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.…

Compared classification procedures of peer rating and peer positive, negative, and behavioral nomination. Two large samples of children were followed from grades three to five. Each sociometric system was found to maximize different psychometric properties. Two-dimensional systems yielded better behavioral discriminability than did unidimensional…

Students at Rutgers University completed a one-semester interdisciplinary course on Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Questionnaires administered before and after the course assessed changes in AIDS-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. Results showed that sexual behaviors did not change significantly. (SM)

Motivational strategies used by 30 first year elementary school teachers and on-task behaviors of their respective students were monitored. Each teacher used several motivating strategies (concerning getting attention, emphasizing relevance, building confidence, and imposing rewards and punishments). There was a significant positive correlation…

A three-year study of Saskatchewan high school sophomores found consistent male advantage in mathematics concepts, computation, and problem solving, which was unrelated to classroom behaviors or cognitive structures. Gender differences on 1978 and 1985 provincial achievement subtests are examined for grades 4, 7, and 10. Contains 50 references.…

Addresses the problems of the slow learner, the student who does not achieve at the higher levels of the class. Discusses reasons for student failures. Suggests that all students are talented, so teachers must find ways to bring out the best in each child. (SG)

Researchers studied the predictive utility of the health belief model in relation to prevention of HIV infection among Asian-American college students. Surveys of 141 students indicated that perceived severity and barriers to preventive action were significant predictors of the adoption of HIV-preventive behaviors in that population. (SM)

Discusses (1) school drug testing and reasons why schools should have embraced it; (2) educational systems' responses to student drug testing and reasons schools have not adopted it; and (3) school social organization and politics accounting for schools' deploring drug use yet ignoring potentially useful technology. Four responses are appended.…