Ratings on the acceptability, intrusiveness, restrictiveness, and efficacy of 18 commonly used interventions for decelerating behaviors were obtained from 58 special educators of severely handicapped students. Results suggested a lack of confidence in intervention efficacy and a lack of discriminant validity for the constructs of restrictiveness…

This study evaluating race and gender differences in the occurrence and treatment of disciplinary problems in 4,391 elementary and secondary school children's files found substantial differences between males and females and between whites and African Americans in number of referrals for disciplinary action, frequency of corporal punishment, and…

Although intrinsic rewards are important, they (along with punishment and encouragement) are insufficient for efficient learning. Teachers must supplement intrinsic rewards with extrinsic rewards, such as praising, complimenting, applauding, and providing other forms of recognition for good work. Teachers should use the weakest reward required to…

A historical overview of disciplinary practices used in U.S. classrooms shows that corporal punishment has been a consistent and conspicuous part of schooling since the beginning. Alternatives aimed at minimizing classroom punishment and disciplining students in a more systematic and psychologically oriented way are now part of teacher preparation…

Outlines nonintrusive and intrusive strategies for effective classroom management of inappropriate behavior. Describes discipline as a system made up of preventative and intervention strategies designed to manage rather than control student behavior. Discusses planned ignoring, praise, conferences, progress reports, and time out, among other…

Studied the attraction responses of child athletes to coaches who differed in their behavior patterns during the season. Children with low self-esteem responded positively to coaches with high self-esteem and negatively to coaches with low self-esteem on the instructiveness and supportiveness dimensions. Moderate- and high-self-esteem children…

Discusses parenting from the perspective of a grandmother. Advocates that parents stay together, provide consistency, be brave enough to parent, resist the messages of consumerism, create and use family time, commit themselves to an attitude of respect for their children, and observe children to understand them. Includes myths about spanking and a…

Recent amendments to Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) provide school officials with increased flexibility to address infractions committed by handicapped students. If a conduct code pertaining to all students has been violated, a district may suspend or place a disabled student in an alternative setting for up to 10 days. (MLH)

Surveys ways in which criminal laws are finding their way into cyberspace, the implications of such actions for communicative rights and liabilities, and the media differentials of crime and punishment. Examines crime committed using email and the Internet; computer mediated felonies, misdemeanors, and violations committed in cyberspace; forgery;…

Discusses how inconsistent nurturing as control theory asserts that because of competing goals of nurturing and controlling, partners of drug-dependent individuals will unintentionally encourage the very behavior they are trying to extinguish through inconsistent manifestations of reinforcement and punishment. Finds that partners of substance…

Explores the concept of a "just deserts" justice paradox in which carrying out a deserved penalty breaches the values that undergird the theory of just deserts. Examines whether it might ever be proper, from a desert perspective, to choose not to impose a deserved punishment. (KW)

The importance of discipline consistency in elementary school students (n=18) is examined by varying the probability of punishment and the nature of the discipline agent's response to manipulated transgressions. Discusses the importance of conceptualizing discipline consistency as a multivariate construct, and variables and parameters that…

Inspired by William Glasser's Reality Therapy ideas, Control Theory (CT) is a disciplinary approach that stresses people's ability to control only their own behavior, based on internal motivations to satisfy five basic needs. At one North Dakota high school, CT-trained teachers are the program's best recruiters. (MLH)

Compared beliefs of parents from Nottingham, England, about disciplining young children to their actual behavior management practices. Found that although one-quarter of parents agreed that "smacking" was appropriate in handling a 3-year-olds' unsafe behavior, almost two-thirds had smacked their preschool child in the preceding week.…

Studied the pretest and posttest attitudes of teacher education students who were required to write a literature review with empirical references about the pros and cons of corporal punishment in the classroom. Results for 59 students in 2 treatment groups and 55 students in 2 control groups at southern universities (where previous research has…