The development, introduction, and evaluation of an instructional unit on suicide intervention by pharmacists are presented. Pre- and post-test results reveal significant increases in pharmacy students' knowledge and ability to recognize simulated suicidal behavior and appropriate intervention techniques. Descriptions of the videotaped simulations…

The Reading Improvement Through Art Program is an effort to adapt methodology proven successful with poor readers in elementary, intermediate and high schools. Describes this interdisciplinary program and calls attention to "the important relationships between visual and verbal learning". (Author/RK)

Historical regression uses the assumption that without intervention, growth at post-test will proceed at the same rate as at pre-test. Several methods of historical regression are compared with an illustrative example. (JKS)

Data from the national evaluation of Project Follow Through were analyzed using analysis of covariance with and without correcting the pretest for unreliability. Such corrections led to some changes in conclusions. There are many disagreements in the literature about the appropriateness of correction for unreliability. (Author/CTM)

Describes a pretest/posttest scheme used to evaluate the impact of a continuing nursing education program on the participants' knowledge of the perinatal content covered. To complement this program-centered evaluation, an evaluation from the program participants was also obtained. Discusses the results of this evaluation and their implications.…

Discusses the need for alcohol education programs within schools, the commonly used approaches used by teachers for alcohol education, some new teaching approaches, and several ideas for student projects in an alcohol education class. A pretest on facts about alcohol with the answers and suggested references for teachers are included. (EM)

To determine if posttests administered immediately following a continuing pharmacy education (CPE) program are reliable predictors of long-term knowledge retention, a portion of three posttests used in three successive CPE programs was readministered to attendees of those programs 8 to 21 weeks later. Posttests do not reliably assess long-term…

Discussion of the use of microcomputers as word processors in basic writing classes highlights the improvements in students' writing skills. Changes in teachers' approaches to writing courses are discussed and results of a study of 24 students in a basic writing course using microcomputers at Montclair State College are presented. (Author/LRW)

Describes a study of the effects of direct exposure to the reading selection topics of the New Jersey College Basic Skills Placement Test reading comprehension subtest on students' posttest scores. Finds that instruction in reading strategies helps student performance, but that background information on test topics did not affect scores. (AYC)

Two self-report techniques assessed student behaviors before and after life-skills substance abuse prevention program for inner city seventh graders. Retrospective pretest/posttest technique demonstrated no significant changes in drug usage; traditional pretest/posttest indicated significant increases in tobacco use. Results support continued use…

The focus of this research was on teaching one generalization strategy, programing common stimuli, to special-education teachers so they could systematically gather information from general educators and use it to program for generalization. Results indicated that training increased the percent of common stimuli information teachers gathered.…

Two approaches are used to assess the one-month stability of depression affect in college students: (1) a high retest correlation is demonstrated for a latent depressive affect construct using self-reports from the previous month; and (2) predictive validity of depressive categorization is examined using logistic regression techniques. (Author/LMO)

Describes a study which explored the effects on kindergarten children of a LOGO computer programing experience lasting one month (20 classes). Results indicate a positive effect as seen in greater gains by treatment group in dependent school readiness variables and no significant effect on creativity or self-concept. (MBR)

Use of analysis of covariance or multiple regression can lead to Type I errors in pretest-posttest nonequivalent control group designs. Analysis of the interaction term of a repeated model analysis of variance was shown to help identify areas of significant change. The standardized difference score, effect size, suggested meaningful differences.…

Two studies investigated whether instructing students to organize recall would differentially facilitate performance of "fast" and "slow" learners (defined from pretest recall performance). Instructions to employ alphabetic organization facilated performance of both groups to the same extent, whereas categorical organization facilitated slow…