A point system was developed to reinforce appropriate study habits and behaviors of secondary students with learning disabilities and behavior disorders. The system functioned as a bank, with students depositing their points and earning weekly interest on points saved. Students could also use points to conduct financial transactions at the…

Eleven adolescents with serious emotional disturbances and 11 nonhandicapped peers, and their teachers, were observed in vocational education settings. The behavior of the two student groups did not differ significantly nor did the behavior of teachers toward the students differ. Implications for mainstreaming in vocational education classes are…

Reports on a descriptive profile of college students' HIV-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. Students reported good HIV knowledge and positive attitudes regarding infected individuals but also reported high risk behaviors. It is proposed that information from this study will supply useful information for national health objectives for…

Conducted study to assess nature and extent of alcohol consumption by college students and to make recommendation about university responses to alcohol use and abuse on campus. Students (n=247) completed questionnaires assessing various alcohol-related issues. Results were used to guide in planning and implementation of alcohol education,…

Many school districts have set up alternative learning centers to provide programs for students whose behavior problems keep them from functioning effectively in a traditional school program. A recent study of seven alternative middle school programs attributes program success to teacher effectiveness, focus on student learning, and smaller class…

First, second, and third graders (n=33) were observed in classrooms during a three-year study of the development of private speech and its relationship to behavioral accompaniment to task, attention, and task performance. Findings agreed with Vygotskian predictions that private speech promotes effective task-related behavior. (SH)

Because AIDS will probably remain a significant force, schools must revamp inadequate HIV prevention programs. Schools should focus on HIV risk behaviors, help students make more realistic risk estimates, emphasize skill development relevant to HIV-risk situations, use data on normative peer behavior, devote more classroom time to HIV education,…

An interview with a specialist in childhood trauma examines such issues as what childhood trauma is, what signs teachers should be on the alert for, what traumatized children have in common, how long the effects of trauma last, when psychiatric help is necessary, and how teachers can help. (SM)

Reports on a study of the perceived masculinity, femininity, or androgyny of young Canadian boys and teacher attitudes toward those students. Concludes that students whom teachers perceived as masculine were more likely to be labeled aggressive, whereas more apparently feminine or androgynous boys were seen by teachers as more prosocial. (SG)

A comprehensive investigation into psychological distress among Western Australian teachers used the General Health Questionnaire to measure nine independent variables, including five stressors and four distressors. The data showed high stress levels; stressors correlated positively with distress and distressors correlated negatively. Gender…

Girls as a group have far fewer science- and math-related experiences than boys. Reviews what is known about how these differences carry over into science museums. Behavioral studies indicate that girls generally engage in more cooperative behavior at museum exhibits, and boys explore exhibits more actively on their own. (Contains 23 references.)…

Introduces a system for recording and using classroom observation (consisting of cycles of teacher entries based on classroom observation, related hypotheses about students' strengths and needs, and regular checking and revision of the hypotheses) that was developed for elementary and middle school students who have difficulties reading. (SR)

Academic performance differences between 35 general education students, educated in an environment that included 5 students with mental handicaps or emotional disorder, and 108 general education students in noninclusive environments were compared. Results revealed no significant differences between the two groups in reading, language arts,…

Teachers need an appreciation for and empathetic understanding of their students, and they require tools for intervening when students have behavior problems or fail to demonstrate effective living skills in school. They must also have the courage to expect students to learn, grow, and live up to classroom standards. (SM)

Five single-subject studies indicated that adolescents with learning disabilities can successfully implement self-monitoring procedures in special and regular education settings and correspondingly improve their on-task behavior, without regard to classmates' percentage of on-task behavior and with fading of reinforcement and self-monitoring.…