This paper reports the results of the validity studies done on the Five P's (Parent/Professional Preschool Performance Profile), an assessment tool for parents and teachers developed by the Variety Preschooler's Workshop (Syosset, New York) to rate young handicapped children functioning between birth and 5 years of age on their observed…

A naturalistic study of 112 families in two parks examined proximity and touching between family members as a function of age and sex of child, sex of parent, and family composition variables. Mothers and fathers were strikingly similar in their behavior. Distance from parent increased and touching decreased as age of child increased from the…

Four professional observers watched videotapes of the behavior of ex-mental patients (N=20 each). Their recordings showed that the observers were sensitive to any atypical behavior on the part of patients with whom they were familiar. They were equally objective in their observation of behavior of unfamiliar patients. (SE)

The first author criticizes the outcome measures used in a previous behavior modification study. The authors of the latter study answer the criticism by discussing the merits and disadvantages of outcome measures used in various behavior therapy studies. (SE)

This study assessed the nature of the conceptual schemas used by elementary school students in observing the behavior of peers. The results indicate that elementary school students use a comprehensive, understandable conceptual schema, discrepant from the schema used by teachers, but reliable. (JMB)

Topics under examination in this article are: what we evaluate and why, humane and scientific evaluation, a plan for classroom visits, and the department as a medley of teaching excellence. (ND)

Gives illustrations for experiences designed to help intermediate (grade 6) children learn to follow directions. Activities, in the form of five stations contained in one classroom, were developed with each activity focused on a different approach to problem solving and observation. (PEB)

Suggested to parents are approaches for identifying and stimulating creative expression in gifted children. (LH)

Two series of classroom observations showed that a high-creative group of student teachers gave more original but not more fluent nor flexible teaching performances than a group of low-creative student teachers. (Author/KM)

Behavioral measures indicated that nonparticipant observation increased the frequency, but not the appropriateness, of teacher-pupil interactions and did not affect the appropriateness of student behaviors. (Author)

Learning to read and write music should be as natural as learning to read and write the English language. Similar instructional models can be used for both. This was the premise for the investigation of 5-year-old Joel's musical development. Joel was the youngest of a four-member musical family. He was surrounded by musical literature and role…

In the ongoing Sibling Adoption Study of sibling relationships, data gathered from three methods was used to assess the sibling relationship in the home. This report focuses on comparison of the information about the sibling relationship gathered from each method. Eighty-four middle-class families with younger siblings, aged four to six, and older…

The paper describes a naturalistic evaluation study of an enrichment program for gifted learners in Newfoundland. The pull-out program (for two half days out of six) is described in terms of audience concerns and issues, standards, program components, and data-generating techniques (observations and interviews). The evaluation led to a report…