This paper is a preliminary report of a project designed to determine the family and other environmental factors which are associated with effective functioning in children from low income environments. The purpose of the project was to determine the strengths in poverty situations which should be capitalized on in developing educational programs…

This document contains abstracts of experimental research studies dealing with the training and acquisition of behaviors, skills, and dispositions which can be termed "moral" in themselves or can contribute to moral/ethical behavior. More specifically, the entries represent controlled experimental studies which describe a treatment and…

This study describes the civic and political behavior of the American public, with a special focus on youth ages 15 to 25. Using an extensive national telephone survey of 3,246 respondents, the authors describe what citizens are doing, and how often they are doing it. They look at a panorama of 19 core activities--ranging from voting to…

These curriculum skills units have been developed as a guide to assist educators instructing students with disabilities. Curriculum skills outlined in the text stress strategies needed to: develop effective communication skills, understand practical math and science skills, determine acceptable social skills needed in society, identify those…

Research on the impact of classroom environment on student behavior, attitudes, and achievement is reviewed. The review is divided into three areas: environmental variables; ecological perspectives; and open space school designs. Research needs are discussed, and the advantages and disadvantages of various research designs are summarized.…

This observational study analyzed effects of instructional variables on the engaged behavior of 29 students with moderate, severe, or profound intellectual disabilities who were included full-time in general elementary classrooms. Results indicated that one-to-one, small group, and independent work arrangements were associated with higher engaged…

Examined evidence for reciprocal influence between adoptive parents' behavior and heritable characteristics of adopted children. Found that psychiatric disorders of biological parents were significantly related to children's antisocial/hostile behaviors and consequently with adoptive parents' behavior. Also, the adoptee's antisocial/hostile…

This report details the latest findings from the biennial Maryland Adolescent Survey of the extent and trends in alcohol, tobacco, and drug use among students. To permit comparisons with national findings and trends, the form and content of survey items parallel those of the annual national study "Monitoring the Future," conducted by the…

The Gang Membership Inventory (GMI) was developed for use with urban high-risk youth and administered as part of a larger survey. The GMI consists of 15 true/false items asking about the respondent's involvement in gang activities in the year just past. Activities range from peripheral involvement to more serious involvement in gangs (e.g., being…

The meaning of academic achievement for African American students was studied in 2 populations, a sample of 145 (53% males, 47% female) African American middle school and high school students in an African American Academy summer enrichment program and 45 African American high school seniors (36% males, 64% females) in a summer program for…

The use of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Third Edition (WISC-III) and its interpretation in educational use are discussed. To measure intelligence, Wechsler believed one must measure the various aptitudes that contribute to the total behavior of the individual. The WISC-III has six verbal subtests and seven performance subtests.…

This document contains two sections: implementation of the performance-based Occupational Affective Behavior Analysis (OABA), and supporting research. Section 1 presents OABA, an analytic procedure designed to identify those affective behaviors important to success in an occupation, and gives directions on how to implement the procedure. The…

To determine how some learning disabled students manage to achieve success in college, a study investigated the extent to which successful learning disabled college students demonstrate characteristics often attributed to learning disabled students in general: inactive learners who fail to use efficient, organized strategies and who lack…

An interactional model explaining predisposition to hyperactivity asserts that being identified, diagnosed, and treated as hyperactive is a function of biological factors, early health and temperament, family characteristics, and the quality of the home environment. A longitudinal study involving 367 subjects, aged 17-18, tested the interactional…

Five experiments were conducted to determine whether properties inherent in some training procedures may subtly influence the adaptability of skilled performance of complex tasks. The first two experiments assessed the insensitivity of low-rate performances. Examined in the third experiment was the issue of whether instructions that focus…