Failure- and misconduct-prone black and Hispanic high school students were given five weekly sessions of rational-emotive education. Comparisons were made with alternate treatment and on-treatment controls. The rational-emotive groups showed greatest improvement on all dependent variables over an extended period of time. (Author/MFD)

A program of behavioral practice, assertiveness training, and social and contrived reinforcers was successful in establishing and maintaining automobile safety belt use by 16 children (ages 4-7) who never used them during a five-day preobservation period. Safety belt use occurred during 76%-90% of follow-up observations after two-three months.…

School-based training programs for personal and social coping skills have shown evidence of effectiveness in primary prevention of substance abuse. Early intervention programs for students most at risk are also needed, such as peer intervention, student assistance, and behavioral self-management programs in the areas of smoking and alcohol/drug…

This booklet provides an overview of the characteristics and needs of children with emotional and behavior disorders during the elementary and secondary school years. Each section also includes examples of projects, programs, and interventions that practitioners have implemented with positive results in school settings. After an introductory…

A sample of 24 voluntary participants in a federally funded vocational training and placement program for homeless people in El Paso, Texas, was studied to identify specific interventions that increase self-sufficient behaviors of homeless individuals. Case study data were collected from orientation discussions, career counseling sessions, and…

This book presents ways in which teachers can build virtue and character in middle and high school students. The text is divided into three parts. In part 1, "Measuring Virtue," ways in which virtue can be restored to education are explored. The chapters examine the problems teachers face, the elements of virtue, how to make virtue operational,…

This text provides an introduction to the principles of behavior modification and the specific information needed to apply these principles successfully in a school environment. Emphasis is on closing the gap between theory and practice through step-by-step procedures for developing, modifying, and fading out behavior management programs. Part 1…

Researchers have been slow to acknowledge the salient role communication can play in motivating people to adopt more healthy lifestyles. Because persuasive messages increase awareness and can increase health promoting behaviors, it is important to determine the most effective health promoting messages in various health contexts. Thus, the primary…

This publication reviews a variety of empirically supported approaches to dealing with alcohol and drug problems in adolescents. Its focus is to provide motivationally based brief interventions that can be delivered in a variety of contexts address key developmental considerations and draw on the latest knowledge about the processes of addictive…

This paper discusses the occurrence of challenging behaviors in adult men dually diagnosed with cerebral palsy and mental retardation, the dynamics that underlie problematic interactions with staff and peers, and strategies with which to address these behaviors. The vicious cycle that occurs when a client with cerebral palsy and mental retardation…

A teacher draws upon personal experiences to argue that successful classroom discipline is the product of teaching competence and style rather than the result of behaviorist classroom management techniques. Emphasis is on keeping children involved in learning activities. (PP)

Various self-report test anxiety instruments were examined with attention given to their reliability and validity. Treatments directed toward test worry were more effective than treatments directed toward test emotionality. Self-reported test anxiety was found to decrease as a result of most treatment including pseudotherapy. (Author/CP)

Describes the application of the Positive Peer Culture (PPC) treatment methodology to a population of troubled girls in a residential setting. The peer group utilizes naturally occurring problems as vehicles to teach girls about errors in behavior and thinking. Community activities are used to practice newly obtained prosocial behaviors. (LSR)

This article offers an instructional intervention for teaching analytical writing skills to middle school students with and without learning difficulties. The intervention combines direct instruction, peer critiquing (cooperative learning), and a cognitive behavior modification self-regulation strategy. (DB)

Using cross-sectional data from a cohort of 8th-grade, urban, black youth, several latent-variable structural equation models were tested. Findings underscore the continued primacy of deviance in predicting drug use and the necessity of incorporating affective influences into current cognitive-behavioral intervention strategies for minority youth.…