Examined the relationship between mothers' attachment strategies and emotion regulation in a sample of 42 families with 2 high school-aged siblings. Found that mothers with preoccupied strategies had difficulty regulating emotion during conversations with their older teenagers about them leaving home. Mothers with secure strategies perceived their…

This study examined the occupational and leisure preferences of 232 mildly to moderately mentally retarded Oregon adults (75 percent were 35-54 years old and 25 percent were 55 or older). Findings indicated strong preferences for greater variety, frequency, and choice in these activities. Implications for designing retirement options for this…

Studied level of alienation and associations between socioeconomic variables and alienation in 200 older senior center clients. Found group isolation and powerlessness were more prevalent than personal isolation or normlessness; health, race, education, and income were strongest predictors of alienation; and older Blacks and those with lower…

Discusses beliefs about autonomy, curriculum, and reading that inform the teaching model of critical thinking. It suggests that teaching critical thinking in college as it has evolved into teaching of informal logic is not sufficient for actualizing the ideal of education for autonomy. (SM)

Examines the role of self-directedness or "learning education" in student development. Discusses a study of a group of Moscow (Russia) social science classes. Reports that children who studied a topic as a whole during each class outperformed students for whom the material was divided into separate lessons. Suggests that the holistic…

This article outlines the basic steps in designing and implementing a self-monitoring program and gives examples of such programs being implemented in classroom and clinical settings. Examples of program use in increasing on-task behavior, increasing responsivity to questions, improving articulation, and increasing accuracy on subtraction problems…

Examined mother-child interaction in play and teaching tasks. Mother-child interaction aggregates represented task orientation, positive emotion, and allowance of autonomy. Maternal interaction aggregates predicted teachers' ratings of children's positive social behavior, assertiveness, and sadness in the preschool setting. (BC)

Examined whether performance on scales reflecting problem-solving dimensions of personality could predict ego-strength in college students (n=348). Findings did not support statistically significant relationship between all problem-solving scales and ego-strength. Individually, evidence supported hypothesis that ego-strength can be predicted from…

Conceptualizations of self-directed learning have emphasized the social characteristics of learner isolation or social autonomy, neglecting the importance of pedagogical and psychological factors. However, psychological self-directedness or psychological control is the necessary and sufficient cause for self-directed learning and best…

This article presents a rationale for including self-determination in special education curricula. It describes a framework for providing choices, based on an analysis of risk and benefits, and compares assessment approaches and teaching strategies. The recommended approach emphasizes criterion-referenced assessments that are setting specific.…

Contends that empowerment and student autonomy strongly correlate with self-confidence; that this increases with incremental successes; and that any success is the outcome of acquiring and applying appropriate skills. Argues that geography students will be better life-long learners if they are taught enabling skills early in their programs. (DSK)

A study examined the level of sexual-abuse knowledge and self-protection skills in 77 female Chinese adolescents with mild mental retardation. Participants were more able to recognize inappropriate than appropriate touches and sexual requests. Also, they were inadequate in protecting themselves and had difficulty in reporting sexual abuse.…

Reviews the literature on the social integration of people with intellectual disability. Describes a support model in Italy which views self-esteem as resulting from the social integration of service users as a peer group rather than as individuals, while encouraging independence in the form of paid employment. (DB)

Examined elementary students' evaluations of decision-making procedures in different social contexts. Found that consensus was preferred in peer and family contexts and authority-based procedures were preferred for school curricular decisions. Older children were more likely than younger to consider how children's limited knowledge and competence…

Two studies investigated relationship between adolescents' subjective age and self-reported problem behavior, autonomy, and peer relationships. Findings indicated that older subjective age among 15-year olds correlated positively with problem behaviors, behavioral autonomy, and involvement with other-sex peers. When chronological age and pubertal…