Discussion of shyness and how it affects performance focuses on a training program that was designed to assist trainers in reducing shyness and in-building interpersonal competence. A questionnaire and other methods to help identify shyness are described, and HyperCard software that organized and presented exercises for treatment is explained. A…

Discusses 19 suggestions for improving the effectiveness of inservice programs, including conducting a needs assessment, developing clear objectives, showing examples of students' work, encouraging building supervisors to attend, and finding a good location for the inservice program. (RS)

The study found significant improvements in behavior when a profoundly mentally retarded blind subject was reinforced with music. The young woman also discriminated among different types of music, and behavior rates varied accordingly. (Author/DB)

Five young adults and three junior high students, with moderate mental retardation, were trained first to label characters verbally and then to enter the characters into computers, calculators, or checkbooks. Almost all subjects were able to generalize the use of verbal labels and key-entry skills across tasks and settings. (Author/JDD)

Describes a study that explored differences in users' and nonusers' perceptions of the advantages and disadvantages of online bibliographic searching. The discussion covers the relationship between perceptions about online systems and decisions to use such systems, and the implications of user perceptions of benefits of online searching for user…

Two schemata for refocusing language teacher education on teaching (rather than on such ancillary areas as applied linguistics or language acquisition) are proposed, including: (1) a descriptive model defining teaching as decision-making based on knowledge, skills, attitudes, and awareness; and (2) a related framework of two educating…

Describes how writing centers train their tutors to understand two important aspects of teaching composition: (1) the need for viewing writing as a process; and (2) the need for individualized and respectful attention to students' papers and ideas. Argues that the writing center is an effective training ground for composition teachers. (RS)

Techniques are presented to teach students with severe and multiple handicaps to record their performance data using adapted mechanical or electronic counting devices such as calculators. Described are the purposes of self-recording, materials needed, training guidelines, and evaluation procedures. (JDD)

The study investigated effects of training 12 adolescents with learning disabilities in a 7-step word identification strategy (using a general problem-solving strategy with specific substrategies) and found significant gains in word identification but inconsistent gains in comprehension. (DB) (DB)

Describes a process model that can be used for performance technology and discusses differences between it and an instructional technology process model. Five basic steps are examined: needs assessment/analysis; design; development; implementation; and evaluation. An instructional technology/performance technology process comparison matrix is also…

Examined influence of 2 training methods on self-efficacy and performance during training for innovative problem solving. Data from 59 managers revealed that training method composed of cognitive modeling with practice and reinforcement generated significantly higher participant self-efficacy than method involving lecture and practice alone.…

In multinational organizations, effective localization means that a local citizen fills a job with sufficient competence. Three considerations are the nature of the organization, the capabilities of the individual, and the capacity to train in particular skills. Obstacles may be inappropriate job specifications and the attitudes of both local and…

Tactile cues were provided to a 19-year-old deaf, blind, and mentally retarded individual to guide her performance on packaging tasks. The tactile prompts effectively guided her on the training task and were also generalized to novel tasks and cues. Continued use of the cues was necessary to maintain performance. (Author/JDD)

The use of self-questioning strategies with orally presented materials was studied for 32 college students (30 females and 2 males). Results suggest that practice in a self-questioning information-processing procedure can effectively improve college students' comprehension of lectures. (SLD)

Two experiments, with 300 adult women as subjects, studied the effects of laboratory training on the use of the Conjunction Rule, a principle of probability that is often violated. Learning alternative strategies enabled trained subjects to use extensional reasoning rather than intensional heuristics. (SLD)