The survey of state department of special education guidelines for mental retardation terminology, eligibility criteria, and classification schemes indicated lack of uniformity among the states, increasing recognition of the importance of adaptive behavior, and decreasing use of the four-level classification system of the American Association of…

Computer-assisted direct behavioral observation is proposed to aid sensory integration therapy. This allows the occupational therapist to quantify data, devise and answer research questions, and assess progress. Advice is given on establishing a behavior taxonomy. Computer-assisted direct behavioral observation is examined and found valuable for…

Describes the SOLO Taxonomy, a five-level hierarchy designed to help teachers evaluate the quality of students' thinking. Illustrates how the taxonomy may be used to construct questions and score responses to test questions. Concludes that the taxonomy has broad curriculum applicability and can make a substantial contribution to improved teaching…

The information retrieval thesaurus emerged in operational form following a confused intellectual history as a secondary indexing aid. Prescriptive language ideas of Moore and Luhn were absent in early forms and no one attempted to reduce retrieval language as advocated earlier. DuPont retrieval thesaurus (1959) offered a model for further…

The role of the research library and issues in access to increasing quantities of information are discussed, including the problems of cataloging and classifying information and the barriers to access often created by librarians. (MSE)

The position paper discusses issues surrounding definition and identification procedures used for students with behavior disorders. Five recommendations address the need for revision of the federal definition, elimination of arbitrary exclusions, focus on sources of data collection, alternative models of service delivery, and priority needs for…

A taxonomy of the forms of literacy found in the Northwest Territories is proposed. The forms include Biblical, pragmatic vernacular, high vernacular, schooled vernacular, pragmatic English language, and essayist literacy. General and specific literacy functions, addressor-addressee relationships, and typical message form and script are noted for…

William Perry's description of college students' stages of cognitive development is condensed into four classification categories, which are explained and told in an animal allegory. This presentation clarifies the theory for teacher use. (MSE)

A discussion of American Sign Language looks at its history in the context of deaf education and its increasing acceptance as a complete natural language both among linguists and in the college curriculum. (MSE)

Describes the categories of available information management software, and provides guidelines for needs assessment, software selection, testing, and evaluation. The annotated bibliography cites general discussions and program reviews for the following types of software: file management, general database management, bibliographic management,…

Reports three experiments conducted to examine the ability of beginning readers (in kindergarten, Grade 1, and Grade 2) to categorize short front vowel sounds in familiar spoken words and to determine whether learning spellings of these vowel sounds improved the accuracy of their classifications. Discusses implications for learning to read and…

Summarizes the similarities between classification systems for catalog selection and information retrieval systems, and discusses system characteristics that allow the use of measures such as recall and precision in system evaluation. (27 references) (Author/CLB)

Two curricular approaches for modifying nonhandicapped secondary students' attitudes (N=90) toward their exceptional peers were compared. One was structured around categories of exceptionality; the other focused on generic concepts such as values, conformity, individual differences, and labeling effects. Subjects exposed to the categorical…

This study derives the economic costs of misclassification in nursing home patient classification systems. These costs are then used as weights to estimate the reliability of a functional assessment instrument. Results suggest that reliability must be redefined and remeasured with each substantively new application of an assessment instrument.…

This review of abstracting policies used by database producers focuses on the degree to which these policies incorporate criteria vital for acceptability of abstracts for free-text searching. Each topic in abstracting policy (abstract type, length, content, and language) is examined to consider its effect on retrieval. (MBR)