhibit called City Slice. Visitors experience a three-story exhibit of a house, street, and yard with cross-section views that reveal changing needs and design issues over the century from Victorian Boston to the present. (Author/MLF)

Critiques Dobbert et al's holistic systems analysis approach to cultural transmission, as presented in this journal. Argues that there is no substitute for the ethnographic narrative as the cornerstone of cross-cultural comparison and that the model is mainly useful as a mnemonic for other scientists trying to generate comprehensive models. (RDN)

Compares differential and developmental approaches to clinical and developmental problems such as suicide. Contends that abstract model variables (such as suicidal tendency), whose meaning depends on the model in which they function, need a translation between the variable and empirical data. Maintains that practitioners need a model allowing for…

Analyzes suicide in terms of a dynamic model of changes in suicidal tendencies over time. Suggests that minor fluctuations may incite rapid development toward suicide or inhabit suicidality. Notes that this method of analysis and developmental modeling is applicable to other phenomena involving development in complex human behaviors in an open…

Discusses Mishara's use of phrase space analysis to chart the developmental dynamics of suicide. Contends that developmentalists should concern themselves with mental ontology, especially epistemic questions, in order to advance understanding of the development of the human mind. Considers the affinity of interactivism with a dynamic systems…

The conceptualizations of morphogenic processes suggested by systems theorists provide a useful framework for describing growth and development in complex adaptive self-directing organisms. These processes involve changes in (1) a system's structure, state, or functioning; (2) discontinuities in development; and (3) at least two kinds of…

Takes a specific issue, the regulating of children's television, and shows how it might be analyzed using the Krasnow-Longley-Terry systems approach to broadcast regulation. A chronological review of legislation dealing with children's television is included. (Author/JJD)

Because abuse affects all members of an abusive family, the entire family system must be assessed and treated. A three-phase comprehensive assessment and treatment model is proposed that includes individual, marital, sibling, and family dynamics. This combination of treatment approaches culminates in conjoint family therapy. (Author)

Reviews the characteristics of preschool children with emotional and behavioral problems. Discusses existing models of service delivery and presents a collaborative model for services that integrates mental health treatment and education. Claims that combined mental health and education service models can lead to improved outcomes for at-risk…

Maintains that reform in children's services is linked to changes in conceptions of the nature of childhood and children's needs. Highlights demonstration project of "wraparound" services for early adolescents to suggest that these emerging programs may embed notions of children as complex systems, ideas that differ significantly from accounts of…