The politics of the behavioral modification approach to educational evaluation are examined in this position paper. In recent years the science of behavior modification has become an established political doctrine in professional education. Behavioral objectives, behavior change, performance criteria, and competency-based instruction are just a…

A study of economically disadvantaged children in free play nursery contexts provided further evidence for the cross-cultural applicability of Schaefer's three-dimensional scheme in assessing classroom competencies. Several implications of the configurational approach are a new way of thinking about competence measurement, its differentiated…

About 3,000 educators have participated in Educ 521 human relations recertification programs sponsored by the Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS). In February 1975, the 755 participants who had processed their recertification forms were mailed a questionnaire to determine overall program effectiveness, differences among programs, and directions for…

In a field experiment it was tested whether teachers change their behavior when they receive student ratings as feedback on their own behavior and on the behavior of a fictitious ideal teacher from the students' perspective. The researchers believed that theories of cognitive balance do not adequately explain such behavioral changes; therefore the…

The extent to which second year medical students increased their positivity to psychiatry and changed their orientation toward the patient as a person, following a Behavioral Science course, was measured in two successive years. Mastery of the cognitive aspects of the course was also assessed. While performance significantly improved on the…

Four evaluation instruments were used to assess the impact of inservice and preservice training in open education techniques experienced by four teacher groups. The Semantic Differential Scale was used to determine teacher attitudes on the concepts of behavior modification, team teaching approach, parental involvement, self-contained classrooms,…

Described is a program designed to present social awareness skills to moderately, severely, and profoundly mentally handicapped persons (beginning with ages l3-l5 years) through group team play as well as through experiences in movement and physical activity. Of the several applicable teaching methods presented, behavior modification is discussed…

The book contains papers presented at a July 1973 conference sponsored by the Engineering Foundation of New York City, the American Psychological Association, and the Engineering Foundation for Professional Development. The papers examine the psychological and motivational changes which occur in midcareer engineers (Approximately age 40), with…

In order to promote change in teaching about conflict and war, a Mt. Diablo California Unified School District elementary school established an ongoing consultation program for considering teacher values and curriculum content. The plan called for a collaborative effort in combining the methodology of mental health consultation with resource…

An effort was made to assess the relative effectiveness of different reinforcement systems versus traditional teaching with maladjusted boys. The subjects were 60 boys in grades 6 and 7 who participated during language arts classes, but total data were gathered on 26 boys. The boys had histories of aggressive behavior and language problems.…

Lectures are concerned with the nurturing of intellect by Maurice Freehill, a new concept in rehabilitation by Bert MacLeech, principles of residential therapy as a tool of rehabilitation by Edward L. French, the progress of special education by Romaine P. Mackie, and behavior principles by Norris G. Haring. The priorities and territories of…

A course on military tactics was programed to provide four types of student response conditions: reading the item and writing the answer (overt, constructed), reading the item and thinking the answer (covert, constructed), reading the item with the answer included and then writing the answer (overt, prompted), and reading the item with the answer…

The development of an entry skills behavior package designed as lessons to prepare the culturally divergent children of the Southwestern United States for beginning reading instruction in existing school programs is described. The series of 135 discrete lessons teaches auditory discrimination, associative vocabulary, listening comprehension,…

It has been the experience of most adult basic education teachers that their students are apprehensive about taking tests. The study evaluates the effects of training adult basic education teachers in behavioral attending skills. Two basic questions were investigated: (1) Would the training of instructors in the use of behavior attending skills…

Reports are presented on three phase four projects being carried out by the Experimental Manpower Laboratory for Corrections (EMLC) using a behavioral approach to the problems of the offender. The Mount Meigs Project is concerned with a behavioral management program, using a token economy, in the academic education division of the Alabama…