This article describes two methods for use in program development and refinement. Problem mapping and forcefield analysis are explained with a real-world example about parenting education. Both methods are visual and consider multiple causes and effects of a problem. The methods are effective for clearly thinking through a problem, identifying…

This paper presents the rudiments of a constructivist conceptual framework which school psychologists can use to help parents develop positive parenting concepts. Problems arise if school psychologists rely solely on a mechanistic paradigm when they identify causes of unwanted behaviors and suggest specific remedial strategies. Operating within a…

Parent Effectiveness Training (PET) began almost 40 years ago as the first national parent-training program to teach parents how to communicate more effectively with their children and to offer step-by-step advice to resolving family conflicts. This book, a revised and updated edition, presents the PET model for parent training, including the…

An interview of 64 students in eight 3rd- and 4th-grade classrooms and an assessment of their teachers' control orientation were conducted for the purpose of testing the hypothesis that students of autonomy-granting teachers are better means-ends thinkers than those of controlling teachers. Dimensions of students' classroom socialization of…

This paper advances a model for the use of parents in the implementation of cooperative learning strategies in the home, so that parents can join with teachers in providing a quality education for their children. The main principles of the model include teaching parents how to: (1) encourage their children by providing adequate opportunities for…

This article examines interpersonal cognitive problem-solving (ICPS) skills. Based on more than 20 years of research on specific ICPS skills, intervention methods were developed to test the hypothesis that behavior can be modified by focusing on thinking processes rather than the behaviors themselves. The ICPS skills relate to high-risk behaviors…

This guidebook was developed to aid mothers who are attending school or training programs and also have preschool or school-age children at home, to find new approaches to their complicated life situations. Based on the experiences of 215 women in Allegheny County Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh), the booklet describes some of the problems they faced as…