Reports a study that examined acculturation and its association with smoking and other correlates of smoking for Latino seventh graders. Students completed surveys on demographics, smoking prevalence, parent attitudes, and acculturation. Results indicated that as young Latinos became more acculturated, psychosocial influences on smoking changed…

Addresses the validity of the Cognitive-Affective Response Test-Music by clarifying the theoretical assertions on which the construct validity of the instrument rests. Presents nine specific assertions and data from two studies. Concludes that the test is valid for college-bound high school students. (CFR)

Describes the historical role and rationale of music education. Outlines the contribution of musical knowledge to the development of the individual and society. Concludes that, if music is to assume a central place in schools, a political philosophy of music education, including ideas of freedom, democracy, and social values, must be forged. (CFR)

Reports on a study of 614 experienced music teachers, non-music teachers, college-level music students, and non-music students on the effect of sequential patterns and different modes of presentation of music teaching. Finds that experienced teachers' evaluations were significantly higher than those of university students. (CFR)

This paper examines policy underscoring the importance of choice and self-determination in physical environments of children with disabilities; reviews research in this area; and discusses four laws which address opportunities for choice and self-determination, including the Americans with Disabilities Act, Individuals with Disabilities Education…

A survey of 158 Pennsylvania elementary teachers who had experience including children with disabilities in general classrooms found that special and general educators reported similar levels of need for resources, but special educators reported greater availability of resources. A high percentage of respondents reported a need for training, and a…

This study identified expectations that 40 mothers had for their adolescent children in the areas of future living arrangements, employment/education goals, and social relationships. Mothers of adolescents with severe mental retardation and adolescents without disabilities had similar expectations for their children, that is, independence.…

This paper examines contributions of a functional curriculum approach to achievement of functional communication by students with moderate/severe disabilities. It proposes that best practice needs to focus more specifically on the quality of social interactions with students throughout the day, by emphasizing the role of communication partners in…

A constant time delay (CTD) procedure was used to teach four adolescents with severe/profound intellectual disabilities to perform bowling, throwing, and putting. Results indicated that the adolescents could be effectively taught gross motor lifetime sport skills with the CTD procedure and that verbal description plus physical assistance could be…

Four adolescents with moderate mental disabilities were taught by peers to read key words from labels of cooking products using constant time delay. Students mastered the reading of target key words in a relatively short amount of time with minimal errors, acquired some incidental learning of cooking definitions, and were able to generalize the…

This study found that the responses of 40 institutionalized adults with moderate mental retardation to the tasks of discriminating emotions and expressing empathy were poor in contrast to those with mild mental retardation. Of individuals with mild mental retardation, those with no chronic challenging behaviors scored better than those with…

This special issue includes 13 articles that address the need for educating library support staff. Highlights include certification of support staff; examples; attending relevant conferences; support staff in professional organizations; a model for staff development and training; union versus nonunion benefits; networking; and mentoring. (LRW)

Discusses the career choices of library assistants based on personal reflections, including reasons for staying in a support staff position; membership in library professional associations; attitudes of librarians and library directors toward library assistants; and the need for professional development opportunities for library assistants. (LRW)

Reviews forces and factors impinging on institutions of higher education and colleges of agriculture that set forth a new paradigm characterized by undergirding production agriculture with a social objective of sustainability, environmental compatibility, and stewardship of the natural resource base. (LZ)

Presents the use of geographic information system (GIS) technology in the laboratory section of an upper-level college course in soil physics. The laboratory includes a lecture portion that provides an introduction to GIS and selected applications to soil science, agriculture, and environmental sciences. (LZ)