Describes two functions of behavior problems (escape and attention seeking), functional assessment procedures, and treatment implications of these procedures. Seeks to stimulate interest in the potential relevance and advantages of adopting the functional conceptualization of behavior problems to assess and treat behavior problems of typically…

Presents a case history of a private clinical treatment of an individual for communication reticence. Focuses on rhetoritherapy which deals with inculcating effective communication skills. Illustrates the kinds of problems and strategies that characterize private treatment. (JMF)

This paper 1) discusses the problems encountered in preparing objectives for instructional programs; 2) describes an informal research project in which seven instructional designers working on the same project attempted to determine agreement on an objective; and 3) suggests how to prepare objectives so that difficulties can be minimized. One…

Although competency based education (CBE) offers solutions to some educational problems, it is not a cure-all. Problems with CBE include emphasis on output rather than the instructional process itself, over-reliance on occupational competencies and behavioral objectives, a tendency to lower academic standards, and the difficulty of implementation.…

Suggests that behavioral objectives and minimum competency testing can be effective for monitoring elementary students' mastery of basic skills, but to carry this system into the upper grades and other subject areas risks stultifying learning and inhibiting the free atmosphere that complex thinking and social education require. (SJL)

For each student to achieve optimally, a quality reading program must provide for individual differences. To guide students to learn as much as possible individually, selected philosophies of reading instruction may be used. These include: (1) experimentalism with its stress placed upon students reading to solve problems; (2) measurably stated…

Clarity of written expression is prized highly in the university curriculum and in the societal arena. Professors need to study, analyze, and appraise diverse recommended philosophies in teaching writing. An existentialist writing curriculum should: include extensive input from students on topics, forms of writing to be emphasized, and planning of…

Recently, training efforts have been undertaken to reduce the negative outcomes associated with increased verbal aggressiveness and accentuate the positive outcomes associated with increased argumentativeness within adolescent populations. This paper presents both positive and negative aspects of assessing aggressive communication predispositions…

This paper discusses two related areas in which recent advancements in cognitive science and educational technology may affect instructional design theory. These are: (1) the analysis of information-to-be-learned; and (2) the linkage of learning theory to instructional prescriptions. The first area proposes extensions to current methods of…

This paper reports on an empirical study of educators' perceptions of learning concepts, reviews the cognitive learning literature, and argues for an expanded view of conceptual knowledge and its role in education and training. The report begins with discussions of changing views of concept learning and declarative and procedural components of…

Perceives an increase in adult expectations of children's competence and a concomitant narrowing of what is considered normal child behavior. Questions the growing practice of placing children in "transition,""pre-K," and "pre-first" classes, and in pull-out "gifted" programs. Calls for greater acceptance of variety among children. (PAA)

Suggests that the aims and objectives of the British 16+ public examination in English are so watered-down as to be useless. (HOD)

In order to demonstrate how course content can be adapted so that thinking skills are included in the learning experience, this paper uses a unit of study from theater history as a basis for examining how subject matter can be structured with learning objectives, a study guide, a hypothetical problem situation, instructions, and feedback. The…

Robert M. W. Travers's 1980 essay is the focal point of this paper. He argues that evaluation research requires a scientific taxonomy of human behavior and learning. Such a taxonomy must be experimentally based, mathematically expressed, theoretically sound, and predictive. He bases such criteria on the development of scientifically successful…

Discusses the use of artificial intelligence to improve occupational instruction in complex subjects with high performance goals, such as those required for high-technology jobs. Highlights include intelligent computer assisted instruction, examples in space technology training, intelligent simulation environments, and the need for adult training…