Showing papers in "Psychology in the Schools in 1977"
70 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a system consisting of report cards, instructions for students, parents, and teachers, which is designed to accelerate homework and classwork completion in a regular fourth grade classroom.
Abstract: There is a growing need for rapid low cost, and proven behavior management techniques for classroom teachers. Often, an uncomplicated system of feedback to pupils at frequent intervals, backed by reinforcers delivered at home by cooperating parents, is sufficient to decrease problem behavior and accelerate homework and classwork completion. The present paper presents a system consisting of report cards, instructions for students, parents, and teachers, which is designed to accomplish these objectives. One application of the daily report card in a regular fourth-grade classroom will be presented. In this case, a behavior problem (talkouts), and homework assignment completion were targeted and recorded during a baseline period, and then sequentially remediated using a multiple baseline design. The results indicated rapid improvement with a minimum of teacher time and effort. The use of the card with various problem behaviors in classrooms is discussed as a valuable consultation tool for school intervention.
67 citations
TL;DR: The authors found that self-esteem has a moderate relationship with, but not a strong independent effect on, school achievement and behavior for a sample of 12-year-olds, and that much of the relationship between selfesteem and school performance for the general school population can best be explained as reflecting common underlying factors such as ability and background.
Abstract: Self-esteem was found to have a moderate relationship with, but not a strong independent effect on, school achievement and behavior for a sample of 530 twelve-year-olds. From multiple correlation coefficients predicting school outcomes from measures of socioeconomic status, IQ, and self-esteem, it was concluded that much of the relationship between self-esteem and school performance for the general school population can best be explained as reflecting common underlying factors such as ability and background.
50 citations
TL;DR: In this article, three discrete concepts are advanced: self, as the sum total of all one can call his; selfconcept, the substantive description which one employs to identify his nature; and self-esteem, one's statisfaction with his self-concept.
Abstract: Study of the “self” has a long history and considerable current attention. This field is plagued by a multiplicity of terms which are not clearly differentiated. To reduce confusion, three discrete concepts are advanced: self, as the sum total of all one can call his; self-concept, the substantive description which one employs to identify his nature; and self-esteem, one's statisfaction with his self-concept.
36 citations
TL;DR: The WISC-R was significantly lower than WISC FS IQs and similar to S-B L&M IQs (1972) as mentioned in this paper, and each scale predicts reading, spelling, and achievement in a significant manner.
Abstract: Thirty children ages 6-10 were selected who had been referred for psychological evaluation from the public schools. WISC-R was significantly lower than WISC FS IQs and similar to S-B L&M IQs (1972). Each scale predicts reading, spelling, and achievement in a significant manner. The use of the WISC-R over the WISC will rosult in greater numbers of children being classified as retarded.
33 citations
TL;DR: The effect of principal attention on team on-task performance was examined in an unruly fourth grade class as discussed by the authors, where principal attention was delivered through a game-like group consequence procedure referred to as the provincial game.
Abstract: The effect of principal attention contingent upon team on-task performance was examined in an unruly fourth-grade class. In the first condition, principal attention was delivered through a game-like group consequence procedure referred to as the Princial Game. During the second experimental condition, principal attention was delivered to individual subjects contingent upon each individual's behavior. Principal attention was found to be a strong reinforcer in both experimental conditions, but ercentage of on-task behavior during team consequences was higher than during individual consequences.
32 citations
TL;DR: Teams-Games-Tournament (TGT) as discussed by the authors is an instructional technique involving student teams and learning games, which is proposed as an alternative classroom structure for children with special needs.
Abstract: Teams-Games-Tournament (TGT), an instructional technique involving student teams and learning games, is proposed as an alternative classroom structure for children with special needs. TGT and individualized instruction were compared in a school for adolescents of normal intelligence experiencing problems with human relationships and academic tasks. Students were randomly assigned to treatments. A five-category behavioral observation scale recorded student interaction and task behavior. In addition, students responded to a five-item sociometric instrument. The results confirmed hypotheses that TGT would exceed individualized instruction on students' attraction to one another, frequency of peer tutoring, and percent of time on task. A five-month followup showed former TGT students distributed among six new classes to be still interacting with their peers both on and off task more than control students.
31 citations
TL;DR: A survey of practicing school psychologists in the state of Nebraska was conducted to gather facts and opinions across a broad spectrum of topics as mentioned in this paper, which was concerned with profesional functions of the school psychologist.
Abstract: A survey of practicing school psychologists in the state of Nebraska was conducted to gather facts and opinions across a broad spectrum of topics. This article is based on one section of that survey which was concerned with profesional functions of the school psychologist. Five functions of the school psychologist were explored: Assessment, Consultation, Evaluation, Administration, and Intervention. Respondents were asked to rate a number of subactivities under each of these five major functions on a five-point scale in terms of importance. Each subactivity was rated from two Points of view: (a) the importance of the activity as the respordent perceived the ideal role of the school psychologist, and (b) the importance of the activity in the present job situation. Weekly time engaged in each subactivity was, recorded. Results indicate that Consultation was considered the most important function in both the hypothetical ideal situation and on the job, though a significantly greater amount of time was reported spent in Assessment.
30 citations
29 citations
28 citations
TL;DR: The authors describes and presents examples of five data collection devices which can be used in the evaluation effort: the vignette-based questionnaire, role-model questionnaire, the services received questionnaire, teacher interview, and nonobtrusive measurement.
Abstract: The evaluation of school psychological services is both a responsibility and an opportunity too long ignored. Unique problems must be overcome in evaluating school psychologists, but the task is not insurmountable. This paper describes and presents examples of five data collection devices which can be used in the evaluation effort: the vignette-based questionnaire, the role-model questionnaire, the services received questionnaire, the teacher interview, and nonobtrusive measurement.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors provide evidence regarding the controversy about the relationship of socioeconomic status (SES) and ethnicity to self-concept and show that there is a negative correlation between SES and selfconcept.
Abstract: This study provides evidence regarding the controversy about the relationship of socioeconomic status (SES) and ethnicity to self-concept. Subjects were 345 first-, second-, and third-grade children of low SES (180 were black) attending inner city schools in a large metropolitan area. The Purdue Self Concept Scale was the measure of self-concept. There was a decline in self-concept with grade level (p < .01), and blacks scored higher than whites (p < .01). An analysis of black second-grade children's scores indicated that the race difference was due to the high scores of those with welfare status. Low expectations resulting from SES and ethnic segregation, effects of the black pride movement, and defensiveness are considered as possible explantions.
TL;DR: In this article, the WISC/WISC-R comparison studies have been conducted with a wide variety of samples and significant differences have been reported with WISC scores yielding consistently lower scores of approximately 5-8 IQ points for three major scales.
Abstract: The paper reviews WISC/WISC-R comparison studies which have been conducted with a wide variety of samples. Significant WISC/WISC-R IQ score differences have been reported with the WISC-R yielding consistently lower scores of approximately 5-8 IQ points for the three major scales. Several studies do report variable WISC/WISC-R differences for various ages, races, and ability levels. These results have implications for practicing school psychologists. Caution is advised in the interpretation of a WISC/WISC-R difference, as a discrepancy of one SD may not be meaningful. Many students who scored in the borderline classification range on the WISC and who are currently being readministered the WISC-R are scoring in the mentally impaired classification range. This does not necessarily reflect negatively on the validity of the WISC-R, but does document the need to keep intelligence tests up to date. There is a continuing need to exercise caution in the use of individual intelligence tests and to utilize data in addition to WISC-R scores in order to make special education placement decisions.
TL;DR: In this paper, the sex and minority status of 355 students referred for psychological services from a random sample of schools in an urban school system were examined in relation to the frequency of referral, type of problem, and the nature of subsequent psychological services.
Abstract: The sex and minority status of 355 students referred for psychological services from a random sample of schools in an urban school system were examined in relation to the frequency of referral, type of problem, and the nature of subsequent psychological services. A significantly higher percentage of both minority students and males were referred for psychological services; males were referred approximately twice as often as females. When referral problems were categorized as either academic or behavior problems, there were no differences between majority and minority students nor between males and females on percentage referred for each type of problem. Parent contacts were made significantly more often for majority students and for females, and recommendations to parents of majority students were more varied than those made to parents of minority students. Special Education resource services were recommended significantly more often for minority students. Possible reasons and implications of these findings are discussed.
TL;DR: In this paper, a review of the effectiveness of a behavioral approach for increasing the social behaviors of behaviorally handicapped preschool children is presented, and the results of observational studies suggest that with respect to both quantity and quality of interaction, the child creates his own social environment.
Abstract: Literature is reviewed that documents the effectiveness of a behavioral approach for increasing the social behaviors of behaviorally handicapped preschool children. However, this literature also suggests that reciprocal interaction between target subjects and significant others seldom generalized beyond treatment settings. The importance of developing positive, reciprocal interaction has been well documented. The results of observational studies suggest that with respect to both quantity and quality of interaction, the child creates his own social environment. For example, the passive, withdrawn child is the more frequent recipient of social rejection than is the more socially active child; the physically aggressive child receives more hostile social bids from peers than less aggressive youngsters; and, of course, the child who initiates positive interaction with peers tends to receive more positive social attention than less socially adept youngsters. Thus, children's behavior patterns tend to set the occasion for that kind of social approach by peers that validates, in a sense, their own approach to peers. If affective education for young handicapped children is to become a reality, additional research is necessary to identify those response patterns that set the occasion for positive reciprocal interaction.
TL;DR: A group of 80 mentally retarded youngsters, aged 6 to 16, was tested on the WISC-R, primarily to assess the continuity of measurement between the old and new WISCs.
Abstract: A group of 80 mentally retarded youngsters, aged 6 to 16, was tested on the WISC-R, primarily to assess the continuity of measurement between the old and new WISCs. The WISC-R IQs correlated .65 to .82 with Stanford-Binet IQ for a subsample of 45 children, resembling the coefficients between the 1949 WISC and the Binet for retarded groups. In addition, the WISC-R test profiles for the 80 children corresponded closely to the WISC test profiles for many retarded samples. Thus, there was evidence to support the continuity of the WISC-R with its predecessor for retarded populations.
TL;DR: The Key Math Diagnostic Arithmetic Test (KMDAT) was administered to 82 learning disabled adolescents as mentioned in this paper, and the performance of these children revealed that: (a) mean LD performance peaked at approximately the fourth grade level of difficulty; (b) there was marginal variation in performance across the 14 subtests; and (c) a strong negative correlation existed between years behind grade level and seven Key Math subtests.
Abstract: The Key Math Diagnostic Arithmetic Test was administered to 82 learning disabled adolescents. An analysis of the performance of these children revealed that: (a) mean LD performance peaked at approximately the fourth grade level of difficulty; (b) there was marginal variation in performance across the 14 subtests; (c) a strong negative correlation existed between years behind grade level and seven Key Math subtests; (d) the subtests factored into two ability categories, as opposed to the three suggested by the test developers; and (e) LD performance was quite distinct from that of normal children in terms of the types of computational errors made on the test.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a critical analysis of the skills required for test-taking, the training of testtaking skills, and the experimental evidence on the training, concluding with recommendations for a task-specific instructional unit which trains the necessary skills for test taking to assure that the score on the test is an accurate measurement of the skill being assessed.
Abstract: Children, as well as adults, can be handicapped when taking a standardized test because of an unfamiliarity with the test format or with the requirements of the testing situation. This review presents a critical analysis of the skills required for test-taking, the training of test-taking skills, and the experimental evidence on the training. Based on the recommendations of psychologists such as Thorndike, Cronbach, and McClelland, practical classroom strategies for test-taking are discussed. Cautions on the pitfalls of training test-taking skills on questionable dimensions, such as on test item content, are also discussed. The review concludes with recommendations for a task-specific instructional unit which trains the necessary skills for test-taking to assure that the score on the test is an accurate measurement of the skill being assessed.
TL;DR: The authors compared the performance of severe and mild learning disabled children to normal children on a problem-solving task and found that severe LD children were more impulsive than normal children, and severe LD were more aggressive than mild LD children.
Abstract: The purpose of the study was to compare the performance of severe and mild learning disabled children to normal children on a problem-solving task. The three types of children were assessed on the Matching Familiar Figures task, which provides a measure of impulsivity during problem-solving tasks. Results indicated that on the MFF, LD children, as a group, were more impulsive than normal children, and severe LD were more impulsive than mild LD children. Impulsivity scores were correlated with reading achievement, indicating a relationship between problem-solving strategy and academic performance. Educational implications are discussed regarding the usefulness of the reflection-impulsivity dimension in the area of learning disabilities and the applicability of the MFF as a diagnostic and evaluative measure.
TL;DR: The authors explored the relationship between symbolic representation in dramatic play and art and the cognitive and reading readiness levels of kindergarten children and found that children at diffrent cognitive levels performed significantly differently on the Metropolitan Reading Readiness Test, spent significantly different amounts of time involved in dramatic plays, and expressed significantly different levels of symbolic representations in dramatic representations in art.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between symbolic representation in dramatic play and art and the cognitive and reading readiness levels of kindergarten children. Specifically, the study attempted to determine if there is a significant difference in the performance of kindergarten children on the conservation of number tasks (reflective of the level of operational thought and cognitive development), the Metropolitan Reading Readiness Test, and their involvement and/or level of symbolic re resentation in dramatic play and/or art. Results indicated that children at diffrent cognitive levels (a) performed significantly differently on the Metropolitan Reading Readiness Test, (b) spent significantly different amounts of time involved in dramatic play, and (c) expressed significantly different levels of symbolic representations in dramatic play. No differences were found to exist, however, in their symbolic representation in art.
TL;DR: In this paper, the SATz and Mogel criteria for an abbreviated version of the WISC-R were used to test the intelligence of 76 white urban children (6-0 to 15-9).
Abstract: The completed WISC-Rs of 76 white urban children (6–0 to 15–9) were rescored utilizing the Satz and Mogel criteria for an abbreviated intelligence measure. Extremely high correlations for IQs (.96 – .98) and subtests (.66 – .95) were found. However, when mean differences between complete WISC-R and the shortened form were examined, significant differences between administrations were found. Furthermore, one-third of the subjects showed changes in intelligence classification levels when the abbreviated form was used. Thus, two of the three criteria previously suggested for a valid abbreviated intelligence test of: (a) a significantly high correlation between administration forms; (b) nonsignificant t-tests between the abbreviated and standard form mean IQ; and (c) low percentage of IQ classification change with the administration of the short form, were not met. It was concluded, however, that the abbreviated WISC-R may be appropriate when intelligence is a question relative to candidacy for therapy or as a noncritical, general indication of intelligence when IQ classification is not important and/or assessment time is limited.
TL;DR: It was concluded that there is a need for differential diagnosis of visual vs. motor disabilities and for further investigations to determine valid methods.
Abstract: This study sought to determine if the nature of disability (visual, motor, or both) could be diagnosed for children with visual-motor integration disabilities and to determine methods by which appropriate diagnoses could be made. A total of 104 children aged 6 and 7 were selected for having Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test performance below average for their age. The Motor-Free Visual Perception Test and the Southern California Motor Accuracy Test were then administered to the children, and subgroups were identified who demonstrated no visual disabilities and/or no motor disabilities. These results were seen as supporting the existence of semiautonomous visual and motor systems. Using multiple regression analyses, the types of errors of reproduction, time to completion, and behavioral observations from the Bender Test were considered as predictors of visual perception and motor accuracy. Analyses were performed for the two age groups and two criterion variables separately. The number of integration errors was found to be the only significant predictor of both visual perception and motor accuracy for the six-year-old group and accounted for less than 15% of the variance in each criterion variable. Number of integration errors and the frequency of tracing the design with the finger were found to be significant predictors for the seven-year-old group and accounted for about 22% of the variance. There were no significant predictors of motor accuracy for the seven-year-old group. It was concluded that there is a need for differential diagnosis of visual vs. motor disabilities and for further investigations to determine valid methods. Suggestions for assessment and future research included use of clinical limits-testing procedures, development and refinement of test instruments, and consideration of additional variables in predicting visual perceptual and motor expressive ability.
TL;DR: In this paper, three procedures to modify excessive absenteeism were implemented by an elementary school principal and assessed with an across-subjects multiple baseline design, and the results indicated that classroom intervention with the child produced a transitory increase in attendance.
Abstract: Three procedures to modify excessive absenteeism were implemented by an elementary school principal and assessed with an across-subjects multiple baseline design. In one condition, the principal praised the child in the classroom for attending school. In a second and third condition, parents were contacted by telephone and either praised for their child's attendance or given disapproval for absences and prompts for future attendance. Results indicated that classroom intervention with the child produced a transitory increase in attendance. However, intervention with parents, both approval for attendance and disapproval for absences, produced sustained increases in attendance and parent-initiated contacts with the school. The data suggest that intervention with parents of elementary school children is more effective and efficient than direct intervention with the child in the modification of excessive school absences. School-based intervention strategies for early reduction of absenteeism may be important in the prevention of chronic truancy and of the necessity for extensive remediation.
TL;DR: In this paper, the validity of the SIT with 50 public school children in Grades 1 through 4 was evaluated with WISC-R as the congruent validating criterion.
Abstract: The validity of the SIT was investiagated with 50 public school children in Grades 1 through 4; the WISC-R served as the congruent validating criterion. The SIT correlated significantly with the WISC-R and overestimated the WISC-R IQs. Statistical data for sexual and racial stratifications were also given.
TL;DR: In this paper, the effectiveness of a mass screening procedure was examined within the context of a preventively oriented school-based treatment program, which consisted primarily of teachers rating the frequency of all primary grade children's acting-out, moody-withdrawn, and learning problem behaviors.
Abstract: The effectiveness of a mass screening procedure was examined within the context of a preventively oriented school-based treatment program. Mass screening consisted primarily of teachers rating the frequency of all primary grade children's acting-out, moody-withdrawn, and learning problem behaviors. While teachers directly referred 6.9% (n = 48) of the primary grade population of three inner-city schools (n = 698), mass screening subsequently identified an additional 9.7% (n = 68) of this population. Furthermore, both referred and screened-in groups were rated by teachers on the Child Activity Rating Scale (CARS) as behaving much less adaptively relative to a normative group (n = 285; ps < .001). As expected, the referred children evidenced greatest overall dysfunctioning with most pronounced acting-out and learning problems according to ratings by teachers. In addition, further evidence of the validity of the CARS rating form was demonstrated by the agreement between staff predictions of CARS scores and actual ratings by teachers. The mass screening procedure employed is discussed as an effective procedure and suggestions are offered which could increase its utility.