By studying survey data from 1,000 teachers participating in a Title II workshop, researchers identified three structural features (form, duration, and collective participation) that set a proper context for professional development. Three core features of professional-development learning experience include content focus, active learning, and…

Examines the use of systematic desensitization in a reading anxiety treatment program designed for preservice teachers. States that reading anxiety creates in teachers non-productive attitudes which can, and should, be altered to advance the literacy development of students. Measures reading anxiety of 23 preservice teachers before, during, and…

A study of three husband-and-wife dyads examined the effects of teaching parents of children with autism to give each other feedback on their teaching performance. For five participants, improvement in teaching performance occurred following didactic presentation and additional improvement was observed when the spousal feedback component was…

Exposes two groups of adults in vocational-education training programs to two different programs (Logo-Educability exercises and Logical Reasoning Workshops) designed to improve their cognitive skills. Argues that low improvement scores for both groups demonstrate the inefficacy of the programs in helping students transfer learned cognitive skills…

Follow-up of 55 adults who completed the Healthy Heart Program, which focused on heart disease risks, cholesterol, and diet, found that attitudes and knowledge were significantly higher after the program; fat intake, blood pressure, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol were significantly lower. Locus of control did not change. (SK)

Examined whether early intervention programs aimed at promoting the attainments of children with disabilities change the nature of the parent-child interaction. Finds that mothers adjust their vocal patterns when interacting with disabled children based on the nature of the interaction and age of the child. Notes implications for intervention…

This Hong Kong study examined the effectiveness of the Behavioral Skills Training program in the primary prevention of sexual abuse with 72 female Chinese adolescents with mild mental retardation. Subjects receiving the program demonstrated greater knowledge regarding sexual abuse and self-protection skills at posttest, which was maintained at…

Activities of Project OATS (Outcomes of Assistive Technology in the Schools) are described, including identification and piloting of existing assessment instruments for use as an outcome measure, examining the validity of the School Function Assessment, and field testing the School Function Assessment-Assistive Technology Version, an adaptation of…

A study investigated spell check programs to determine how they differ in producing target words in the first position in the replacement list for misspellings generated by 111 students with learning disabilities in grades 3-8. Overall, the spell checkers were ineffective in producing target words first in the replacement list. (Contains…

Notes that multimedia computer programs may provide promising opportunities for the training of initial reading and spelling skills. Examines a recently-developed program's efficacy and impact on the motivation of the users. Finds that the amount of non-task directed behavior of those who had practiced with the computer significantly decreased…

This article describes efforts to develop measurement instruments that can be used to evaluate outcomes of a variety of stuttering treatment approaches by measuring changes in speakers' affective, behavioral, and cognitive reactions to stuttering, effects of stuttering on functional communication abilities, and the impact of stuttering on quality…

Examines some of the best school-based interventions being used for children of divorce and their effectiveness. These interventions include consideration of developmental stages, parent and teacher involvement, structured activities, and skill building. Offers a delineation of the salient features across the models. (Contains 20 references.) (GCP)

Examines the impact of a peer support service as an intervention to counteract bullying in a high school. Results indicate the intervention had no overall effect on levels of bullying in the school or on the likelihood that peers would intervene to help. However, interviews indicated that peer helpers and some victims were helped by the…

Project ARTS was designed to identify high-ability, artistically talented third graders from four different ethnic backgrounds in seven rural schools and to implement differentiated arts programs for them. Locally designed measures, developed by teachers and community members, were found to be appropriate by educators if several different measures…

Presque Isle (Maine) High School has offered a section of all-girls algebra for seven years. The intent was to narrow the gap between 11th-grade boys' and girls' math achievement scores and create a more comfortable learning atmosphere for girls. The achievement score gap has decreased from 72 to 16 points. (MLH)