Explores the possibilities for developing autonomous learners by using participation in curriculum development, collaborative learning, and self- and peer assessment. A university research-methodology curriculum unit with this aim is described. Student outcomes included increased motivation, excitement, confidence, in-depth learning, appreciation…

This article describes development and psychometric properties of the Community Living Attitudes Scale, Mental Retardation, a 40-item measure based on the input of self-advocates and focused on contemporary community living philosophies. Tested with 742 individuals, the measure's factor structure was confirmed, and subscales of Empowerment,…

Examines two different types of human motivation, pragmatic and nonpragmatic. Experimental studies in preschool-age children in both the former Soviet Union and Western cultures are presented. Suggests that the two contrasting conceptions of human motivation lead to totally different practical strategies for transforming human motivation in…

Examined personal storytelling of European-American preschoolers from working- or middle-class families as a medium through which they construct autonomous selves. Found that children in both communities had extensive rights to speak of past experiences and limited rights to author experiences. Middle-class communities viewed expressing one's view…

Evaluation of the "Choices-in-Transition Intervention" program with 41 low-income, predominantly ethnic minority group high school students with disabilities found the program resulted in significant increases in students' help-recruiting skills. Ninety percent of students received help with their goals and 85 percent met at least one of their…

The purpose of this article is to provide the reader with an orientation to the concepts and principles of autonomy and self-determination and the application of those concepts and principles to working with children and adolescents who have intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD), including autism. Self-determination is essentially…

Sweden's present school curricula emphasise personal flexibility, creativity, responsibility for learning and suggest new understandings of quality in learning, where individual freedom of choice is meant to help produce creative, motivated, alert, inquiring, self-governing and flexible users and developers of knowledge. These curriculum changes…

One of the issues that has been debated in the context of fairly open learning partnerships such as tandem learning has been whether and, if so, how much pedagogical support should be provided. Another issue is how do language learners who have grown accustomed to maximising their learning through comprehensible input and output make the…

By providing access, data and new forms of literacy and communication practices, it is widely accepted that networked technologies have done much to promote learner autonomy. However, in practical terms, the lack of resources, expertise and research investigations into learner interaction have all too often meant that autonomous learning is…

In this article, the author discusses the concept of the individual as essentially autonomous. Subsequently, each individual, in theory, is capable of directing the course of his/her own life. Yet, as persons, we are continually required to confront and even overcome new challenges in life. The potential of every human being to respond to such…

A recently formulated correspondence hypothesis states that influence style effectiveness depends on how it fits in with the communication contract activated in the context of influence: almost symmetrical relationships require respectful styles, while authoritarian styles are more effective when the social distance between the influence source…

This paper focuses on the elements of brain-compatible learning theory and instruction, noting its significance for students with developmental disabilities. The paper proposes a learning program for children (with and without disabilities) which is "brain-compatible," defined as "absence of threat." Eight elements are seen as critical in…

This document is the product of meetings of the Prime Study Group of the Institute on Rehabilitation Issues, whose mission was to: examine consumer choice and decision making in rehabilitation; review the legislation and consumer movements leading to greater consumer choice; identify the roles and responsibilities of the consumer, the counselor,…

Written for researchers and clinicians, this book integrates key perspectives in order to illuminate common beliefs about core processes of emotional development. The book is divided into three parts. Part 1 discusses the nature of emotional development. Topics covered here include: (1) questions relevant in a developmental assessment of emotions;…

The relationship between housing and family well-being and self-sufficiency are explored in this paper's three major sections. The first section provides background information on the relationship between housing and the physical and social well-being of individuals and families and describes the major federal housing initiatives that have been…