Autonomic reactivity to cognitive stress was assessed in 10-year-old boys who were rated as either disruptive (n=18), anxious-disrupted (n=18), or not disruptive or anxious (n=15). Electrodermal activity, cardiac reactivity, and muscle tension were higher during a mental arithmetic stress task for the anxious-disruptive group. (Author/SW)

Examines selected components of existing school smoking policies in schools nationwide as part of the Community Intervention Trial for Smoking Cessation. Schools were questioned about their smoking policies, related resources, and compliance. Results indicated that school tobacco use policies consistently failed to meet the conditions for health…

Study examined the perceptions and coping behaviors of low-skilled sixth graders in physical education. Interview and field observation data indicated that students used several strategies to cope with repeated failure (avoiding the task, remaining silent, acting out, and trying to execute skills in the face of classmate criticism). (SM)

The causes of violence in schools, as in society, are multiple and complex; they are rooted in the intolerable economic and social conditions created by Brazil's development model, characterized by unequal wealth distribution, widespread poverty, and an exclusive society. By mirroring this exclusionary process, the educational system is inherently…

A survey of 241 Nigerian teachers found that subjects felt that the principal marker of giftedness is learning characteristics rather than general behavioral characteristics or creativity. The demographic variables of sex, educational level, and age did not have any significant differential effects on the perceptions of the subjects. (Author/JDD)

Discusses a study of the effects of a schoolwide behavior management program on Australian elementary school teachers' use of encouragement. Concludes that, although teacher encouragement of students increased during the program, encouragement levels reduced following the intervention's withdrawal. Calls for further research into the effects of…

Reports on a study involving college students who completed a questionnaire measuring involvement, moods, attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavior control, and intentions concerning specific leisure activities. Reports one year later showed that attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control predicted leisure intentions;…

Throughout the world, large numbers of students whose mother tongue is other than English attend English-medium primary and secondary schools, but many do not complete their educations. The study reported here makes the classroom the focus of investigation and examines aspects of classroom interaction that may influence student failure and teacher…

Educators must dedicate the time, energy, and resources necessary to provide all students with a substantial acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) educational program. Lists 6 goals, stresses the importance of effective classroom delivery, and states that 12 hours seems the minimum instructional time necessary for an effective stand-alone…

Investigates the mathematical behavior of 30 college students in a problem situation that requires them to find the inverse of a given compound element in an environment of LOGO turtle graphics. Results from interviews indicate that, in searching for the inverse, students tend to invert the elements but not the order. (MDH)

This study of 16 learning-disabled high school students in algebra classes found that their help-seeking behavior was similar to that of 16 normal-achieving peers, differing only in that subjects sought instrumental help from peers significantly more often than from the teacher. (Author/JDD)

Argues for an understanding of play as a flux between the imagination and attempts to test consequences of "what if" questions. Discusses leading educational theorists' views of the role of play. Suggests that school authority which reduces creative play closes off children's means of finding answers to some vocational questions. (SG)

Reports a study of adolescents' motivations for smoking. Survey results indicated that curiosity, social norms, and pressures were the main reasons for beginning smoking and that pleasure, addiction, and desire were the main reasons for continuing; various gender differences surfaced. Suggestions are given for smoking prevention programs. (SM)

Examined relationship between affect, demographics, and health-related lifestyle among 139 public high school students. Data analyses revealed distinctive demographic and affective correlates of different health behaviors. No one variable uniformly predicted adolescents' health behaviors. Demographics and affect showed differential relationships…

Five elementary students with severe emotional disturbance participated in a comprehensive functional assessment process designed to yield a useful understanding of their desirable and undesirable behaviors. Individualized hypotheses were developed regarding relationships between classroom events and the occurrence of target behaviors, and…