A comparison of techniques to affect sociometric status: A small step toward primary prevention in the classroom?

Interdependent tasks and role play were implemented as treatment conditions in three elementary classrooms (n=142) to affect the peer nominations of the subjects. Third to fifth grade subjects, 68 female and 74 male, received $\text{1}\text{2}$ hour per day of treatment or a control condition for two weeks. Sociometric measurements were obtained prior to the treatment, one week after, and six weeks after. Analysis of covariance was used to test the effectiveness of the treatments. One week following treatment, intersependent tasks was effective (p<.05) in causing subjects in all grades to pick formerly low status children. On the six weeks followup only fifth grade subjects showed the effects of interdependent tasks (p<.01). Several post hoc analyses were performed to investigate the mechanisms behind the change. The results suggest that interdependent tasks may be an effective strategy in raising the popularity of low status children if the treatment becomes an ongoing part of classroom routine. The implications for primary prevention are discussed.     

The effects of two conditions of client-centered consultation on student teacher problem descriptions and remedial plans

Nineteen trained consultants implemented two conditions of client-centered consultation and a control condition with 42 student teacher subjects. The dependent measures were skills in describing classroom problems and generating appropriate remedial plans. Both conditions of consultation were effective in improving problem identification skills. Consultation with observation seemed to be related to a faster improvement than was consultation with no observation. Skills in developing remedial plans were not affected by treatment.     

Alcohol Consumption and the Theory of Planned Behavior: An Examination of the Cognitive Mediation of Past Behaviorid

This study examined the predictive power of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) in explaining alcohol consumption in 3 prospective samples of students ( Ns = 178. 176. and 159). Generally, the TPB performed well. with attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control (PBC) explaining between 28% and 46% of the variability in intentions. Intentions and PBC explained between 12% and 50% of the variability in behavior. Measures of self-identity as a "drinker" and past behavior contributed to predictions of intentions over and above the contribution of attitudes. subjective norms. and PBC. Measures of past behavior but not self-identity consistently contributed to predictions of behavior over and above the contributions from intentions and PBC. The direct relationship between past behavior and intention and between past behavior and behavior (independent of the TPB variables or self-identity) could not be attributed to common method variance.     

Sources of individual differences in fraction skills

The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate a conceptual model of relations between two kinds of mathematical knowledge (simple arithmetic and conceptual knowledge), two kinds of child characteristics (working memory and on-task related classroom behavior), and individual differences in three kinds of fraction outcomes (fraction computation, estimation, and word problems) in 105 fifth grade students. Structural equation modeling provided consistent evidence that conceptual knowledge independently contributes to individual differences in the three fraction outcomes. Simple arithmetic knowledge was uniquely related only to variability in fraction computation skills. Mathematical knowledge was found to mediate some of the contributions of both working memory and classroom behavior on variability in fraction outcomes. These supported mediating processes extend the current literature by explication of the pathways via which characteristics of children may affect individual differences in fraction outcomes.