In recent years, a strong case has been made by education and health theorists for an allocation of resources aimed at preventing the onset of psychological, social and educational problems among school aged children. Questions the long-term effectiveness of "bandaid" intervention and develops a broader conceptual framework for the delivery of…

It is argued that a first step in treating a dysfunctional family unit is the reduction of the family's resistance to therapy. A range of approaches is available for this task. (MS)

Develops a taxonomy of the indirect, intentional, or unintended regulations which influence social interaction in public spaces. Suggests an expansion of the scope of communication law. Describes how the taxonomy developed through a case study of a suburban municipality, encompassing zoning laws, penal codes, minimum drinking and driving ages, and…

Three models of behavioral effects of genetic disorders characterized by mental retardation were compared: (1) no-specific effect model (all genetic disorders have identical behavioral outcomes); (2) totally specific model (each genetic disorder has unique outcomes); and (3) partially specific model (two or more genetic disorders share outcomes…

Discussion of software reusability focuses on classification and retrieval problems and proposes a method based on encoding semantic information to help solve those problems. Highlights include representation of semantic information; quiddity; the SRM (software resource model) and SRD (software resource diagram); and results of experiments with…

Discusses metacognitive and associative models of children's strategy discovery and use. Contends that models based on only one type of mechanism cannot entirely account for observed variability and constraint revealed by microgenetic studies of children's strategy change. Proposes a new model of children's strategy development in which…

Describes findings from an empirical test of the Family Caregiving Model that involved the primary caregivers for 259 children (ages 4-12) with emotional disturbances. Results indicate the importance of the child's external problem behaviors and the family's socioeconomic status and coping strategies as determinants of caregiver stress. (Author/CR)

There are no quick fixes to any problems that school systems face. The best solution lies in building a common approach to solving problems utilizing an established procedure; an interactive process; and a trained team of administrators, teachers, and nonteaching staff members. (MLF)

Describes a model for helping parents address their child's sexually inappropriate behavior. The model focuses on: supporting parents and facilitating their ability to accept their child's sexual problems, processing their affective and cognitive reactions, and devising a plan to help parents talk directly with their child about the sexually…

Politicians are increasingly pressuring school districts to improve instruction while holding down costs. To achieve this aim, western New York school districts are experimenting with mutual gains bargaining, an alternative negotiation process based on Roger Fisher and William Ury's 1991 book "Getting to Yes." Instead of bargaining from…

Reports research designed to explore the possibility that conceptually different forms of common-fraction understanding can be identified. Such forms may be associated with differences in fraction problem solving-performance. Contains 50 references. (DDR)

Discusses the cognitive approach to instructional design (ID) and how ID practitioners can design training differently. Highlights include how learning occurs; categories of learning; a model that summarizes the components of a well-designed lesson; a framework for ID based on cognitive psychology; and a table to use as a job aid for designing…

Examined, over 1 year, relations between information processing efficiency, working memory, and problem solving in sample of 8-, 10-, 12-, and 14-year-olds. Identified three-stratus hierarchy with individual dimensions organized in three constructs: processing efficiency, working memory, and problem solving. Found that individual dimensions were…

Studies the role of context in students' uses of alternative conceptual models by using Newton's third law. Identifies four contextual features that are frequently used by students in their reasoning. Probes the effects of specific contextual features on student reasoning using a multiple-choice survey. (Contains 39 references.) (Author/YDS)

Previews this special issue of "Mathematical Thinking and Learning," which describes models and modeling perspective toward mathematics problem solving, learning, and teaching. Discusses its characteristics and foundations and provides an example of a model-eliciting activity. (KHR)