Two elementary school students with emotional/behavioral challenges increased task engagement and reduced disruptive behavior when allowed to choose academic tasks. The effects of choice making were distinguished from preference, by yoking a no-choice phase to a previous choice-making condition; the yoked control phase was inferior to the…

Asserts that the performance of music involves not only playing the notes on the written page, but also accurately counting the printed rests. Maintains that band students frequently miscount lengthy rests. Presents an illustrated technique for helping students overcome this problem. (CFR)

Reports a study that examined drug use among 579 high school students of whom 102 were black. Self-report surveys indicated, among other findings, that white students were more likely than black students to have had exposure to drugs. Black males reported the highest self-esteem and white females the lowest. (SM)

A teacher tells how she withstood physical threats by a 16- year-old student and verbal abuse from his parents. Another teacher and a school principal present their views on how she handled the situation, suggesting that teachers not overreact, avoid power struggles, and react calmly to students' bids for attention. (SM)

Examined effects of who administers behavioral assessment (teacher versus school psychologist), physical location of assessment (reading group versus teacher's desk versus office), and whether performance is timed or untimed for oral reading rates of 100 third and fourth graders. Results showed significant effects for reading level, tester,…

Testing and observation of 25 highly creative, intellectually gifted students and nearly 100 highly creative, non-intellectually gifted students participating in secondary and undergraduate theater arts programs revealed similarities and differences between the two groups in terms of acting technique, rehearsal technique, relationship to play…

An analysis of 1991 South Carolina Youth Risk Behavior Survey data explored factors associated with early age at first sexual intercourse. Nearly 50% of black males were sexually active before age 13. Carrying weapons, fighting, and early drug experimentation related to early initiation of sexual activity for all race and gender groupings. (SM)

This paper reviews functional analysis' historical development as an important pretreatment assessment and analysis strategy for academic and social behavior problems. It examines seminal and influential studies to document historical and contemporary progression, functional analysis' contributions, and future directions. Conclusions focus on…

Examines the following questions related to the effectiveness of science laboratory activities: (1) the behavior of high school chemistry teachers; (2) the behavior of high school chemistry students; and (3) the relationship, if any, between teacher behavior and student behavior as exhibited during high school chemistry laboratory sessions. (LZ)

Maintains that gathering and analyzing data about the nature and scope of violence is an important step in designing meaningful safe-schools projects. Presents a safe-schools survey lesson plan designed for secondary schools. Includes lesson objectives, step-by-step instructional procedures, and sample student survey questions. (CFR)

Systematic implementation of a peer-mediated self-evaluation procedure to improve the recess behavior problems of three second-grade boys was evaluated. Clear improvements in the boys' behavior were found, which were maintained as the self-evaluation procedure was systematically faded. In addition, treatment effects generalized to another recess…

A national survey of 81 master's programs in social work investigated the situations or behaviors that led them to develop policies for nonacademic student termination. Results are presented concerning the most common problem behaviors reported and analysis of the programs' policy and procedure documents. Recommendations are made based on these…

Presents a human-computer interaction (HCI) conceptions model designed to help in the understanding of the cognitive processes involved when college students learn to program computers. Examines syntactic and algorithmic HCI operational errors and reviews conceptions based on natural language reasoning, independent computer reasoning, and…

Two children with autism, aged 10, were exposed to peer-implemented pivotal response training (PRT). Typical peers implemented PRT strategies by modeling, role playing, and didactic instruction. Both children with autism maintained prolonged interactions with the peer, initiated play and conversations, and increased engagement in language and…

Describes a methodology that educators can use to appropriately classify students who are linguistically and culturally diverse. The article lists the student behaviors to observe when distinguishing a language difference from a language disorder and illustrates how educators can conceptualize student background and current status in selecting…