Used concepts from community psychology literature to elaborate a revised version of Tinto's model of individual student departure. Employed a longitudinal analysis of 718 college students. Results indicate that students' sense of community in their residence halls was a source of social integration and a precursor to student departure decisions.…

A study operationally defined academic and social integration to fit the population of Hispanic two-year college students, and examined psychometric properties of the measures through confirmatory factor analysis. Findings confirmed the importance of culturally sensitive operational definitions of academic and social integration when including…

This study of 91 Canadian children (ages 10-13) investigated the effects of integration, social contact, and information on the attitudes of elementary school children toward their peers with disabilities. Students in integrated classes were found to have more positive attitudes in comparison to those in nonintegrated classes. (Author/CR)

The social functioning of primary grade students identified as learning disabled (LD; n=16), low achieving (LA; n=27), or average/high achieving (AHA; n=21) was assessed at the beginning and end of the school year. Students with LD were less well liked, more frequently rejected, and had lower academic self-concept scores. However, LD students…

Discusses the three prevailing theoretical frameworks for understanding students with disabilities: the functional limitations framework, the minority group paradigm, and social constructivism. Argues that to view disability as a social construction is to think inclusively, which acknowledges the power of environmental, structural, and cultural…

Reexamined the validity and reliability of the 24-item S.A.F.E. scale and found it to be a reliable measure of Hispanics' acculturation stress. Also studied the effect of generational status, gender, and socioeconomic status on the levels of acculturation stress experienced by this sample. (RJM)

This paper considers two major movements affecting the lives of people with intellectual disabilities: normalization and inclusion. It reviews the aims, processes, and outcomes of the normalization and social role valorization movement and explores its compatibility with inclusion. Lessons from normalization are applied to the inclusion movement.…

This article discusses the implications of a follow-up study of 56 people who had lived on average for 22 years in an institution. The study found the majority had made few community connections eight years after leaving the institution. The concept of social alienation of difference is explored. (Contains references.) (CR)

A study involving 670 nonabusive families and 166 abusive families compared Spanish and Colombian cultures in relation to community social support variables and the relationships between these variables and child maltreatment. In both cultures, abusive parents showed lower levels of community integration, participation in social activities, and…

Recommends ways of increasing social diversity at residential camps. Suggests incorporating multiethnic, multicultural purpose into camp statements, staff training, and daily program. Describes multicultural activities for campers. Emphasizes value of role modeling and discussion of sensitive issues. (TES)

Client satisfaction of 57 mentally retarded adults living in 12 group homes was examined in relationship to measures of their managers' competence and program normalization. Satisfaction with group home placement was related to manager competence and to the degree of community use for group home residents. (Author/JDD)

Claims role of counseling in enabling students with disabilities has changed, with other personnel in school settings now counseling students with disabilities, in addition to school and rehabilitation counselors. Provides support for this claim from national survey. Notes specific roles of other counseling-related personnel. Discusses…

Briefly reviews children's literature on the themes of cooperative learning, community cooperation, interdependence, and putting the social back into social studies. Summarizes three books for primary readers, four for intermediate grades, and three for young adults. Covers a wide variety of cooperative learning situations. (CH)

Special education high school graduates (N=129) were surveyed concerning their vocational and community adjustment. Only 33 percent of the sample were employed competitively, 27 percent had received postsecondary training, 5 percent were married, and 70 percent were living with their families. For the most part, respondents were mobile in the…

Examines the components of motivation in foreign language learning in institutional/academic settings without regular interaction with the target language community. A motivational questionnaire to define the relevance and characteristics of integration and instrumentality in foreign language learning was developed and administered to learners of…