This dissertation sought to answer the question: Is it possible to build a software tool that will allow teachers to write better multiple-choice questions? The thesis proceeded from the finding that the quality of teaching is very influential in the amount that students learn. A basic premise of this research, then, is that improving teachers…

The objective of this qualitative study was to establish the existing positive factors in the lives of 18 juvenile males living in a low-security correctional facility in order to determine approaches which foster resiliency. Urie Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory, an approach to understanding human development within the context of the…

This study evaluated the Gentle Warrior Program, a traditional martial arts-based intervention to reduce aggression in children, as it was implemented in three elementary schools. The sample consisted of 254 children in grades 3, 4, and 5 who participated in the Gentle Warrior Program as part of a larger school violence intervention. Results…

Researchers have documented links between a number of behavioral issues and homelessness, including the following: limited/no social networks; social isolation; proneness of victimization; history of emotional, physical, sexual, and substance abuse; lack of education; and anxiety resulting from inadequate physical space. The possible benefits of…

This book aims to enlighten its readers on how to achieve optimal human efficiency, well-being, and balance through "brainwave training." According to the book, the 4 kinds of brainwaves--beta, alpha, theta, and delta--communicate with each other to pass information between conscious and unconscious mind. Mastering these brainwaves…

This case is about a 6-year-old boy, Bobby, who during an apparently successful kindergarten year suddenly began to have great difficulty attending school. The boy had a definite aversion to school unless at least one of his parents was present and even then he had much trepidation over entering his kindergarten classroom. The situation had both…

Cognitive behavioral psychology is a new theoretical orientation and when applied in treatment it is known as cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). Theoretically CBT seeks primarily to change cognitions to alter behaviors and to modify cognitions to affect emotions. In general CBT is considered to be an information processing psychology because it…

York Behaviour Management Services, one of 33 programs funded by the Ontario (Canada) Ministry of Community and Social Services, is designed to help deinstitutionalized handicapped persons adapt to the demands of community life. An introduction (presented by D. Griffiths) on the background of behavior modification reviews reasons for some negative…

This manual, the second of a two-part study, addresses issues involved in behavioral interventions with low incidence, severely handicapped students. Initial chapters focus on selecting appropriate goals, writing behavioral objectives, and selecting observational systems to measure behavior change. General treatment procedures for increasing and…

The paper outlines guidelines for developing policy on use of nontraditional educational interventions (such as timeout, aversive stimulation, biofeedback, behavior modification, relaxation therapy, and group meetings) with behavior disordered students. A model policy statement on the use of isolation rooms is presented. Such a statement should…

Adherence to a variety of conceptual frameworks in psychological treatment has resulted in technical and theoretical eclecticism. Therapy techniques have become reduced to a set of tactics in which the therapist juggles conceptual frameworks in an attempt to maximize constructive behavior change. The practitioner must conceptualize his therapeutic…

Previous research on differential responses to psychological procedure labels has shown that the general public makes no distinction between the labels behavior modification, behavior therapy, and behavior treatment, but shows a strong preference for the label counseling, compared to the labels behavior therapy and psychotherapy. To extend…

An experienced Gestalt therapist and educator discusses some neglected areas of this popular approach to personal growth. The theory behind Gestalt Therapy is also examined in detail. (Author)

When children experience serious problems with peer relationships there is increasing evidence that these children are at risk for a variety of adjustment problems later in life. This study utilized a variety of interventions to decrease negative behaviors in an active 4-year-old in a preschool setting referred by his teacher for noncompliant,…

Empirical research on behavioral marital therapy (BMT) was reviewed and it was concluded that BMT, with its emphasis on working on a strictly behavioral level with married couples, was an effective form of therapy. Six component analysis studies were then examined which showed a general trend in the studies indicating that strictly behavioral…