The Programme for International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) will establish technical standards and guidelines to ensure that the survey design and implementation processes of PIAAC yield high-quality and internationally comparable data. This document provides a revised version of the technical standards and guidelines originally…

The author discusses methods used to develop conversation control skills. Issues covered include (1) features of problem-centered and solution-centered conversation, (2) when to be problem-centered and when to be solution-centered, and (3) how to use the skills. (Author/CH)

Tested interactional "state of mind" model of hopelessness among prisoners. Inmates (n=146) completed measures of problem-solving appraisal, social alienation, irrational beliefs, reasons for living, hopelessness, and depression. Jail stress was related to hopelessness through interaction with cognitive mediators. Depression, low…

Examination of four programs in which young people have consistently excelled shows common elements, despite differences in setting, population, and goals. The four programs, which exemplify problem solving, peer counseling, community service, and communication respectively, include: (1) the Youth Action Program in New York City, a community…

Discusses teacher burnout and stress management. Describes characteristics of individuals susceptible to burnout, such as charisma, idealism, perfectionism, and goal-orientation. Presents common negative coping strategies for stress. Discusses effective stress management strategies such as changing the situation, taking a proactive role to gain…

Three forces are combining to mandate a more highly skilled work force: (1) technological advancement, (2) job growth centered on high-skill occupations, and (3) new work organizational strategies. As many as 50 million workers, many of them minorities and immigrants, may have to be trained or retrained in the next 12 years. (CH)