This study investigated the generalization of parenting skills to the home from PCIT delivered in a community mental health setting with four urban, low-income, single mothers at risk for child maltreatment. Using a multiple baseline design and direct observation in the home, the research examined changes in positive attention skills (praise,…

This study evaluates school personnel perceptions, knowledge, and behaviors before and after a 36-hr training program designed to prepare early childhood school personnel for implementation of an after-school family preventive intervention for conduct problems. Participants were 40 female school personnel (22 professionals and 18…

This study investigated the effects of the Direct Instruction writing program, "Expressive Writing" (Engelmann & Silbert, 1983), for high school students with learning disabilities (LD). The study used a multiple probe design across participants and results indicate the effectiveness of "Expressive Writing" in improving the writing skills of high…

We conducted a reliability generalization meta-analysis to examine the internal consistency of Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS; Spanier, 1976) scores across 91 published studies with 128 samples and 25,035 participants. The DAS was found to produce total and Dyadic cohesion, Consensus, and Satisfaction scores of acceptable internal consistency,…

These experiments explored whether behavioral improvements observed during Snoezelen OT treatment sessions carried over to two different settings for three people with moderate/severe intellectual disability, autism and severe challenging behaviors. Experiment 1 explored engagement during a functional task immediately following the treatment…

A telephone survey of Michigan residents provided statistics about the economic conditions and undesirable behavior of white Americans and asked respondents to estimate the corresponding statistics for blacks. Data from white respondents showed that the greater the perceived racial difference (PRD) in rates of undesirable behavior, the more blacks…

This paper demonstrates a method for constructing long variables using items that elicit partically correct responses across ages. Long variables may be defined by students at different ages (year levels) attempting common items within a test containing other items considered to be appropriate for each age or year level. A developmental model of…

When conducting a two-year college program review, there are several advantages to supplementing the standard quantitative research approach with qualitative measures. Qualitative research does not depend on a large number of random samples, it uses a flexible design which can be refined as the research is executed, and it generates findings in a…

This manual, written in workbook form, presents a self-management program for individuals with severe disabilities. The program is designed to facilitate treatment gains in multiple settings and in the absence of a treatment provider. The steps in the program include: (1) getting ready (define behaviors, measure behaviors, choose a reward, and…

Developing good criterion measures of professional performance is difficult. If criterion-related validity evidence for certification requirements could not be generalized beyond the specific context in which it was obtained, gathering that evidence would probably not be worth the effort. This paper examines two possible approaches to the…

This study addressed the problem of promoting generalization of knowledge in people with mental handicaps, by presenting an approach based on the idea that certain cognitive representations of strategies and related concepts are common to solving a wide variety of problems. The surface context of these problems may vary considerably, but all will…

Research on Vygotsky's zone of proximal development theory was used as a foundation to investigate differences in the learning and transfer ability of 30 students with learning disabilities (LD) and 30 students with matched low achievement (LA), from grades 7 and 8. The two groups were assessed on their problem-solving ability on a balance scale…

Findings from a study to develop and validate an instrument for the measurement of principals' attitudes toward visionary leadership are presented in this paper. Two leadership styles--visionary and managerial--were measured by a 35-item five-point Likert attitude scale. Questionnaires mailed to a random sample of 250 K-12 Nebraska and 250…

Working on the hypothesis that if readers had several alternative correct meanings of a given text set before them they would select the one in accordance with their abstract abilities and intellectual maturity, a study investigated the measurement of levels of meaning as illustrated in taxonomies and focused on the applicability of the taxonomies…

The effects of two training sequences on the development of young children's logical operations and number concepts, including rational counting strategies, were investigated. Forty-five preschool children, aged 3.11 to 4.10, were randomly assigned to two treatment groups and one control group. Subjects in the treatment groups received training…