Explores voting behavior of African Americans and whites in local school and tax referenda to determine whether racial conflict is still a primal factor in noncandidate elections. Results for voters in 5 counties in Florida (over 1,699,000 voters) reveal African-American underregistration and the continuing importance of racial cleavage. (SLD)

This study examined the interactional social behaviors of six elementary grade children with specific language impairment. Data reviewed included teacher ratings of social skills and child self-perceptions of loneliness and peer contacts. Children also were observed during interactional tasks including access, negotiation, and cooperative work.…

A study of 55 Chinese-American students (ages 7 to 13) with limited English proficiency who were classified as having learning disabilities found that the students fell behind academically and that their pattern of performance was similar to that of English-speaking peers with learning disabilities. Discrepancies between verbal IQ and performance…

Offers guidelines to teachers for identifying depression in students with mental retardation. Discusses prevalence and symptoms of depression, causes of depression, difficulty of diagnosis in students with mental retardation, detecting symptoms in the classroom, treatment of depression, and psychological services. Inserts list ideas for helping…

Analysis of the stories told by 19 teachers from New Brunswick (Canada) produced themes that illustrate the significance of simultaneous strategies to influence students' behaviors, the relevance of the interaction of individuals with situations, and the congruence of teachers' commonplace theories with formal theories. (SLD)

Used data for students in grades 5 through 8 to evaluate the effects of the Comer School Development Program in 10 inner city Chicago, Illinois, schools over 4 years. Data suggest that the Comer program caused positive changes in standardized test scores and in the beliefs, feelings, and behaviors relative to disruptive and illegal student…

A survey of 297 college-bound high school seniors and parents examined techniques for gathering information about postsecondary education and institutions. Students were designated as "highly diversified" or "less diversified" searchers; background characteristics and information-gathering behaviors of each were identified. High diversification…

Examined the association between psychosocial development and the timing of first sexual intercourse in a sample of white, rural adolescents. Two theoretical models were tested. For both boys and girls, early timing of first sexual intercourse was associated with longitudinal patterns of greater transition proneness and poorer psychosocial…

College students in Ghana (n=349) and the United States (n=219) completed questionnaires about perceptions about weight, dieting, and ideal bodies. Students in Ghana were more accepting of large body size. Findings illustrated that perceptions of ideal body size and corresponding behaviors are influenced by culture and gender. (SLD)

Gathered substance use histories from African American male (n=318) and female (n=322) adolescents to determine whether gender differences affected early life risk factors for drug use or abuse. Family variables and subject behavior predicted degree of substance use and frequency of intoxication, but no risk factor applied to both genders. (SNR)

Study investigates relationships among stressful circumstances, cognitive control, and distress among Korean immigrants in the U.S. It was hypothesized that cognitive control mediated the effect of exposure to stressful circumstances on distress. Results provide strong support for cognitive control in mediating the relationship between stressful…

Examines users' cognitive, affective, and physical behaviors during user-Web interaction to understand better the nature of information retrieval on the Web, the needs of Web users, and the problem-solving strategies Web users employ. Describes and interprets searching behavior and problem-solving patterns within the relevant situational context…

Reports results of a survey of information needs and information seeking behavior of a national sample of the United Kingdom population. Fourteen tables show results, including: demographic details of respondents; past and future information needs; preferred sources of information; preferred methods of obtaining information; and perceived…

This paper reports on the "usability" element of a study examining the development of a multimedia Learning Environment (LE) for Special Educational Needs (SEN) students, designed to match learner requirements to learning materials, as elicited from cognitive and accessibility profiles drawn up by teachers and learning support assistants. In…

Childhood abuse was investigated as a potential mediator of the intergenerational transmission of externalizing behaviors (EXT) in adulthood among a large general population sample drawn from the National Comorbidity Survey. Community participants (N = 5,424) underwent diagnostic and psychosocial interviews and reported on their own adult symptoms…