Twenty-one articles employing peer-mediated interventions to promote social skills of children and adolescents with behavioral disorders were analyzed on their experimental, procedural, and generalization components. The review found that peer-mediated approaches produce immediate positive treatment effects and have contributed to the…

A confirmatory factor analysis of 61 published data sets from multitrait-multimethod studies provides estimates of the trait, method, and error variances of measures used in the social and behavioral sciences. Traits accounted for less than 50 percent of the variance among construct measures overall. Implications for testing are discussed. (SLD)

Studies evaluating interventions designed to reduce rape-supportive beliefs are examined to identify effective strategies. Searches were conducted on several databases from 1980 to present. Results indicate that human-sexuality courses, workshops, video interventions, and other formats appear to be successful strategies, although these…

This article summarizes single-subject design intervention studies that include students with learning disabilities. Effect sizes of 85 studies were analyzed across instructional domains, sample characteristics, intervention parameters, and methodological procedures. Findings are supportive of the pervasive influence of cognitive strategy and…

Reviews past and present conceptualizations and summarized narrative and meta-analytic reviews of social skills training (SST) outcome studies. Overall, modest effect sizes are reported in the meta-analytic literature, suggesting that SST is a relatively weak intervention strategy. Recommendations for rebuilding SST are provided. (Author/CR)

Discusses logic and interpretation problems inherent in doing quantitative syntheses of single-case research. Addresses the meta-analytic method of using percentage of nonoverlapping data, highlighting special concerns related to withdrawal designs, sensitivity to variability in behavior, social significance of behavior change, and variables that…

A meta-analysis of 267 studies conducted between 1950-1980 found that auditory and visual perceptual skills can successfully increase the accuracy of predicting reading achievement, but the magnitude of increases in predictive accuracy was contingent upon the combination of variables studied and was significantly reduced if an IQ score was known.…

Synthesis of 16 observation studies of reading instruction for students with learning disabilities and/or emotional/behavioral disorders concluded that: (1) substantial time was allocated to reading instruction, especially in special education settings; (2) the quality of reading instruction was low; and (3) independent seatwork and worksheets…

In this discussion of quantitative research synthesis, past criticisms of meta-analysis are reviewed along with the ways they have been addressed. Objections to single-subject synthesis methods are discussed, along with the advantages of using the percentage-of- nonoverlapping-data metric. The article concludes by questioning the veracity of…

Examines clients' counseling experiences using concept mapping, a methodological approach combing qualitative and quantitative strategies. Clarifies the scope and interrelations among elements of the retrospective experience of helpfulness among clients. Results found that the structure of the concept map was found to be consistent with an…

Identifies and estimates the influence of educational, psychological, and social factors on learning, using evidence from 61 research experts, 91 meta-analyses, and 179 handbook chapters and narrative reviews. Results suggest an emergent base for school learning, with proximal (psychological, instructional, and home environment) variables exerting…

Asserts that the reductionistic methodology used by M. Wang, G. Haertel, and H. Walberg in their study does not do justice to the educational phenomena they wish to illuminate. In addition, these authors have too simple a view of the relationship between educational research and educational practice. (SLD)

This paper reports on a meta-analysis of the research literature on effective teaching models for students with learning disabilities. It concludes: that the most effective models combined components of direct and strategy instruction; that eight major instructional factors captured most intervention programs; and that the explicit strategy…

Since the early 1980s, the vast majority of states have implemented enterprise zones. This paper analyzes urban zones in six states, examining the factors that states use to choose zone locations and the subsequent effect of the zones on business activity and employment. The source of outcome data is the U.S. Bureau of Census' longitudinal…

Using national survey data, the author finds little relationship between decision-making authority and the actual decisions that are made.