This research evaluates the effectiveness of an anti-bullying program, Project Ploughshares Puppets for Peace (Woodfine, Lubimiv, & Langlois, 1995). Students in grades 3 and 4 (N = 129, 69 boys, 60 girls) from two public elementary schools completed a questionnaire on bullying at both pretest/post-test. Although Chi-square results showed no…

The foundation of an individual's optimum or less than optimum development is laid down during the early years of life, particularly during the age between birth and six years. This age covers pre-school education. This study was designed to investigate the effectiveness of Early Childhood Education programme in preparing Pre-school children in…

Educational and occupational data suggest that second-generation West Indian immigrants have less favorable outcomes than their first-generation counterparts, who are typically shown to outperform comparison groups of African Americans. In two studies, we explore the social psychological process of stereotype threat as it differentially affects…

Background: Two primary school-based interventions were implemented, aimed at increasing fruit and vegetable (F&V) consumption by children, both with proven effectiveness: (1) a free daily F&V distribution scheme for all primary school children and (2) a multicomponent, age-specific program consisting of a classroom curriculum, parental…

The purpose of the current study was to evaluate student perceptions of the impact of a course developed to assist students with learning disorders, both learning disabilities and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD), transition and adjust to a university environment. Students' perceptions of the impact of the course over time were…

This study investigated the effectiveness of conceptual change texts in remediating high school students' alternative conceptions concerning chemical equilibrium. A quasi-experimental design was used in this study. The subjects for this study consisted of a total 78 tenth-grade students, 38 of them in the experimental group and 40 of them in the…

The Support Group Method (SGM), formerly the No Blame Approach, is widely used as an anti-bullying intervention in schools, but has aroused some controversy. There is little evidence from users regarding its effectiveness. We aimed to ascertain the use of and support for the SGM in Local Authorities (LAs) and schools; and obtain ratings of…

This study sets out to examine the pragmatic competence of Cantonese adult learners of English possessing different levels of proficiency when performing the speech act of requesting for a formal purpose in writing. Pragmatic judgment--one of the two aspects of pragmatic competence--was examined by studying the most proficient group (i.e., native…

This research was designed to provide information on the career development of fifth-grade students and to explore the influence of an education program on children's interest in nursing as a career choice, especially related to gender. Interest in nursing is conceptualized as interest, competence perception, and desire to help other people. A…

In recent years the demographics of individuals pursuing teacher certification has changed. Many individuals with a bachelor's degree who are interested in a change of career pursue teaching after receiving a college degree in areas other than teacher certification. Institutions of higher education have made a distinction between their traditional…

This article contains the transcript of a session one mother ran in her child's class. The aim of the session was to give class members a better understanding of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in general and of her son in particular. The effectiveness of her approach is evident in the follow-up stories children wrote and in the experiences this…

The aim of the present study was to investigate the differential relationships between five dimensions of motivational climate and achievement goals, as the latter have been conceptualized by the revised achievement goal theory. Adolescents (N = 336, M age = 13.45 years, SD = 1.04) participating in a summer camp in southern Greece took part in the…

Literature suggests that communication is a protective factor against high-risk sexual behavior. This study assessed the impact of a fourth-grade communication-centered life skills program on attitudes, norms, self-efficacy, behaviors, and intentions toward communication about difficult subjects. Participants included 1,581 low-income Mexican…

Administrative support is essential for reform efforts to take place at the building and district level. This study explored barriers teachers encountered while implementing science education reform and the impact those barriers had on change in instructional practices and reform. Findings in this study reveal that support from administration is…

Background: Current education reform in the U.S. requires teacher preparation programs to educate the "teachers-to-be" according to the certification standards set forth by the state. So far, there are few empirical studies that directly investigate whether students perceive themselves to be well prepared with respect to the standards, although…