Challenging behavior in preschool is a serious concern for teachers. In recent years, positive behavior support (PBS) has been shown to be effective in reducing such behaviors. Class-Wide Function-related Intervention Teams (CW-FIT) is a specific program for implementing PBS principles in classroom settings. CW-FIT is a group contingency that…

The purpose of this study was to test an experimental plan for improving attendance and achievement in an urban high school in order to determine its effects on the students. The plan for improving achievement and attendance was designed specifically to work effectively with the problems of inadequate student accountability, poor motivation within…

This report describes a program for increasing students' intrinsic motivation in an effort to increase academic achievement. The targeted population consisted of secondary level students in a middle to upper-middle class suburban area. The students of the targeted secondary level classes appeared to be disengaged from learning due to a lack of…

The purpose of this study is the construction of an administrative model to deal with youth in conflict in inner-city high schools through the intervening therapeutic technique called Positive Peer Culture (P.P.C.) Development of this model was facilitated by analyzing the literature, nationwide visitations of P.P.C. Programs and results of…

A means was developed to reduce the necessity for discipline among the 25 students who were the most chronic discipline problems at Thomas Jefferson High School, a 1,500-student school in suburban Pittsburgh. The students were identified by assigning point values to various disciplinary measures administered to students. The 25 students met with a…

This action research project implemented and evaluated a program for improving classroom seating arrangements in order to increase on-task behavior among students in second and third grade. The problem of off-task behavior was documented by means of behavior checklists and anecdotal records. Analysis of probable cause data revealed that students'…

The purpose of this study was to increase motivation in 7th grade students. Four teacher researchers examined the change in motivational levels as a result of choice strategies. They gathered data from four different classes, 101 students in all, to track levels of motivation. They monitored their levels of observable behavioral patterns with a…

This action research project evaluated a program to improve students' ability to resolve conflicts. Many students of the targeted third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade classrooms lacked a well-defined sense of classroom community as well as the ability to resolve conflicts peaceably. Research indicated that specific skills needed to be taught. For this…

This action research project implemented and evaluated a program for improving social development of elementary school students in order to lessen disruptive behavior in physical education class. The targeted population consisted of elementary school children in second, fourth, and fifth grades in a growing rural, middle class community. Anecdotal…

Hypothesizing that young students would exhibit fewer classroom behavior problems when engaged in activities linked to their strengths and interests, this study examined the use of Gardner's multiple intelligences to improve student behavior. Targeted were 20 students in prekindergarten, kindergarten, and first grade classrooms in two suburban…

This report describes a program for improving moral character to increase academic achievement. Targeted population consisted of middle school students in a growing middle class community in a northern suburb of Chicago, Illinois. The problem, an absence of proper moral character, was documented through data collected from discipline referrals to…

This report describes a project for teaching students to implement social skills in the classroom, playground, and lunchroom. The hope is to reduce the inappropriate behavior that occurs in these areas. The targeted population consisted of a middle to lower income elementary school in Illinois. After analyzing the data collected, it was revealed…

Applying the principles of American Pragmatism to college composition offers a solution to the general problems of program design, syllabi development, instructional effectiveness, and student behavior modification. American Pragmatism involves the classic problems of meaning and knowledge. These problems stem from the linguistic possibility of…

An action research project developed a program for implementing character education to improve behavior, particularly as related to respect and responsibility and to reduce inappropriate behavioral choices. Targeted population consisted of junior high and high school students at three sites in a community located in a Midwestern suburban…

This dissertation discusses teaching English to the adult (24 years old or older) undergraduate. The purposes of the paper were to make a statement on teaching the adult; to survey adults for their perceptions of their needs and the ways the courses met them; to review findings of schools offering special adult degree programs; and to develop a…