A supports classification and assessment system is required in residential settings that enables accurate classification and resource allocation in the context of limited resources. In developing such a system, the American Association on Mental Retardation intensities of supports framework was used and consultation with all stakeholders resulted…

Since the classical authors of the nineteenth century, the explanation of macro-social phenomena has been considered as the essential epistemic achievement, hence the "raison d'etre," of comparative analysis in the social sciences. In practice, however, the claims of comparative social enquiry for providing convincing explanations are…

This paper presents findings of a study that developed, measured, and tested the Organizational/Supervisory (O/S) Model of Instructional Supervision. The six dimensions of the Organizational Supervisory Climate Inventory (OSCI)--organizational structure, professional autonomy, collaborative sharing, district supervisory climate, reflection, and…

This chapter argues for the value of sibling research in addressing behavioral genetic issues on the etiology of individual differences. The goal of the report is to provide a set of simple and practical examples of sibling analyses in order to highlight the importance of incorporating siblings in future research. It begins with a discussion of…

The goal of this study was to extend what is currently understood regarding attitudes toward the homeless population. The study focused on how homeless and nonhomeless adolescents attribute the causes of homelessness. Grounded in attribution theory, the study hypothesized that nonhomeless adolescents would ascribe causality to dispositional or…

The purpose of this study is to examine multiple influences on twelfth-grade environmental knowledge for a national probability sample of high school students. A longitudinal model was developed and tested incorporating background factors (socioeconomic status and gender) and intervening variables (internal locus of control, level of science…

An exploration of the economic and historical causes of homelessness is combined with accounts of individuals and families who are on the streets or in shelters and how they came to that point. Following an overview of the problem of homelessness and its causes, nine chapters present stories of homeless individuals, friends, and families. These…

This transcript of a conference presentation describes a motivational model of alcohol use that shows the interrelationship between the various factors that affect drinking. First, a flow diagram is presented and described that shows how complex biological, psychological, and environmental variables contribute to a person's motivation for…

This study focused on high school students' conceptions and substantial concept change learning processes when studying the kinetic theory of gases. The study was conducted in 1998 in four classes of a public metropolitan high school in South Korea. Data was collected through semistructured and in-depth interviews and participant observation of…

Using data from 4,644 undergraduates, this study tested a causal model identifying effects of social integration, age, and time limiting characteristics on adult student learning. Time limiting characteristics included such constraints as off-campus responsibilities and relationships. Educationally related peer relationships were the strongest…

Violence in America is a public health problem of the highest magnitude. In order to address this problem, the causes of violence and an overview of some effective treatment and prevention programs are presented in this booklet. It focuses on biobehavioral factors (ways in which physiological characteristics influence behavior) and centers on such…

Uses five unusual indifference curve exercises to show how changing the jail sentence and changing the reward for good behavior can influence the crime rate. Recommends eliminating minimum sentencing while raising sentencing and increasing the rewards for good behavior. Includes illustrative graphs for each exercise. (MJP)

Uses clinical case studies showing autistic children's fascination with and understanding of machines, family studies focusing on occupations of fathers and grandfathers of children with autism or Asperger Syndrome, and experimental evidence using picture-sequencing methods to identify physical or intentional causality to show that children with…

Contrasts aptitude by treatment interaction (ATI) and hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) methods for making cross-level inferences between individual-level and group-level factors in school effectiveness research. Recommends HLM when intraclass correlations are high. ATI is suitable when intraclass correlations are low, but partitioning the…

Findings from a study of 504 second grade students indicate that phonics knowledge has a causal impact on both reading comprehension and vocabulary gains; reading comprehension has a causal effect on vocabulary gains. (Author/IAH)