In this article, the author responds to a teacher's request for advice on how to handle one 4-year-old child in class who is having difficulty adjusting to changes. According to the parents, maybe that is because they have been so careful to keep promises and be predictable at home. The author provides some suggestions on how to work with the…

Research continues to reinforce the desirability of non-punitive environments for children. This article describes a school for severely emotionally impaired children that was transformed from a coercive climate to empowering children to develop their own controls. The author stresses that removing systems based on punishment and control can be…

Environmental education, both in and outside of the classroom, aims to facilitate adoption of sustainable practice by both school students and the general public. This paper explores the role of free-choice learning experiences in this regard. An overview of theoretical approaches underpinning free-choice learning research is provided, examples…

This study evaluated a multi-level intervention with primary and secondary levels of support with 210 at-risk students. Findings suggest that a multi-level intervention program containing literacy and behavioral components can improve reading achievement of students, regardless of level of risk. However, statistically significant changes on…

The extended parallel process model (EPPM) is receiving increasing attention in many undergraduate and graduate persuasion and health communication textbooks and classes. The EPPM is concerned with the effect of four variables on behavior: (1) perceived susceptibility; (2) perceived severity; (3) response-efficacy; and (4) self-efficacy. The first…

Young injecting drug users are a particularly vulnerable group for Hepatitis C (HCV) infection. One method for minimising the risk of contraction of Hepatitis C for amphetamine users (not widely explored in the research to date) is through encouraging non-injecting routes of administration (NIROA). Self-report data from 150 young injecting…

Although the effectiveness of corporal punishment (CP) has received little empirical support, public support for this disciplinary method continues despite calls for its abandonment by researchers. Even among educators, favorable attitudes toward the use of CP are prevalent. We measured education majors' beliefs about CP before and after they read…

Changes in early adolescents' self-reported cheating behaviors in mathematics before and after the transition from middle school to high school are examined. Students were surveyed in school regarding their cheating behaviors in math, and the motivational goal structures perceived in their math classrooms. Surveys were completed twice during the…

Adolescence is the transition from childhood to adulthood, a period during which an individual acquires the skills necessary to survive on his or her own, away from parents or other caregivers. Adolescence can be a very confusing time. They experience changes in sleep, diet, mood, weight and attitude and a decreased pleasure from daily activities.…

Measures of clinical significance are frequently used to evaluate client change during therapy. Several alternatives to the original method devised by N. S. Jacobson, W. C. Follette, & D. Revenstorf (1984) have been proposed, each purporting to increase accuracy. However, researchers have had little systematic guidance in choosing among…

The Good Behavior Game (GBG), a type of interdependent group-oriented contingency management procedure, was first introduced in 1969 and has been used with overwhelming success in classrooms and other settings. Since its inception, the "game" has utilized team competition and peer influence combined with reinforcement procedures. It has been found…

This study assessed the comparability and reliability of paper-based and computer-based administration of psychosocial construct measures related to adolescents engaging in physical activity and sedentary behaviors. Adolescents (n = 76; 55% girls, 49% Hispanic, 18% non-Hispanic-white; M age = 13 years) completed measures of behavior change…

Understanding what facilitates change in men who perpetrate domestic violence can aid the development of more effective batterer intervention programs (BIPs). To identify and describe key change processes, in-depth interviews were conducted with nine successful BIP completers and with 10 intervention group facilitators. The accounts described a…

The combined tools of psycholinguistics and systems analysis have produced advances in motivational profiling resulting in numerous applications to behavioral engineering. Knowing the way people frame their motive offers leverage in causing behavior change ranging from persuasive marketing campaigns, forensic profiling, individual psychotherapy,…

This article examines communication and system issues in dealing with misconduct in adolescents. The initial focus is an analysis of the goals of misconduct, including attention, power, revenge, and display of inadequacy. The second focus encourages the school system to consider its own part in the problems of misconduct, by examining circular…